Zakhele Hadebe
(51) was convicted by the Musina Regional Court for tampering with essential
infrastructure, theft of non-ferrous metal, contravening the Immigration Act,
and trespassing.
Limpopo
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said Hadebe
and an accomplice struck at Maremani Nature Reserve on 11 May 2023, targeting a
private electrical installation.
“They opened a
transformer and dug up several metres of underground cable. The electricity was
critical for pumping water to both wildlife and residents in the reserve,” she
said.
While Hadebe’s
partner-in-crime vanished into the bush, he wasn’t so lucky. “He was arrested
on site after being traced through their escape route,” Malabi-Dzhangi added.
During trial,
Hadebe confessed to being an illegal immigrant and trespassing but denied the
theft and vandalism charges.
Director of
Public Prosecutions in Limpopo, Advocate Ivy Thenga, warned that such crimes
will be met with no mercy.
“Crimes that
target essential infrastructure directly affect service delivery and deprive
communities of basic services. The NPA will continue to adopt a focused
approach to ensure that, upon conviction, harsher sentences are imposed,” said
Advocate Thenga. Chronicle
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