Additional prison years for man who broke into Bloemfontein NPA offices

The Bloemfontein Regional Court has sentenced Dino Sherwin Kekana to eight years’ direct imprisonment on charges of housebreaking and theft following a break-in at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Free State in 2023. According to NPA regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsan on Friday, 01 December 2023, the secretary to the Free State Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Navilla Somaru, properly secured the offices before leaving for the weekend. Upon returning to the office on Monday, it was discovered that the main door on the third floor had been forcefully damaged.

Several offices on the floor had been broken into, and various items had been stolen. During the break-in, four Dell laptops, a voice recorder, memory sticks, notebooks, a cellphone, and R200 in cash were stolen. Offices, furniture, and equipment were also vandalised.

The total value of the stolen property and damage caused during the break-in was estimated at approximately R100 000. The DPP clarified that no firearms and case dockets were stolen during the break-in. “This break-in, which is an isolated case, does not render the security at these important prosecutorial offices as not being taken seriously,” said Senokoatsane.

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The South African Police Service (Saps) Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) attended the scene and collected forensic evidence, including DNA samples and fingerprints. In September 2025, Saps received a positive DNA match linking Kekana to the housebreaking. At the time, he had already been arrested in Bloemfontein in connection with another housebreaking case. The Hawks also discovered that the suspect was wanted for at least six cases of burglary, mostly committed in the Bloemfontein CBD.

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