(Photo for illustration: KI/ Dall-e)
The regional court in Bloemfontein sent a man who broke into the office of the director of public prosecutions (NDOP) in the Free State in 2023, for eight years in prison.
The office of Adv. Navilla Somaru, Free State Director of Public Prosecutions, was duly closed on 1 December 2023 after officials left for the weekend. On their return on Monday, the door on the third floor was found broken open and several offices had been broken into and numerous items stolen. The value of the stolen and damaged items is estimated at around R100 000.
Among the thefts were four Dell laptops, a voice recorder, memory cards, tablets, a mobile phone and cash. Offices, furniture and equipment were also damaged, says Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the province.
Fingerprints were taken and forensic evidence collected and in September last year the police made a positive DNA match that connected Dino Sherwin Kekana to the burglary. At that stage, Kekana had already been arrested in Bloemfontein in connection with another incident of housebreaking. The Falcons’ investigator approached the court so that Kekana could also face additional charges.
Kekana pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and theft. He explained that he gained access to the building through a bathroom window on the ground level, climbed up through a ventilation shaft and then broke open the door to the third floor. He then broke into several offices and stole items. However, he never said what became of the stolen items.
The court found him guilty and sentenced him to eight years of direct imprisonment.
The NDOV office in the Free State welcomed the conviction and sentence.
“The director of public prosecutions also wants to refute false information circulating on social media, that case files and firearms were also stolen during the break-in. The information is not correct,” said Senokoatsane.