Nombango Claudia Mogiba used Eskom materials to make aluminium pots and stored them at her house in Mpumalanga. Picture: Hawks
A Mpumalanga woman has been found guilty and sentenced for cooking up Eskom cables to make pots.
Nombango Claudia Mogiba appeared in the Calcutta Regional Court on Thursday where she was found guilty of possession of stolen property after cables worth more than R30 000 were found stacked neatly under a black Transnet sail at her Mkhuhlu house in Mpumalanga.
She used the materials to make a number of cooking pots.
The court sentenced Mogiba to five years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years, or a R10 000 fine following her arrest in January.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, said they had made the discovery during a search-and-seizure operation at Mogiba’s house earlier this year.
“During the search a roll of suspected Eskom aluminium cables were identified covered with a black sail next to the house, other small rolls of suspected Eskom cables were further identified in a trench next to the wall covered with a black Transnet sail.
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Sekgotodi said Eskom security were summoned and confirmed that the properties belonged them.
“The team continued with the such whereby lots of aluminium pots were found in the room and identified as been manufactured by smelting Eskom copper cables with estimated value of R30 800.
“The accused was arrested, charged and detained pending her first court appearance on Monday, 29 January 2024 whereby she was remanded in custody until 2 February 2024 and she was granted bail. The accused appeared in court on several occasions and she was found guilty and convicted on 28 October 2024 and the case was postponed to 21 November 2024 for sentencing,” Sekgotodi said.
The Mpumalanga head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), Major-General Nicholas Gerber, applauded the investigating team for securing the sentence, “which will send a clear message to those would-be thieves”.
“South Africans are all too familiar with the daily theft of copper cables and other items from infrastructure meant to and contribute to the smooth running of the county. The General urged the public to refrain from such behaviours and to report the incidents to the Law enforcement agencies,” Gerber said.
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