The eMalahleni Regional Court has convicted and sentenced two men to 15 years of direct imprisonment each for damaging essential infrastructure and attempted theft.
Forty-four-year-old Joseph Mahlangu and 42-year-old Thandazile Mkuyane were sentenced on Wednesday after entering the Kendal Power Station two years ago and cutting the cables between the transformer and the fly ash bunker.
The NPA spokesperson in Mpumalanga Monica Nyuswa, said they were caught as they exited the premises.
She said the two initially pleaded not guilty however, prosecutor Francois Brandt led evidence of eyewitnesses and testimonies of the security guards who assisted in apprehending them.
"They testified that they saw the fence cut and later caught the accused in possession of cables. The engineer also testified and explained the impact the damage and the theft had on the infrastructure.
"He added that due to the damage inflicted and the theft, they had to use gas turbines for four days to prevent load shedding at a cost of R960000," Nyuswa added.
The State argued in aggravation of sentence that the offenses were serious and prevalent and negatively affected the country's economy.
