Any person who wilfully or maliciously destroys, injures or removes any telecommunications line or any material, instrument or apparatus used in connection therewith or any call office cabinet, or disturbs, obstructs or impedes in any way the free use or working of any such line, material, instrument, apparatus or cabinet, or affixes or attaches any wire, conductor or any other thing to any telecommunications line or call office cabinet, or any part thereof, without the authority of the telecommunications company, or who interferes with or hinders the construction or alteration of any such line or cabinet or the maintenance or examination thereof or causes delay in the restoration of any such line or cabinet, shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R4000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding twelve months or to both such fine and such imprisonment, without prejudice to any right the telecommunications company may have of proceeding civilly against such person for compensation for such damage as may have been caused by him, and any person who witnesses the commission or any attempt at the commission of such an offence may without warrant apprehend the person offending and bring him before any magistrate’s court to be dealt with according to law.

[Section 107 amended by section 75(c) of Act No. 85 of 1991]