Community member Andrew Lee said cable theft is a chronic problem in Reiger Park. Photo: Screengrab of video.
A member of the Reiger Park steering committee and church leader said police are not doing enough to stop the scourge of cable theft in the community.
Pastor Andrew Lee was speaking to The Citizen on Friday following reports of widespread cable theft in Reiger Park, Ekurhuleni.
Several videos circulating on social media showed suspects allegedly uprooting and stealing copper cables in Reiger Park, right in front of the local police station, on Wednesday.
Pastor Lee said cable theft is a chronic problem in Reiger Park and the community has been complaining about cables being stolen – allegedly by zama zamas – since August last year.
“We had challenges where the community and passers-by got shot at. The police came and they got shot at. When that happened the police withdrew from the site, in other words they ran away and left the community standing to save themselves from these shootings.”
Lee said cables were dug up on Wednesday.
“There were private security companies and community patrollers that were trying to assist and got shot at by zama zamas. They literally stole a 1.2km cable up the road from the police station,” Pastor Lee said.
Commenting on Wednesday’s incident, Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the group of men ran in different directions when officers and Public Order Policing members arrived at the scene.
“Police found digging tools and some copper cables abandoned,” he added.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Suspects steal copper cables in front of police station
Lee, however, said police did very little about the cable theft outside their station.
“They lie to you if they say the people ran away. I went to the chief twice, I said to them there’s a guy walking with the cables can you not arrest them. They were about five. He said no, there’s nothing we can do, they left them, they let them go past the police,” he said.
“The police stood on the spot while they were digging next to the police station. The police could have arrested at least the guys that were actually extracting the cable. They could have had faster response from the regional office because they are aware of this.”
Masondo said cases of theft and tampering with essential infrastructure were opened for investigation and that no arrests were made.
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