15-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR DAMAGING ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

23 May 2025

15-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR DAMAGING ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The Belfast Magistrates’ Court has sentenced Almeida Algerto Ndeve (33), a Mozambican national, to 15 years of direct imprisonment for damaging essential infrastructure belonging to Transnet. He was also sentenced to an additional 12 months’ imprisonment for contravening the Immigration Act. Ndeve’s conviction follows a spike in copper cable theft in the Fairview railway area in Machadodorp. In response, Transnet increased security patrols. On the evening of 21 May 2024, Ndeve and a group of unknown individuals were caught in the act of cutting copper cables. While his accomplices managed to flee, Ndeve was apprehended on the scene in possession of stolen copper cables and arrested.

During the investigation, it was also established that Ndeve was residing illegally in South Africa, leading to an additional charge under the Immigration Act. In court, Ndeve pleaded guilty to the immigration charge but denied involvement in the cable theft. However, State Advocate Makhosonke Mashinini led compelling evidence from security personnel who apprehended Ndeve and submitted the stolen copper cables as exhibits. A Transnet investigating officer also identified the recovered cables as property of the company. The court found the state witnesses credible and convicted Ndeve on both charges.

In aggravation of sentence, Advocate Mashinini highlighted the seriousness and frequency of crimes targeting critical infrastructure, underlining the devastating impact such crimes have on service delivery and the economy. The court further declared Ndeve unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that he be deported upon completion of his sentence.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stands resolute in its mission to defend South Africa’s critical infrastructure. Acts of sabotage against public assets are not just criminal, they are attacks on the nation’s ability to deliver essential services. The NPA will continue to pursue and prosecute offenders with unwavering resolve, ensuring that justice is not only done but seen to be done, says the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga, Mr Sonja Ntuli. 

ENDS

Monica Nyuswa
NPA Regional Spokesperson – DPP Mpumalanga
013 045 0625 / 076 485 5446
mnyuswa@npa.gov.za