According to City Power, the suspects who were found with 120kg worth of copper valued at R8 435, were arrested by the municipal entity’s investigative unit.
However upon being questioned, the suspects confessed to being responsible for the theft of electricity cable that led to widespread water outages in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekurhuleni and the West Rand two months ago.
“They conceded that they are part of a syndicate that is actively involved in the theft of electricity cables and copper and took City Power investigators to cable theft hot spots that they have targeted,” the entity said in a statement.
At least 13 areas in Johannesburg, including Midrand and Diepsloot, had run dry or experienced a low water supply during the water disruptions in September that lasted nearly three weeks.
The suspects were apprehended following a tip off from a scrap dealer, who alerted City Power about the suspicious goods that the suspects were selling.
The suspects also showed the investigators the site where they stripped the cables and identified employees of a City Power contractor, who had been accomplices to the crime.
The four accomplices, who had provided the suspects with information about vulnerable areas and equipment that should be targeted, were also arrested.
The suspects and their accomplices would appear in court soon on charges of theft and damage to property.
City Power’s managing director, Sicelo Xulu, welcomed the arrests, saying it was indicative of the positive results achieved by partnerships between communities, City Power and law enforcement agencies.
“We appeal to our communities to work with us to rid ourselves of the menace of cable theft as it poses a national security threat and robs us of much-needed jobs,” said Xulu.
According to Xulu, cable theft cost the economy over R5 billion annually.
However earlier this year, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Andries Nel, expressed concern that weaknesses in South Africa’s criminal justice system made it difficult to effectively deal with cable theft and theft of electricity – these were often treated as petty crimes.
“Since the amendment of the Second Hand Goods Act, the number of arrests for cable and other non-ferrous metals theft has increased, but what we haven’t seen is a concomitant rise in convictions… and for us that is really the essence of the problem,” he said.
