Four accused granted R4 000 bail in R3 million copper cable theft case

Police recovered these copper cables in uMlazi during a recent operation. Two money counting machines, truck batteries, 74kg of copper cables, electronic scales, 461kg of lead cable insulators, 364kg of mixed copper pipes with burnt stripped copper cables and 129kg of aluminium cables were recovered. On Tuesday, four of the eight accused in a R3 million copper theft case were granted bail. Picture: SAPS

Published Sep 21, 2022

| Published Sep 21, 2022

Durban – Four of the eight accused who face charges relating to the theft of Telkom, eThekwini Municipality and Transnet copper cables worth an estimated R3 million were granted bail of R4 000 each in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

This was despite the State recommending a bail amount of R50 000 for the accused, arguing that in a similar matter the Pinetown court had set bail at R100 000.

On Tuesday, the court heard the bail applications of Craig Chetty, Dinesh Harilall, Thembinkosi Mnyandu and Sibusiso Ngeneko, which were unopposed by the State.

They are to appear in court again on October 28.

The other four accused, all Malawians, also face charges of being in contravention of the Immigration Act.

The State is opposing to bail for husband and wife Amadu Juma and Liya Nyirongo, as well as Abdula Juma and his wife, Lesungu Mtola.

Defence attorney NM Nkosi proceeded with the bail applications for Nyirongo and Mtola, and is expected to deal with the application for the Jumas on Thursday.

When the eight accused first appeared last week, Nyirongo had her 2-month-old baby strapped to her chest.

On Tuesday, she brought the baby to court again but when it began crying during the proceedings, the court orderly took the baby out of the courtroom.

Captain A Enock, of the Serious and Organised Crime Investigation unit, was given the case to investigate on September 12.

In an affidavit, he told the court that at 3am on September 7, eight suspects were apprehended at a business area where copper estimated to be worth R3m was found, along with granulator machine and other tools used to steal copper.

In Chetty and Harilall’s bail bid, their defence, senior advocate S Khan, said they intended to plead not guilty. He said both men were self-employed plumbers and mechanics from Botha’s Hill and lived with their elderly parents.

According to the pair, they had been in Westmead when they were assaulted by security officers who took them to the police station where they were charged with the alleged copper theft.

They alleged that they were at the property to inspect a vehicle they had been asked by the owner to fix. They alleged that they had been there two days earlier inspecting the vehicle and found it needed spares and had returned after having found second-hand spares for the Ford Ranger.

In his bid for release on bail, Mnyandu, 41, a self-employed Botha’s Hill painter, said he lived with the mother of his 3-month-old baby, and both of them, as well as his other children, depended on him and could afford R2 000 bail.

“There is no evidence against me,” he said in an affidavit.

Ngeneko, 37, told the court he was employed as a supervisor at a fibre installation company and had five children aged18,13,12, 6 and nine months that he supported.

Mnyandu and Ngeneko’s defence, V R Singh, indicated that his clients intended to plead not guilty.

Daily News