The City of Cape Town’s Metal Theft unit has arrested a suspect in possession of scrap metal worth hundreds of thousands of rand.
City spokesperson Wayne Dyason said two officers from the unit drove past a bakkie that had been pulled over by a traffic officer on Monday.
“The officers stopped and inspected the contents of the vehicle, discovering bags filled with burnt copper cable, brass circuits and electrical structures.”
The suspect was taken to the Elsies River police station and instructed to offload the scrap metal.
Dyason said the inspection uncovered scrap belonging to Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa).
“Prasa was informed and a representative later confirmed that the parts belonged to a carriage of a train set and estimated the recovery value at around R200,000”.
He said police also found jumper cables used to link train carriages, a carriage door, passenger railings and aluminum window frames.
The copper cable weighed 97kg, along with 372kg of other heavy metals.
The suspect will be charged with possession of stolen property and is expected to appear in court soon.
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