Cape Town – The Oudtshoorn Magistrate’s Court sentenced a 38-year-old man to 10 years imprisonment for tampering with essential infrastructure.
On Wednesday, Lububalo Mpubane was sentenced for his involvement in the crimes.
According to the Western Cape spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Zinzi Hani, Mpubane was sentenced alongside four others on June 13, 2017, when he and his accomplices were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team from George along the R62 highway in Ladismith.
“The accused was arrested on R62 highway in Ladismith while cutting and transporting Telkom copper cables.
“His co-accused were sentenced in October 2021 to seven years imprisonment.
“Thirty rolls of copper cables to the value of R68 525 were found at the back of the truck he and his co-accused were driving,” Hani said.
She said the Kia pick-up truck the gang was driving in, valued at R190 000 was seized and forfeited to the State since it was used in a commission of a crime.
In an unrelated matter, a 27-year-old Chinese national Lifu Chen pleaded guilty on charges of illegal possession and transporting of abalone in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act.
Hani said the weight of the dried abalone was 202.95kg and had a street value of more than R1.4 million.
Chen was further charged in terms of the Immigration Act.
“Chen was arrested in August 2021 after the search and seizure operation by the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation team together with the Department of Forestry, Marine Living Resources Act,” Hani said.
He was sentenced in the Blue Downs regional court on Tuesday.
The court sentenced Chen to 36 months imprisonment wholly suspended with an option of an R50 000 fine for the illegal possession of abalone, 12 months imprisonment with an option of R10 000 fine for two counts of the contravention of the Marine Living Resources Act, and a further 12 months imprisonment for the contravention of the Immigration Act.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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