Cape Town - Seventeen Lesotho nationals have been sentenced to three months imprisonment in the Molteno Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape after facing charges relating to contraventions of the Immigration Act.
The nationals, aged between 21 and 48 years, were sentenced on Friday, said Hawks spokesperson Yolisa Mgolodela.
“In April 2021, a suspicious looking Quantum vehicle was spotted and chased by police. Inside the Quantum were Lesotho foreign nationals who could not explain the purpose of the journey. Permits were requested to no avail. All of them were apprehended. Investigations led the police to a house in Sterkstroom where more of the accused were hosted to make up the 17.
“The case dragged due to their lack of co-operation. At times they would even refuse to comply with their legal representative’s instruction and repeatedly changed attorneys. After a series of court appearances all pleaded guilty on May 19, 2022,” said Mgolodela.
Mgolodela said they would be imprisoned for three months.
“On imposing judgment the presiding officer reiterated the fact that unregistered foreign nationals contribute to the high rate of crime which mostly involves the destruction of essential infrastructure where billions of rand are spent to repair the gross vandalism of such.
“The provincial head Major-General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya commended the Queenstown Serious Organised Crime Unit of the Hawks for the job well done though a harsher sentence would have been preferred to deter such criminal conducts,” said Mgolodela.
Cape Times