Mpumalanga cable thief gets 15 years in prison

CAPE TOWN - Electricity cable thief Witness Sibanda has been sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment by the Ermelo Magistrates Court.
 
Sibanda was found guilty of damaging and stealing essential infrastructure at Camden Power Station in Mpumalanga in July this year.
 
He was also found to have contravened South Africa's Immigration Act.
 
Sibanda was arrested in February after he was caught cutting and removing copper cables deemed critical infrastructure.
 
He was nabbed after CCTV operators detected movement inside the Camden Power Station at night.
 
The power utility has appealed to the public to report cable thieves to authorities, including the illegal sale of electricity as it has a negative impact on its operations.
 
The utility strongly condemns the theft and vandalism of its infrastructure, saying it costs the country an estimated R47 billion annually.