“The cables were dug up from… within the Midrand and Alexandra areas,” said City Power’s Sydney Mphahlele.
According to Mphahlele, an informant told the Hawks about four men who were in possession of copper cable. The Hawks then made their move in the afternoon and allegedly caught the men stripping the cables. Acting Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, said they could not confirm whether this was part of a syndicate.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” said Mulaudzi.
“We are very interested in finding out where the copper would have gone.”
The Hawks also recovered fake invoices addressed to businesses. Mulaudzi said the businesses are not being investigated by the unit as the men had forged City Power letterheads. He said they believed the four men posed as representatives of City Power. “However, it is business people’s responsibility to make the necessary enquiries to make sure they are buying copper legally,” he said.
City Power has called on the community to help them fight the scourge of cable theft. “We appeal to residents to report any cable theft or suspicious activity,” said Mphahlele.
“Cable theft is conservatively estimated to cost the South African economy about R5 billion a year. And besides what it costs to replace the infrastructure and damaged equipment, it interferes with the delivery of other essential services,” he said.
Details: 0800 003 251; 011 490 7553.
Also read R10m loss due to cable theft
Discuss the effects of the interruption of essential services due to crime on the Midrand Reporter Facebook page
