On Saturday, the Metal Theft Unit acted on a tip-off and caught three suspects with three metres of electric cable and 13 bundles of copper wire at a house in Westbank.
CAPE TOWN – Municipal law enforcement officers have made nine arrests in connection with cable theft and illegal electricity connections.
On Saturday, the Metal Theft Unit acted on a tip-off and caught three suspects with three metres of electric cable and 13 bundles of copper wire at a house in Westbank.
The unit also reacted to a complaint of railway cable being stolen in Berkley Road in Maitland.
Two men were arrested and eight metres of cable was recovered.
“The attack on infrastructure, particularly of the rail network, is relentless. The speedy reaction of the metro police officers is commendable, but it is imperative that the criminal justice system secures convictions and lengthy jail terms for cable thieves,” said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, in a statement on Monday.
“This will send a message that cable theft and other infrastructural damage cannot be condoned. Apart from the massive impact on communities, it continues to hamper our economy at a time when we can ill afford it.”
