A THIEF caught stealing Transnet railway tracks are now behind iron bars of a different kind after being found guilty of theft in the Richards Bay District Court on Friday.
Mduduzi Comfort Chillie (31) was convicted of stealing 20 railway tracks, each 1,5 meters in length, worth R35 000.
The state withdrew charges against his 40 year-old co-accused, Muziwendondo Davide Khetha, owing to insufficient evidence.
Chillie was sentenced to two years imprisonment without the option of a fine.
Also in the District Court, Sibusiso Sizwe Ntombela (20) was convicted of possession of stolen burnt copper cable, weighing 1.5 kilograms.
He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine.
He was arrested on 24 July at Ngwenya Scrap Dealers.
Executive Manager of Business Against Crime (BAC) Zululand, Dave Whittaker, says theft of non-ferrous metals hits the economy extremely hard.
‘Ten metres of stolen cable can have a knock-on effect causing millions in damage to infrastructure and production loss, not to mention potential loss of lives if the metal was removed from signal posts or railway lines.
‘To me, it is like an act of terrorism.
‘We have ongoing meetings of the Non-Ferrous Metal Task Team Committee to tackle the problem and discuss possible steps to mitigate the enormous losses suffered by Transnet, Eskom and municipalities,’ said Whittaker.
‘It is illegal to buy copper with any signs that it has been burned.
‘It is encouraging to see that the court has handed down imprisonment upon conviction, because these are serious offenses and the penalties should reflect that.’
