Two held for cable theft
2008-08-27 12:49
Johannesburg - Two people were arrested while preparing stolen copper cable for illicit sale in Jabulani, Soweto, on Wednesday morning, Johannesburg police said.
Inspector Kay Makhubela said police had been told about a group of people who were burning the insulation off the cables in a veld next to the Doornkop cemetery.
When police arrived, about nine people on the site scattered, some disappearing into the network of drains in the area. Police managed to nab two people and sniffer dogs were searching for the rest.
The two arrested so far would appear in the Protea Magistrate's Court soon to face charges of theft and possession of stolen goods, based on the large amount of copper police say they recovered on the scene.
Copper cable was an essential component in the country's electricity and communications infrastructure. The cost of the disruptions caused by its theft, and of replacing it, was estimated to run into about R5bn a year.
Commuters angered by train delays caused by copper theft have either torched trains or rounded on suspected copper cable thieves.
The Inkatha Freedom Party has proposed that it be defined as terrorist activity because it disrupted the economy and could result in a human disaster.
- SAPA