Two cable thieves have been sentenced to a total of 27 years imprisonment for stealing more than 4km of Eskom’s aluminium cables in 2018.
Anye Valentine Nkwenti was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, while Happy Dube was jailed for 12 years.
The pair were found guilty in the Bronkhorstspruit Regional Court and sentenced earlier this month, on 3 May.
Nkwenti and Dube were caught at Ystervarkfontein in the Welbekend area while trying to flee in a vehicle that was later impounded.
Also found on the crime scene were two wood saws and one hack saw believed to be used in the perpetration of the crime.
The theft of cables, overhead lines, transformers, and conductors costs Eskom about R2 billion per year.
Eskom said illegal electricity connections and cable theft often lead to prolonged power outages and compromise the quality of supply, which affects businesses, essential services, as well as the day-to-day lives of society, and this harms the economy.
Commenting on the sentencing of the cable thieves, Eskom SHEQS Manager in Gauteng, Kith Maitisa, on Tuesday said he welcomed the convictions.
Maitisa also expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the Eskom employees, the security company, and SA Police Service (SAPS) for apprehending the criminals.
“Gauteng experiences a lot of cable theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure,” Maitisa said.
“The arrests are part of our heightened efforts to curb criminal acts that affect customers, disrupt people’s livelihoods and the future of the country.”
Maitisa urged all those who may be aware of any form of criminal acts to report them by calling the Eskom Crime Line on 0800 112 722 or the SAPS.
The tip-offs can also be done anonymously.
