4 days ago
Bellville drunkard gets prison time after hoax bomb call to dodge work
A Bellville man, Ferdinand Fortuin, who made hoax bomb threats in an attempt to skip work has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Last year, he decided, after a night of heavy drinking, that he did not want to go to work. The 50-year-old then used a burner cellphone to call police and a toll-free emergency number.
Fortuin claimed explosive devices had been placed at the Department of Water and Sanitation, Transnet offices, and the taxi rank.
NPA Western Cape regional communications manager, Eric Ntabazalila, said police, bomb disposal technicians, the K-9 Dog Unit, and visible policing unit members evacuated thousands of people. Authorities closed the taxi rank and the roads leading to and from it, causing huge panic in the area.
'He [Fortuin] left his home in Mamre with the hope that the roads leading to Bellville would be closed because of his bomb threats. They were not, and he worked the whole day,' said Ntabazalila.
Fortuin faced four counts under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act 33 of 2004 (POCDATARA) and one count under the Explosives Act 26 of 1956.
The prescribed minimum sentence for such offences is 15 years' direct imprisonment. However, as a first-time offender who pleaded guilty, and showed remorse Fortuin received a reduced five-year sentence.
The NPA accepted the sentence but warned the public that anyone making similar threats will face severe consequences.
'The NPA will not hesitate to prosecute conduct of this nature to the full extent that the law allows,' Ntabazalila added.
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