Mushiya Said (35) was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison. The conviction follows an arrest for possession of suspected stolen property on Tuesday, 23 July.
The man was arrested by the Yeoville police spokesperson Captain Sifiso Mabizela. At the time, he noticed an adult man who was pushing a trolley while on his way to attend a meeting.
He then approached the man and found him in possession of 30 LED lamps for motor vehicles, some of them with a price tag of R295.
When asked where the man got the lamps, he said he got them from his boss on the corner of Frances and Steyn streets in Observatory. The man then said he was going to sell them at a scrapyard.
Mabizela then took the man to his boss who is known as ‘Mr. Kabila’ and who vehemently denied knowing Said.
Later Said confessed that his real boss was Steven and he doesn’t know where he stays.
While Said pleaded guilty and was subsequently sentenced to six months in prison after failing to give a satisfactory account of the goods, Mabizela expressed that he was worried about where the goods could have been stolen.
According to Mabizela, it is a greater concern that the market for stolen goods is becoming bigger. Not only does it increase the crime rate but it becomes an opportunity for drug addicts to feed their cravings and also protects the bigger ‘fishes’ who either pay the criminals little money with drugs making these suspects protect them.
“One of the fundamental mandates of the police is to identify the root cause of crimes.
“We urge members of the public to stop buying and receiving suspicious goods and also to report suspicious persons.,”
Details: Yeoville Police Station 011 481 0300.
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