Two nylon bags containing rolls of copper cable weighing 117 kilograms were among the large quantity of cables and cable casing recovered by the Scottburgh Task Team from bushes in the vicinity of the Sezela soccer field.
A 37 year old suspect from Malangeni has been arrested and detained pending his appearance in the Scottburgh Magistrates’ Court on 20 March 2018.
It has been established that a length of cable casing that was recovered is the property of Eskom. Telkom and Eskom will be among those service providers that will be invited to examine the copper cables and confirm if it is their property.
Around midday on Monday, 19 March 2018, the Task Team members followed up on information received and carried out a search in the dense bushes close to the river and found the stolen copper cables. The sale of copper cables, which draw high returns in the scrap metal trade, has proven to be a lucrative business for many in the area.
It was evident that the spot has been in use for a while to burn the casings off the copper cables and due to the fact that it is off the beaten track, it is difficult for anyone to see what the perpetrators are up to. Scottburgh and the neighbouring areas have experienced a number of electricity cuts that can be attributed to the thefts of copper cables.
The public is encouraged to pass on any information regarding the theft of copper cables, copper pipes and other metal that is stolen and sold as scrap metal to the police. The arrested man faces charges of being in possession of suspected stolen property and destruction of essential infrastructure under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
