A senior KwaZulu-Natal prosecutor has been slapped with a R10,000 fine or 10 months' imprisonment — wholly suspended for five years — for the theft of a bar fridge, kettle, vase and bedside lamps from a local hotel.
Advocate Mzwandile Matshoba was sentenced in the Verulam regional court last week, where he is employed as a regional court prosecutor.
Natasha Kara, National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, said the theft conviction related to an incident that took place in September 2018 when Matshoba, 57, spent the weekend at a hotel in Verulam, north of Durban.
“Upon his checkout, hotel staff noticed that a bar fridge, a kettle, a vase and two bedside lamps were missing from the room he had stayed in.
“They phoned him and advised him of the missing items and he told them to send him the bill to pay for the items.
“However, he never paid and the hotel laid a charge against him.
“He appeared in court on summons. The insurance company had settled the owners' loss for the items and Matshoba eventually paid the insurance company an amount of approximately R5,000,” said Kara.
In aggravation of sentence, senior state advocate Yuri Gangai led the evidence of hotel staff and management.
Kara said the court sentenced Matshoba to a wholly suspended sentence because he had paid for the stolen items and was a first-time offender.
TimesLIVE
