Man convicted and sentenced for illegally transporting chrome

BURGERSFORT

Phineas Sositeni (40) was sentenced to a 10-month imprisonment or a R10 000 fine by the Burgersfort Regional Court on May 23 for unlawful possession of chrome.
“In May 2023, the Limpopo Hawks and the Limpopo SAPS Illegal Mining Task Team conducted a disruptive operation at Steelpoort outside Burgersfort. During the operation, the team spotted a tipper truck full of chrome on the R555. They stopped it and asked the driver to produce a permit to transport chrome,” said the provincial Hawks’ spokesperson, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa.
He said Sositeni was immediately placed under arrest after he had failed to produce a permit to transport the chrome. The truck and chrome were confiscated.
“Sositeni was taken to court where he was released on bail of R1 000 and provided with the date of his next court hearing. The accused never reported to court again. As a result, the court of law authorised a warrant to rearrest him.”
He was rearrested at Beitbridge Port of Entry on April 30. His bail was forfeited to the State and he was kept in police custody until he pleaded guilty, and was convicted and sentenced accordingly.
The provincial Hawks’ head, Major General Gopz Govender, welcomed the sentence. He further confirmed that the disruptive operations to dismantle all illegal mining networks in Limpopo were still ongoing.