Six workers from a City Power contractor have been arrested on Tuesday for being in possession of stolen copper cables, said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
Mangena said the City Power security risk management team arrested six people employed by a contractor at Observatory Substation. This occurred in the Inner City Service Delivery Centre (SDC) on Tuesday. They were nabbed for possession of suspected stolen copper cables.
Routine inspection led to arrest
He said the arrest followed a routine site inspection by operations management to verify the removal of all burnt cables. The said cables were damaged in the underground tunnel fire incident last Thursday.
“This forms part of our ongoing fight against cable theft and vandalism that is
plaguing the inner city and other areas across Johannesburg. During the inspection, we discovered four individuals from a contracted company. They were found cutting and stripping various sizes of copper cable — some burnt and others intact.
Cables found in bus transporting contract workers
“A search of the bus used to transport those workers revealed two individuals with copper cables hidden in their bags and shoes. Additional cables were found under the bus,” said Mangena. He said the six suspects are aged between 20 and 43 years.
Mangena said police officers from the Jeppe Police Station were immediately contacted. This led to the arrest of the six individuals.
He said they are scheduled to appear before the local magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Mangena said the confiscated copper cables weigh a total of 129.5kg. They have been handed over to City Power.
Additional cables found under the bus
He said an additional 11.6kg of copper cable found under the bus was booked as without a suspect. It was also transported to our storage yard.
“As previously stated, the net is indeed closing in on those who are involved in the scourge of theft and vandalism. Particularly those who are employed or contracted to City Power. In light of recent incidents of theft and vandalism that leave our customers without electricity
supply for an extended period, we have intensified our commitment to rooting out the problem.
Scourge becoming a problem in the city
“This problem threatens Johannesburg’s electricity infrastructure and disrupts essential
services. We continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure that offenders are held accountable,” he said.
