Ermelo court delivers harsh sentence to cable thief as infrastructure crimes continue to rise

18 Feb 2025

A selfish act of sabotage — a cable-cutting spree that plunged an entire community into darkness for more than seven hours — saw a 28-year-old Mpumalanga man sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In a bid to curb infrastructure-related crimes, the Ermelo Regional Court sentenced 28-year-old Batsheleni Dladla to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for damaging Msukaligwa Municipality’s essential infrastructure.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said in a statement that the incident occurred on 28 May 2023 in the evening when members of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) were patrolling Chris de Villiers Street in Sun City, Ermelo. During the patrol, the CPF saw a man at a mini-substation and decided to investigate. They found the substation door open and the accused in possession of a side cutter, actively cutting cables. When confronted, Dladla attempted to flee but was swiftly apprehended and handed over to the police.

The theft had severe consequences, disrupting operations in the Ermelo Industrial area for eight hours while repairs were under way. In court, Dladla pleaded not guilty, claiming he had been attempting to steal from a location 10 metres away from the substation. State Prosecutor Chané Rothman presented compelling evidence, including eyewitness testimony and photographic documentation of the damage, which implicated the accused in the crime.

Magistrate Eben Jonker rejected Dladla’s testimony and found him guilty and emphasised the prevalence and severity of infrastructure-related crimes, which crippled essential infrastructure and strained municipal resources. Magistrate Jonker sentenced Dladla to 15 years’ direct imprisonment.

The NPA welcomed the sentence, stating that it “remains committed to ensuring that those convicted of infrastructure-related crimes face severe consequences. Such offences hinder service delivery and deprive communities of essential services, warranting strict prosecution and harsh sentencing.”

Déjà vu

Notably, this is not the first time the court has had to rule against this type of crime. On 19 July 2024, the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court found Witness Sibanda guilty of damaging and stealing essential infrastructure, as well as contravening South Africa’s Immigration Act.

This came after his arrest on 8 February 2023 at Camden Power Station after CCTV operators detected suspicious activity. Security personnel responded and found Sibanda in a restricted area and in possession of stolen copper cable. Investigation also revealed that he had gained unauthorised access by cutting through the perimeter fence.

A province-wide problem

The growing trend of infrastructure damage is alarming. Last year alone, Mail & Guardian reported estimated annual losses of about R187-billion.

Read more: Western Cape town ‘held to ransom’ by cable theft syndicate counts health, economic costs of blackouts

The devastating impact is felt across provinces, where relentless attacks on critical infrastructure have become the new norm. In Gauteng, a surge in theft and destruction of traffic signals resulted in a R30-million loss.

The Western Cape saw similar vandalism, with the City of Cape Town spending more than R7-million to repair damaged electricity infrastructure. Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal theft and vandalism at the oThongathi Water Treatment Works led to water restrictions across multiple areas, leaving communities to bear the brunt of these senseless crimes. DM

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Déjà vu

A province-wide problem