Found guilty of stealing copper and batteries from a Vodacom cell tower, five men were each sentenced to 10-year prison terms. All five were Zimbabwean citizens who illegally crossed the border into South Africa, Data Center Dynamics reports.
“The accused entered the country at the farm Eensaam Kasteel,” stated Provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane. “The police found the accused in possession of the stolen essential infrastructure items. They were arrested and charged in connection with the theft of two Vodacom cell tower batteries and copper cables.”
Senokoatsane added that the five individuals were found guilty of the theft of essential infrastructure and theft of non-ferrous metals. When it was discovered that they had entered South Africa illegally, they were also charged with violation of the Immigration Act. He said that the sentence should send a strong message to others who might put the country’s infrastructure and communications at risk.
“This sentiment had to be echoed with harsh punishments that fit both the crime and the criminal,” he noted.
Local publication DFA reported that police were summoned after suspicious activity around the Vodacom cell tower attracted the notice of neighbors. Data Center Dynamics commented that public awareness of infrastructure threats likely contributed to the arrest of the suspects.
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