The eThekwini Municipality has welcomed the sentencing of a cable thief to 15 years in prison and added, that as the City, they have a zero-tolerance approach against any theft of infrastructure, particularly copper electricity cables.
This was the first time such a conviction was handed to an accused in Durban.
He was prosecuted under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015, which came into effect in June 2016.
It was designed to recognise the importance of essential infrastructure in providing basic services to the public.
It also focuses on the high incidence of crime relating to essential infrastructure and its impact on public safety, electricity supply, communications and transportation.
ALSO READ: DA pleased with city’s steps to deal with derelict buildings in eThekwini
The accused was caught by the neighbourhood watch patrols on 1 September 2017 at 1.30am with 500 metres of bare copper cable on Mariannhill Road in Pinetown.
It carries an estimated value of R27 400.
The area had experienced a power outage as a result of the man cutting the cable.
Residents then contacted the patrols and he was caught and handed over to the police. Prior to conviction, he was detained at Westville Prison, awaiting trial.
Forensic investigator from the Infrastructure Theft Department, Barbara Cloete said the sentencing was a major victory for the City.
“It shows that we are serious about our approach and we will not tolerate any theft of infrastructure. This particular criminal act has a direct, negative impact on our residents as they are left without power for many hours.”
Cloete added that cable theft is a major challenge as millions of Rands are lost.
“Business owners also suffer a great loss in production and profit while household consumers suffer damages to electrical appliances and food spoils. The dark and poorly lit roads can lead to fatalities and a guise for criminals to operate,” she said.
Criminals are also warned that besides obtaining a jail sentence, cable theft is life-threatening.
Residents are urged to report cable theft by contacting 0800 311 961.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
