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A mechanic employed by Kopano Ke Matla Joint Venture, the contractor constructing the Polihali to Katse transmission tunnel, has denied stealing 50 litres of diesel from the company’s camp at Ha Bereng, Katse, in Leribe.
The 42-year-old, Retšelisitsoe Nchaka, is facing a theft charge before the Leribe Magistrate’s Court, where he has pleaded not guilty when he appeared this past week. The matter is before Magistrate Tlohang Mohanoe.
The prosecution alleges that on 23 April last year, police from Ha Lejone stopped Mr Nchaka’s vehicle and found two 25-litre containers filled with diesel. Officers allegedly asked him to produce proof that he had purhased the fuel, but he failed to do so.
Defence counsel, Advocate Makase, argued that the condition of the diesel found in Mr Nchaka’s possession supported his client’s version of events. He submitted that had Mr Nchaka siphoned the fuel from the company’s machinery, the diesel would have been contaminated with dirt and other impurities from the machines’ tanks.
Instead, he argued, police recovered clean, fresh diesel consistent with fuel obtained directly from a filling station’s storage tanks. The matter was postponed to 27 July for the parties to conclude the trial.
