Burglars who hit NPA plead guilty
Pair do not want to waste court’s time
The two men nabbed for some of the high-profile burglaries that recently hit government offices intend to plead guilty.
Moses Mtakiso, 39, and Moses Magolego, 40, both of Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, made their first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The charge sheet showed Mtakiso faced eight break-ins and business robbery charges.
Magolego faced one charge, emanating from a break-in and robbery he allegedly pulled off with Mtakiso at an office in the same court they were appearing in yesterday.
The pair allegedly made off with a laptop and a memory stick after breaking into the office of Joyce Ntuli, an official of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on July 20.
Mtakiso also broke into the offices of the NPA in downtown Pretoria. There he allegedly stole two laptops belonging to prosecutors Andre Fourie and Jennifer Cronje, as well as a memory stick.
Mtakiso also allegedly targeted Koedoe Arcade, a building housing offices of Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Lesetja Mothiba.
The state also accused Mtakiso of burgling the office of an official named as Kleinbooi Phahlamohlaka and stealing a full desktop computer, including a keyboard and a mouse.
Mtakiso also apparently hit the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court twice last month. On July 28, he allegedly stole a cellphone at an office of an official, and returned two days later and made off with a briefcase belonging to a brigadier.
Mtakiso apparently also broke into an Old Mutual building on August 4 and stole a kettle, speakers, laptop charger, an umbrella and two packs of Jungle Oats.
He also faced a count for escaping from police custody, another brazen act he allegedly pulled off the same day he is said to have stolen a briefcase at the Commercial Crimes Court.
Without being asked, Mtakiso told court he wanted to plead guilty. The interpreter was asking him if he had a lawyer, but he responded in Xhosa: “I plead guilty to all the charges. I don’t want to waste [the court’s] time.”
Magolego subsequently also told court he too would plead guilty. Magistrate N Lugaju postponed the matter to August 21. “You’re both remanded in custody,” she told them.