Dawn Park residents demand answers over missing evidence in a cable theft case

Angry residents descended on Dawn Park SAPS on April 25 to demand answers following the release of two suspects who were previously caught in possession of a large number of copper cables at a residential property in Windmill Park.

The suspects were arrested on April 22 and appeared in court. They were released on April 24, due to lack of evidence.

It’s also alleged that some of the confiscated cables went missing from the police station.

The release of the pair raised suspicions among the affected communities of Dawn Park, Windmill Park and Villa Liza, and residents decided to stage a protest at the police station.

“Our task team that combats cable theft attended the scene where they loaded all the cable and took it to the station, along with the suspects on the day,” said EMPD liaison officer Inspector Kobeli Mokheseng.

“We have done our part and handed the matter over to the SAPS for further investigation,” he added.

According to Dawn Park SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Nkemeleng Mabula, the case is still under investigation and no evidence is missing.

However, residents, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said they are not convinced that a proper investigation was carried out, adding that the amount of cable left at the station is not the same as what was confiscated from the house.

“We need answers because we were there and saw the amount of cables at the house.

“We have had enough of the outages resulting from the attacks on our public infrastructure and the number of crimes in our communities. The community does its part to report these criminal activities, but it’s clear that these issues are not taken seriously,” said one of the residents.

Also Read: Cable Theft Forum spreads the word

Also Read: Cable theft suspect caught