City of Cape Town staff held for copper theft worth over R44m

Two City of Cape Town workers and a third suspect between the ages of 41 and 49 have been arrested and linked to theft of copper buzz bars worth over R44-million.

The arrest followed an intelligence-driven joint operation by members of economic infrastructure task team and City of Cape Town’s safety and security investigation unit.


Police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala said the joint operation was conducted in the Ndabeni area on Thursday.

“The suspects had illegally booked out copper buzz bars from the stock room in 2022 and they transported the stolen copper to a known scrap dealer in the area,” Gwala said.

“Two males were arrested on Wednesday and a third one was found on Thursday morning under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act. The stolen copper remains to be retrieved.”

Gwala added that the suspects will appear in court once they have been charged.

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