In a significant crackdown on infrastructure-related crime, a multi-agency police operation led to the recovery of copper cable valued at approximately R3 million and the arrest of five undocumented foreign nationals at an unregistered scrapyard in De Deur on Wednesday, 03 September 2025.
The successful operation was initiated after authorities operationalised received intelligence. A coordinated team, consisting of the Sedibeng Infrastructure Task Team, Gauteng Traffic Wardens, and private security companies, executed a raid on the targeted scrapyard.
Upon searching the premises, the team discovered large quantities of stolen copper cable. The operation also led to the seizure of homemade stoses, which are reportedly used to burn and strip the insulation from the cable to prepare it for illegal resale.
Five suspects were arrested on-site. Preliminary investigations confirmed that all five are undocumented foreign nationals. It was further established that the recovered copper cable is the property of Transnet, the state-owned freight logistics company, which later positively identified the stolen material.
The suspects are currently in custody and are expected to be formally charged soon. They will face a range of charges in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court, including possession of stolen infrastructure, dealing in second-hand goods without a license, and contravening the Immigration Act of South Africa.
