Transnet has welcomed the sentencing of three men who were convicted on charges of stealing essential infrastructure after they cut the parastatal’s overhead railway lines to sell them for scrap metal.
Transnet spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said the parastatal welcomed the conviction and sentencing of the men in the Belfast Magistrates Court in the Free State earlier this week. The men were arrested after they stole copper railway line contact cables in October 2021.
Shezi said the latest sentencing of copper cable thieves showed that Transnet’s interventions, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and security service providers, were yielding results.
The men were earlier found guilty of contravening the Criminal Matters Amendment Act (18 of 2015) and the country’s immigration laws. The Criminal Matters Amendment Act provides for harsher and lengthier sentences for those found guilty of tampering with essential infrastructure.
“The three, who were arrested near Wonderfontein railway line in Mpumalanga, where 67 metres of Transnet overhead cables were cut and stolen, were found guilty and each sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for damaging and tampering with essential infrastructure,” Shezi said.
“The convictions should also serve as a warning against tampering with essential infrastructure and sabotaging Transnet’s operations and the economy of the country,” she added.
Transnet has appealed to the public to assist law enforcement agencies by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activities around railway lines to the Crime Stop hotline on 08600 01000 or by sending an email to transnet@tip-off.com. Information provided will be treated confidentially.
