Mohalenyane Phakela
THE Mafeteng Magistrate Court has sentenced a local resident to four years in jail for stealing Econet Telecom Lesotho’s manhole cover.
Tsókolo Maoene from Taung Ha Kekeleng was charged with contravening Section 59 of the Penal Code Act of 2010 read with Section 109 of the same Act by stealing a manhole cover at Ha-Motlere in Mafeteng.
Senior Resident Magistrate Nkuebe Ramabele yesterday found Maoene guilty and sentenced him to four years in prison..
Econet public relations manager, Puleng Masoabi, told the Lesotho Times this week that vandalism of the company’s infrastructure was so rampant that a new case was reported every week in the 2022/23 financial year.
She, however, also expressed gratitude for the support the company was receiving from the police in curbing the vandalism.
“Vandalism cost us over M3 million in the last financial year,” Ms Masoabi said.
“We are encouraged by this week’s conviction because they prove that the police are busy at work and are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that vandals are jailed.”
Apart from manhole covers, Econet also suffers losses from the cutting down of poles, and theft of optic fibre equipment and copper cables.
“The most rampant vandalism is on copper cable infrastructure, which accounts for 50 percent of all vandalism. However, fibre cables are also stolen along with generator batteries, fuel and solar panels and cutting down of poles,” Ms Masoabi added.
“We are happy that we are now working with the police and perpetrators are no longer charged with only vandalism but with contravening the Communications Act.”
