Rustenburg – Three convicted copper cable thieves 25-year-old Isaac Obisse, 35-year-old Ngangile Singatha, and 41-year-old Phindile Mbokole were sentenced to prison terms in the Tlhabane Regional Court, North West.
Mbokole was sentenced to six years in prison, while Singatha and Obisse were each slapped with five-year jail sentences for the offences they were convicted of.
The Tlhabane Regional Court on Tuesday further sentenced Obisse to an additional 12 months in prison.
The trio was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation on 5 October 2022 at Impala Platinum Mine after they were spotted by mine security on the CCTV cameras.
The trio was observed walking with difficulty. Police were alerted as to the presence of suspicious persons.
Upon searching the accused, the police discovered that they had each wrapped stolen copper cables around their bodies with a combined weight of 180kg.
They were all arrested and have remained behind bars ever since.
Bail was successfully opposed during their first appearance. The trio made a series of court appearances before they were convicted.
Now they are serving prison sentences.
