MPUMALANGA – The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Zodwa Mokoena welcomed the sentence handed down to Warren Tapela (31) when he appeared in the Middelburg Regional court for a charge of theft of railway lines.
Tapela pleaded guilty on the charge and was subsequently sentenced to 5 years imprisonment with an alternative fine of R10 000, 00. The court while passing sentence on Monday 10 January 2022, put into consideration that the accused had already served two thirds (2/3) of his sentence, as he was incarcerated for a period of 4 years without bail.
This comes after he was arrested on 24 October 2018 during an intelligence driven operation executed by members of the Middelburg based Hawks` Serious Organised Crime Investigation team assisted by security companies following the information received about suspects who were stealing rail way lines on the R555 road towards Stoffberg.
The operation resulted in the arrest of two foreign nationals. They were both denied bail and made several court appearances until they were found guilty on Tuesday 11 January 2022.
The case against the second accused Liano Mazibe was postponed to 25 January 2022 for sentencing. The accused remains in custody.
Source: South African Police Service