The Linthipe First Grade Magistrate’s Court in Dedza has sentenced two men to three years and five months in prison with hard labour after being found guilty of vandalising Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) cables.
The two convicts, who both hail from Zomba, are Assani Sandikonda James, 39, from Nkasala Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chikowi and Jafali Mussa, 28, from Ungwe Village, T/A Chikwewu.
Making the ruling, magistrate Richie Gomani said the sentence is meant to deter would-be offenders from committing similar crimes which are detrimental to the development of the country.
The two convicts stole cables from different places in Dedza valued at over K4 million.
Reacting to the sentence, MTL corporate affairs manager Tina Das said the company is happy with the ruling as it would send a strong warning to thieves and saboteurs of MTL’s infrastructure and help save the millions of kwacha the company uses to replace stolen or sabotaged cables. n
