Cape Town - Free State ANC MPL Malitaba Moleleki has pleaded guilty in the Cape Town Community Court to stealing earrings and nail polish from Adderley Street Woolworths a few weeks ago.
Moleleki, 56, chairwoman of the portfolio committee on roads, transport and human settlements and former mayor of the Maluti-A-Phofung local municipality, admitted to the community court that she stole the earrings valued at R180 and nail polish worth R79.95 from the store on May 28.
This after CCTV footage captured her red-handed at about 4pm when the CCTV operator saw her take the earrings, remove the packaging and conceal them in her white pullover pocket in the women's jewellery section.
She then went to the cosmetics department where she took nail polish, removed the price tag and packaging and concealed the nail polish inher handbag.
She then took a packet of cashew nuts and went to the till point and paid for the nuts only, according to a media release by police spokesman Denver Venketsamy.
Police arrested her inside the shop and she spent time in custody, according to the community court records.
Moleleki, was sentenced on May 30, to a diversion and completed a theft intervention programme arranged by Khulisa Social Solutions over the weekend of her arrest.
The National Prosecuting Authority's Eric Ntabizalila confirmed she was sentenced to a diversion, a sentence imposed on hundreds of offenders each year.
A social worker from Khulisa assessed Moleleki and recommended she be diverted out of the criminal justice system, the charge sheet said.
Prosecutor Andile Sityana asked the court to impose the diversion and magistrate SP Mtwana agreed.
Because of the diversion, the theft charge was withdrawn in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
Woolworths national head of store operations Johan de Bruin, said last week “a customer was arrested for shoplifting at our store in Adderley Street, Cape Town.
“We reported the incident to SAPS and a case of theft has been opened”.
Woolworths, seemingly unaware that the case had been finalised, said in a statement on Tuesday the case was continuing.
Cape Argus