A 43-year-old former mobile tower technician who had tampered with and stolen from MTN and Vodacom infrastructure was apprehended and found guilty by Free State detectives using fingerprint analysis.
Sello Dichaba was caught after breaking into a cell tower location close to Rouxville. Dichaba allegedly took copper cabling from the towers and caused damage, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“The Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) carefully processed the crime scene because there were no immediate eyewitnesses or suspects identified at the time,” the SAPS stated in a statement.
“A set of fingerprints was successfully lifted by LCRC experts, which ultimately led to the perpetrator’s downfall.”
Dichaba, who used to work as a contractor technician for MTN and Vodacom, providing cell tower maintenance, had direct access to tamper with the infrastructure because of his line of work. He was ultimately taken into custody by the principal detectives in the investigation, Warrant Officers Moeketsi Mohotsi and Krokkie Engelbrecht.
Two charge counts of theft from infrastructure and two counts of damage to vital infrastructure were brought against the former technician, as there was never a physical recovery of the stolen goods.
In order to successfully convict Dichaba and secure his sentence, the two primary investigators collaborated with National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Advocate Keith Muller, who oversaw the legal case.
Also, SAPS had stated that the accused was unable to explain why his fingerprints were found at the scene during the trial due to an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence.”
Earlier this month, precisely on May 7, 2026, Dichaba was found guilty on all four counts by the court and given a concurrent sentence of 50 years in prison.
For interfering with network equipment and stealing copper cables, Dichaba will essentially spend 20 years in prison.
Major General Apaphia Modise, Free State Provincial Head of Crime Detection, stated that this conviction highlights the reality that science doesn’t lie.
“Excellent cooperation between the NPA, the LCRC experts, and the tag team of Warrant Officer Engelbrecht and Mohotsi, ensuring that an insider who abused his position of trust was brought to justice.”
It is also best to note that criminals that are found guilty of stealing and vandalizing vital infrastructure have been given harsh punishments by South African courts in recent years.
It is hoped that harsh punishments and convictions will prevent and discourage potential offenders from attacking electrical infrastructure by sending a powerful message.
Based on Section 3 of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, anyone convicted of a crime involving important infrastructure, including cable theft, faces a maximum 30-year prison sentence.
Braam Bothma, 21, was prosecuted by the NPA and given a 20-year prison sentence in April after being found guilty of theft and infrastructure damage in Noordhoek, Free State.
Bothma admitted to cutting and removing Telkom and Centlec overhead cables before receiving the punishment.
These cables are a crucial component of the infrastructure that provides communication and electricity. The NPA said that the accused planned to profit personally from the sale of the pilfered cables.
The second incident happened in June 2025, in which Bothma was apprehended in Noordhoek cutting and removing electrical cables from street poles.
“The community’s access to services was further disrupted by these cables, which were a part of Centlec’s electricity distribution network.”
According to the NPA, crimes pertaining to vital infrastructure threaten South Africa’s economic stability and interfere with communication and service delivery.
“To protect the nation’s infrastructure and promote sustainable development, the NPA will continue to give priority to these prosecutions.”
In total, the Cape Town High Court found five cable robbers guilty of 50 counts of stealing copper cables in 2021.
The five convicted robbers received sentences totalling 1,250 years in prison, with some of the perpetrators receiving minimum penalties of 15 years.
Why the sentence is severe is because South Africa now treats telecom battery theft as tampering with essential infrastructure. This crime carries much heavier penalties than standard theft. It causes widespread network blackouts and cuts off emergency services for entire communities. It also costs mobile operators billions of rands on a yearly basis in repairs and security.