Overtime dispute results in job loss

Lebogang Mosikare | Thursday December 4, 2014 12:04

 

The 52-year-old Nthusang Lekgoba was found guilty of damaging telephones valued at P4,888,50 at the department on November 11.

Lekgoba had wanted the department to pay him money for the 97 hours that he claimed to have worked as overtime while the department was willing to pay him for the 54 hours that it said he worked. The disagreements with his bosses over overtime pay resulted in him losing his temper and in the process damaging telephones worth P4,888,50.

Passing sentence, Principal Magistrate Dumisani Basupi said that he took into account that Lekgoba was a first offender who did not waste the court’s time, a factor the magistrate said worked favourably for the accused.

“You did not waste the court’s time like some accused who even when knowing that they had committed offences come to court and waste its time.  “You have also lost your job which is punishment on its own,” said Basupi.

The magistrate scolded the accused for having damaged the telephones of his employers while there were mechanisms in place that he should have followed for his case to be resolved. “Looking at your age, you should have not done that. There are proper channels that you should have followed when you are in disagreement with your employers and becoming violent is not one of them.

“Even though I am not sure of the amount your employers should have paid you as overtime allowance, I think it was not a small or large sum of money that gave you permission to damage the telephones,” said Basupi. The magistrate sentenced Lekgoba to three years in jail wholly suspended for three years on condition that he did not commit any offence in that period.

He added: “You shall also pay P200 in seven days in default of which you shall serve six months in jail.  “I additionally make an order that you compensate the applicants in the sum P4,888,50 for the telephones that you maliciously damaged.  “Next mention is on December 23 to confirm whether you have paid, failure to which I shall activate your sentences.”