A 36-year-old eThekwini Municipality employee, who was arrested for vandalising closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras belonging to the City, appeared in court.
Mlungisi Professor Mondlana appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The camera room operator was allegedly caught damaging the newly upgraded cables that link servers and feeds to the CCTV cameras.
The City said these cameras are linked to the City’s Emergency Service Control Room.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mondlana was charged with for contravening Section 6(1) of the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020, as well as theft.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said the State was alleging that Mondlana committed these offences earlier this month.
“The charges relate to the alleged unlawful interference with computer data storage systems linked to the eThekwini Municipality’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and the alleged theft of a TV screen.”
He remains behind bars and the matter will return to court for bail consideration.
In an unrelated case, a 34-year-old uMgungundlovu Municipality employee was released on R1,000 bail on Wednesday, after she was charged with six counts of tampering, damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.
Mbeko Nzimande appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court where the State alleges that between the period of January 2022 and September 2023, she had the electricity supply to her home illegally reconnected.
This, according to the NPA, allegedly took place on six different occasions after the municipality had disconnected her supply.
Reasons as to why her electricity had been disconnected were not provided.
A total of four municipal employees had found themselves on the wrong side of the law this week, with two other eThekwini Municipality employees arrested on allegations of diesel theft.
IOL News