In recent years, sentences imposed on identity thieves who were sent to prison often did not exceed one year.

At their discretion, courts could suspend fines or imprisonment (when a sentence did not exceed one year).

Judges often refused bail in cases where sentences could exceed three years.

The sentence exceeded the prosecutor's request of six to eight years.

The sentences did not exceed 9 months imprisonment, a sentence which was served in a German prison.

If the original sentence exceeded eight years, they were forced to stay as residents for the remainder of their lives and were provided land to settle on.

The sentence exceeded the 8-to-10-year-term specified in Federal guidelines and was substantially higher than the 10 years recommended by Federal prosecutors.

Ten counts of theft with a R100 fine on each count would therefore not be automatically reviewable, even though the total sentence would exceed R5,000.

Even when the sentence exceeds the limit, there is no automatic review if the accused had a legal adviser.

The main penalty is to be sent to these "educational centers", but the sentence can not exceed 3 years.