BLOEMFONTEIN – A young man behind a burglary and theft spree in Bloemfontein was sentenced to eight years’ direct imprisonment regarding an incident at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa office.
The Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced the burglar Dino Sherwin Kekana (29) yesterday (Friday, 13 March) for burglary and theft at the Bloemfontein NPA office on the night of 3 December 2023.
The accused was found guilty on charges of burglary and theft of essential items, including cash. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“Four Dell laptops, a voice recorder, memory sticks, notebooks, a cellphone, and R200 in cash were stolen. Office furniture and equipment were also vandalised.
The total value of the stolen property and damage caused during the break-in was estimated at approximately R100,000,” said Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the NPA in the Free State.
He said compelling evidence that included DNA samples and blood evidence, as well as fingerprints, positively linked Kekana to the break-in at the state entity’s premises, leading him to admit to committing the crime. Blood stains were collected at the office.
“During his plea, the accused admitted to the charges of housebreaking and theft. He explained how he gained access to the building through a bathroom window on the ground floor.
He revealed he climbed up a ventilation shaft and forcibly broke the security and glass doors leading to the third floor before breaking into several offices and stealing the items. He, however, refused to disclose what happened to the stolen items,” said Senokoatsane.
He said Advocate Navilla Somaru, the secretary to the Free State Director of Public Prosecutions, discovered the break-in upon returning to the office on 4 December, although she had properly secured the office before leaving for the weekend. Senokoatsane said the intruder damaged the main door on the third floor during forced entry.
Senokoatsane said Kekana’s sentencing was the culmination of an in-depth investigation involving the Crimes Against the State (CAT) section of the Hawks and the Police Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC).
Kekana was traced to a prison in Wepener where he is already serving a three-year sentence. The eight-year sentence adds to the three-year sentence imposed in June last year in connection with another burglary in the Free State capital.
The investigations also uncovered that Kekana was wanted for at least six cases of burglary, mostly committed in Bloemfontein’s CBD.
The break-in at the NPA office has raised eyebrows as it was reported that there were 24-hour security personnel on-site.
