A 59-year-old Malawian pastor, Mlotha Nelson Usale, has been sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison for tampering with essential infrastructure and committing fraud. Usale, who led the God’s Chapel Church, orchestrated a criminal syndicate that involved stealing batteries from Vodacom and MTN network towers across South Africa.
Usale’s operation involved swapping out the original battery management systems with batteries from other manufacturers and repainting their casings to disguise their origin. He then sold these stolen batteries under the guise of commercial solar batteries to unsuspecting customers via social media platforms like SOLAR MART and SUN SHOP. He also used e-hailing services to deliver the products.
The syndicate was exposed when a customer who purchased one of the batteries found it malfunctioned. Upon consulting a friend, it was revealed that the battery was actually stolen from a network tower. The incident led the customer to report the matter to the police, who set a trap to catch the culprits.
As a result, two Malawian nationals were arrested on 5 May 2022. They led the authorities to a storage facility in Midrand, where 53 stolen batteries were recovered. The pair also directed the police to locations where the batteries had been sold.
After the arrests, a warrant was issued for Usale, who fled the country and returned to Malawi. However, on 25 January 2024, he was apprehended at the Beitbridge border while attempting to flee once again.
In court, Usale pleaded guilty to the charges and offered to pay a fine of R200,000 in compensation. However, Advocate Tholoana Sekhonyana, the prosecutor, rejected the offer, arguing that the gravity of the crimes warranted a prison sentence. Sekhonyana highlighted the disruption caused to the network services, which resulted in significant costs for MTN and Vodacom to replace the stolen batteries, as well as the financial losses suffered by customers who purchased faulty batteries.
The court agreed with the prosecutor’s stance. Magistrate Chulu stated that Usale’s actions not only caused substantial financial losses but also demonstrated a lack of remorse, especially since Usale sought to evade prison by offering to pay a fine instead of compensating the victims directly.
In a ruling handed down by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court, Usale was sentenced to 10 years in prison for tampering with essential infrastructure, with additional sentences of eight years each for three counts of fraud totaling R150,000. These sentences will run concurrently. Usale was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of tampering with critical infrastructure and engaging in fraudulent activities.
