Mbuso Moloi, dubbed the “Woolies looter”, has been handed a three-year sentence by the Durban regional court.
In March, the 32-year-old pleaded guilty to theft and contravention of the National Road Traffic Regulation, after he allegedly stole household items from a Woolworths store in the Davenport area.
The theft took place during the acts of public violence and looting that took place in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021.
He was further charged with contravention of the road traffic regulation as he did not have the requisite licence plates for the vehicle he was driving at the time of the commission of the crime.
In his plea explanation during his appearance in March, Moloi alleged that he and his friend were driving around with the intention of purchasing some items when they noticed that people were emerging from a Woolworths store.
And, he claimed, it was in the spur of the moment that he stopped his vehicle and also went into the store and picked up a plastic shopping basket, and filled it with a few items, before driving off in his car.
With regard to the lack of licence plates on his vehicle, he explained that he had failed to replace the “dealer plates” with the relevant licence plates allocated to the vehicle.
During his sentencing, the court handed him a sentence of three years’ direct imprisonment; however, the entire sentence would be suspended for five years.
Instead, Moloi will serve only 18 months under correctional supervision, with him expected to perform at least 16 hours of community service each month.