A 51-year-old Zimbabwean man, Zakhele Hadebe, was handed a 34-year prison sentence in the Musina Regional Court on 18 September after being found guilty of tampering with essential infrastructure, theft of non-ferrous metals forming part of essential infrastructure, contravention of the Immigration Act, and trespassing.
"On 11 May 2023, at Maremani Nature Reserve, Hadebe and an accomplice vandalised a private electrical installation by opening a transformer and digging up several metres of underground cable. The electricity supply was critical for pumping water to both wildlife and residents in the reserve. While the accomplice managed to escape, Hadebe was arrested on site after being traced through their escape route," said Ms Chegofatjo Mabanna of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Limpopo in a press release.
During the trial, Mabanna said, Hadebe had admitted to being an illegal immigrant and to trespassing, but had denied the other charges. "In aggravation of sentence, State Prosecutor Jan Krijt argued that infrastructure crimes of this nature are rampant across the country and particularly devastate farmers and rural communities who are left without basic services. He emphasised that there were no substantial or compelling reasons for the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence," said Mabanna.
In reaction to the sentence, the NPA welcomed the outcome. Director of Public Prosecutions in Limpopo Adv Ivy Thenga stated:
"Crimes that target essential infrastructure directly affect service delivery and deprive communities of basic services. The NPA will continue to adopt a focused approach to ensure that, upon conviction, harsher sentences are imposed," said Thenga. She also commended the excellent work of Prosecutor Krijt and investigating officers Sgt Rambuwani and Sgt Mukhali of the Musina Police Station.