Court hears ‘remorseful’ Woolies looter acted impulsively
The two-year trial of the so-called 'Woolworths looter' is drawing to a close.
In March, Mbuso Moloi admitted to stealing during the 2021 unrest.
He’d been charged with theft and Contravention of the National Road Traffic Regulation.
Sentencing proceedings were underway in the Durban Regional Court on Friday.
Moloi was caught on video in July 2021 walking out of a Woolworths store in Essenwood with a basket full of goods.
He was seen loading the stolen goods into his Mercedes-Benz parked across the road.
The shop was being looted by rioters at the time.
A social worker from the Department of Social Development, who assessed Moloi, told the court on Friday that direct imprisonment would be too harsh a sentence.
READ: Merc Woolies looter sentencing continues today
She said the images of him that went viral had added to his punishment, and that the accused had become known as the face of the July 2021 looting.
Defence lawyer, Advocate Willie Lombard, argued that the fact that Moloi pleaded guilty shows he has remorse, and since his arrest, had not committed any offence.
The court heard from the defence that what Moloi did was in the spur of the moment, impulsive and not premeditated.
He says the trauma and process the accused has gone through has taken effect.
Lombard asked the court to give his client a fine of not more than R15 000, saying while this amount would be excessive, it’s available.
The prosecution argued that Moloi's offence affected the economy, and businesses like Woolworths had to increase security, which caused a hike in food prices.
It says the accused’s actions ruined the image of South Africa.
