A stock thief from Mpumalanga has been jailed for 29 years for a theft case dating back to 2015.
Police said Zacharia Dube (52) and his co-accused, Elijah Mabasa (40), were sentenced in the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on Friday for stealing 21 head of cattle valued at R310 000 from a farm outside Secunda.
Dube was sentenced to 29 years while Mabasa, who earlier pleaded guilty, was sentenced to seven years of direct imprisonment.
The case against a third accused, Christopher Dube, was withdrawn after he turned state’s witness.
Police said the theft was investigated by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit in Mpumalanga following complaints from farmers.
