Two thieves who confessed to stealing truck batteries will serve an 18-month prison sentence and endure four strokes of the cane, as ruled by the Molepolole Magistrates Court.
The two men, 37-year-old Zimbabwean nationals Timothy Svapangana and Pardon Botsa, both pleaded guilty to charges of store breaking and theft.
The court heard that on August 11th of the previous year, the duo broke into a storeroom belonging to the Chinese construction company, Zhong Gan Pty. They stole five truck batteries valued at P12,000 and four alternators worth P6,000.
Upon arriving for duty the following morning, an Assistant Engineer discovered the break-in and promptly contacted the police. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of Svapangana and Botsa.
In delivering the sentence, the Magistrate acknowledged that both men had saved the court’s time by entering guilty pleas. The Magistrate also noted that the stolen property had been recovered and returned to the owner, meaning the thieves did not ultimately benefit from their crime.
