BLOEMFONTEIN – The Bloemfontein Regional Court has imposed an effective 20-year prison sentence on copper thief Braam Bothma (21) for multiple cable theft incidents targeting Centlec and Telkom infrastructure. Bothma was sentenced on Monday, 13 April, on charges including theft, damage, and vandalism of critical infrastructure. The court also declared Bothma unfit to possess a firearm.

Evidence presented to the court revealed that Bothma had stolen cables between 2022 and 2024 in the Noordhoek area. Law enforcement agents caught the accused red-handed while cutting and stealing electrical and telecommunications cables. Centlec, the power supplier for Mangaung Metro Municipality, has welcomed the harsh sentence, noting that the court’s decision and emphasises the serious nature of infrastructure vandalism and theft in South Africa.

“These criminal acts of vandalism and theft of cables disrupt critical services, including electricity supply and communication networks, directly impacting communities and businesses. These acts contribute to immense increased on operational costs for Centlec,” said Tseliso Leba, acting spokesperson for Centlec. He said the company views as economic sabotage all acts of destruction of essential infrastructure, stating it remains committed to working closely with law enforcement agencies and communities to safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

Pattern of Harsh Sentences

This latest sentencing follows a series of similar cases heard by the same court. In March, three other accused persons received substantial prison terms: Teboho Letoane (23) was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment, while Thabo Mofo (29) and Thabang Leeuw (24) each received 10-year sentences for similar offences. They targeted Centlec’s essential infrastructure to steal cables.

In June last year, the court sentenced Lefa Olifant (31) and Modise Lebuso (30) to 20 years, each for stealing Transnet signal cables valued at R56,000. The pair committed the crime in Heidedal during the night of 28-29 September 2022. Security officials apprehended the duo, who were among four suspects arrested while stealing signal cables from a manhole on Transnet infrastructure. They were found guilty on charges of tampering with essential infrastructure and theft.

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