Three men convicted after R120,000 cellphone tower battery theft in Swellendam

Three men, Oswell Mafume, Carlos Mhande, and Omega Turugare, have been convicted for stealing six lithium batteries worth R120,000 from a cellphone tower in Swellendam. The arrest came after a police chase on the N2 road towards Caledon, where officers recovered three of the stolen batteries. The case, which was initially investigated by Swellendam police, was later taken over by the Hawks' Economic Protected Resources (EPR) team in George.

All three men pleaded guilty to two counts each of tampering with, damaging, and destroying essential infrastructure, as well as contravening Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act. They are currently in custody, and the case has been rescheduled for sentencing on January 22, 2027. The operation involved collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies and a private security company to combat cable theft and crimes targeting essential infrastructure.

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