The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has welcomed the sentencing of a former employee, who was found guilty of tampering or destroying essential infrastructure in the Mkhomazi area by the Scottburgh Regional Court.

Sphiwe Mngadi and an accomplice were caught by two PRASA security guards patrolling the rail reserve in April 2018.

The security guards had spotted him on PRASA’s railway reserve in a PRASA marked vehicle. Security guards noticed that the copper cables were removed and confronted him.

He was caught with an estimated R1-million worth of copper and was unable to explain why he was in possession of 12 rolls of copper weighing about 192 kg, PRASA outlines.

The entity says that although the sentence is below the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years, it sends a strong message to others about the consequences of stealing critical rail infrastructure.

“Indeed the tide is turning against cable theft. To date, 454 suspects have been arrested for vandalism and theft, a total of 118 court cases have been finalised amounting to a combined 764 years imprisonment,” PRASA states.

The entity has commended the work of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the prosecution team and the South African Police Service investigation team for the successful conviction.

It also welcomed the NPA’s commitment to put more focus on copper cable theft, given the critical role that rail plays in the country’s economy.

“Only a partnership between our law enforcement agencies will we be able to fight cable theft,” PRASA emphasised.

It has also commended the security guards for reporting on this crime and testifying in court to ensure that the perpetrator was brought to book.

“PRASA does not condone any acts of criminality within the organisation and we have strengthened our internal processes and investigations to root out employees who are hampering and sabotaging the business,” the entity says.