Centlec has welcomed the sentencing of Braam Bothma (21) to 20 years of direct imprisonment for theft, damage, and vandalism of critical infrastructure.
The Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court handed down the sentence on Monday (13/04) following multiple incidents that took place between 2022 and 2025 in the Noordhoek area. Bothma was arrested while cutting and stealing electrical and telecommunications cables belonging to Centlec and Telkom.
According to Centlec, these criminal acts caused significant disruptions to essential services, including electricity supply and communication networks, directly affecting both communities and businesses.
The court highlighted the serious and growing concern of infrastructure vandalism and cable theft in South Africa, noting its far reaching consequences. Centlec emphasised that such crimes place immense pressure on service delivery and contribute to increased operational costs.
“Cable theft and vandalism of essential infrastructure place an immense strain on service delivery and contribute to increased operational costs for Centlec, which undermines our mandate to provide sustainable and reliable electricity supply,” the utility said.
Centlec reiterated its commitment to working with law enforcement agencies to combat infrastructure related crimes and protect essential services.
Compiled by Clement Matroos
