Copper thieves busted in Kriel
Three suspects appeared in the Kriel Magistrate’s Court on charges related to copper theft, Eskom’s Security Risk Division reported on Thursday, 17 November 2016.
This came after the suspects were arrested on the R544 near Kriel, in Mpumalanga, when the Hyundai bakkie they were travelling in was stopped by Eskom’s national contractor staff, who noticed that the suspects’ vehicle was loaded with copper.
The vehicle stopped, and the occupants got out to adjust the cover, as the contents were visible. The suspects were confronted and requested to provide proof of purchase for the copper.
No documents were provided, and the SAPS arrested the three suspects. It was established that 550 kg of copper was loaded on the bakkie.
The bakkie and the copper were handed in at the SAPS, and each of the three suspects was granted bail.
In a separate incident, another Eskom national contractor who had been on duty around the Harrismith area noticed three people cutting the overhead line. A struggle ensued, and the three suspects fled the scene.
At the crime scene, 150 m x 120 mm overhead copper conductor was recovered. Further investigations indicated that a white Ford Ranger bakkie was in the vicinity, waiting to load the cable.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at a garage close to the crime scene, and it was confirmed that he was responsible for the cable theft incidents, which had been on the rise between the Harrismith and Kestell areas over the past three weeks.
Theft of Eskom infrastructure, including copper cables, overhead lines, transformers, and conductors, among others, remains a serious concern for the power utility.
Eskom, along with other state-owned entities such as Transnet, Telkom, and municipalities, is plagued by infrastructure theft, with the value of material stolen remaining a serious concern, as it is indicative of organised, syndicate-driven criminal activity in the copper theft environment.
While copper theft costs the economy between R5 billion and R7 billion a year, Eskom spends in the region of R2 billion a year on the replacement of stolen copper cables.
However, there is hope that this crime will ultimately cease to exist, as the courts have started to take copper theft seriously. This is evident in the form of significant sentences that are being handed out to perpetrators.
In addition to tougher sentences, of the 8 988 cable theft incidents reported between 2012 and 2016, 1 159 arrests were made.
This indicates that something is being done to avert this crime. With improved legislation and tougher sentences, the power utility believes that the theft and vandalism of critical network infrastructure will ultimately cease.
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