BLOEMFONTEIN – The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has imposed lengthy sentences on 25 of 26 members of an organised syndicate in the R29 million Transnet copper cable infrastructure case. The sentences were handed down on Friday 9 October and range from 33 years to 798 years in cumulative prison time.
The men were convicted after a trial held over five days last year. They include two Malawians, four Mozambicans, seven South Africans, and 12 Zimbabweans.
Sgt Sinah Mpakane, provincial spokesperson for the police, said the sentencing of one member, Louis Chivo (32), was postponed and that a date was yet to be determined. This followed his re-arrest after he made a daring escape from court during the trial.
Those sentenced are William Sithole (41), Alfred Dlamini (53), Giveness Simangwe (29), Timothy Masocha (41), Issa Chingowe (41), Maxwel Chingowe (32), Ernest Malati (25), Bongani Chabalala (33), Harmfree Zvevhu (31), Thabonashe Mlambo (29), Farai Dube (29), Munyaradzi Shava (25), Gibson Makumire (33), Ian Kudzai (36), Oncemore Marume (24), Silas Ngwenya (30), Shadrack Khoza (27), Arcido Anibal Nhangumbe (34), Sinethemba Deme (30), Obey Mashaba (29), Tenash Obeleng (23), Edmond Dube (24), Tafatso Masia (31), Thomas Mashaba (36), and Anton Duvhawa (41).
Mpakane said the court convicted and sentenced the syndicate under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (P0CA), Act 121 of 1998, Section 9(2)(a) – Involvement in Gang-Related Activities. “The court convicted and sentenced the accused on 37 counts of tampering or damage to essential infrastructure to the value of R22 261 886.00; and 37 counts of theft of Transnet copper cables to the value of R6 967 413.00,” she said.
Mpakane said the crimes of damaging Transnet infrastructure and stealing copper cable were committed between 18 July and 6 October 2021 on the railway line between Springfontein and Bethulie. “This resulted in a total loss of R29 229 299.00 to Transnet,” she said.
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The court imposed lengthy sentences on the following:
- Sithole sentenced to 798 years’ imprisonment;
- Dlamini sentenced to 558 years’ imprisonment;
- Masocha sentenced to 738 years’ imprisonment;
- Zvevhu sentenced to 273 years’ imprisonment;
- Dube sentenced to 153 years’ imprisonment to run concurrently;
- Duvhawa sentenced to 123 years’ imprisonment;
- Nhangumbe sentenced to 213 years’ imprisonment;
- Deme sentenced to 91 years’ imprisonment; and
- Khoza sentenced to 92 years’ imprisonment.
Mpakane said the court ordered these multiple sentences imposed on the 25 convicts to run concurrently, resulting in all the syndicate members serving 16 years, 17 years and 18 years’ direct imprisonment, respectively.
