Truck driver sentenced to 12 years for chrome theft
A truck driver has started serving a 12-year
jail term for stealing chrome worth R250,000.
Dumezweni Dlamini was sentenced in the Richards Bay Regional Court on Monday.
He pleaded guilty to stealing the chrome he was delivering from Mpumalanga to the port to be exported.
The court heard that in April, the 37-year-old man met with his accomplice at the port, who paid him R15,000 not to offload the chrome.
He then exited the port, and both used a radio jamming device to disarm the truck’s tracker signals.
READ: Remaining suspects arrested for Estcourt massacre
The heavy vehicle was then driven to Enseleni, where the chrome was offloaded.
NPA KZN spokesperson Natasha Kara says the duo was arrested at the scene when police traced the truck.
"Dlamini was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for the theft of chrome and two years’ imprisonment for possession of a radio jamming device.
"Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 12 years' imprisonment," says Kara.
"In sentencing him, the court deviated from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment, finding that the cumulative effect of circumstances justifies the deviation."
ALSO READ: Msunduzi aims to recover R500m from discount blitz
Dlamini's co-accused, Mlungisi Nxumalo pleaded not guilty, and their trials were separated.
Nxumalo returns to court in November.
Find us on social media
Follow the ECR Newswatch WhatsApp channel here
