Fifteen people including security guards have been arrested and put before a Magistrate court in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The suspects were arrested at the weekend during an intelligence operation between City Power and law enforcement agencies, led by the SAPS Essential Infrastructure Task Team.
A report by Daily Maverick said the 15 suspects, including nine security guards contracted to City Power, are facing charges of theft and tempering with ferrous metals.
Six of the 15 suspects appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Three are City Power security guards: Bongani Mtshali (43), who is a supervisor, Tony Nkwashu (26) and Musawenkosi Mngube (26).
They appeared alongside Thabo Moyo (25), Interest Paija (28) and Bernard Ncube (26), all of whom are from Zimbabwe.
The case was postponed to 8 July.
Criminal activity involving City Power contractors and employees has been ongoing for several years.
“These criminals are well-organised cable theft syndicates. We suspect they possess significant resources, including high-powered weaponry and advanced tools, to target valuable infrastructure.
“The stolen copper cables themselves are valuable commodities in the black market or scrapyards, as they are easy to steal and sell for a significant profit,” said City Power recently.
City Power recorded 1,644 cable theft and vandalism incidents in 2017/18, which rose to 2,347 incidents in the 2022/23 financial year, with 278 arrests made.
Cable theft and vandalism have cost City Power more than R160 million this financial year.
City Power has expressed concern over cable theft and vandalism in Randburg, Roodepoort, Joburg’s inner city and Lenasia.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com