Lungile Ntimba
A Malawian national and a pastor of the Gods Chapel Church has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Pretoria Magistrates Court for tampering with essential infrastructure and 8 years each for 3 counts of R150 000 fraud, with the sentences set to run concurrently.
NPA Regional Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the pastor – 59-year-old Mlotha Nelson Usale pleaded guilty and offered to pay a R200 000 fine for his crimes but the court declined the offer on Thursday.
State prosecutor Tholoana Sekhonyana argued in court that the offences committed warranted a sentence of direct imprisonment.
“The crimes committed caused network interruptions and cost the network service providers, MTN and Vodacom a lot of money to replace the stolen batteries,” Sekhonyana said.
Sekhonyana also added that people lost a lot of money from buying stolen batteries, thinking they were legitimate.
From 2021 to May 2022, Usale ran
You’ve reached your free article limit
Subscribe to enjoy unlimited access to trusted journalism. Cancel anytime.
Subscribe nowNeed help? molokom@insidepolitic.co.za
