Two men suspected of cable theft were arrested in Alexandra on Wednesday after vigilant residents alerted authorities about individuals tampering with City Power infrastructure.

The arrests were part of a broader 24-hour crackdown that saw six suspects detained across Johannesburg.

According to City Power’s spokesperson Isaac Mangena, community members acted swiftly and detained the suspects.

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“Security teams were dispatched after reports of individuals tampering with City Power infrastructure. Upon arrival, security personnel found that community members had already detained the suspects. The suspects were handed over to police and taken to Alexandra Police Station.”

He said that one of the suspects reportedly claimed to be a City Power employee stationed at their Alexandra depot. “This claim is currently under internal investigation. Should it be established that indeed the individual is an employee of City Power, we will take decisive action against him.”

City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava commended the community of Alexandra for alerting the utility and the police of suspicious activity on their infrastructure. She added that this kind of collaboration is needed to reduce the alarming cases of theft and vandalism.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of criminality perpetrated by any member of our staff or contractors. That’s why we will not hesitate to make sure that anyone found to be involved in the business of destroying City Power infrastructure faces the full might of the law.”

Hours earlier, three other suspects were arrested after the utility’s tactical officers and patrollers spotted them dragging large communication cables in the underground service tunnels that stretch from Central substation to Kazerne substation. This was during the officers’ routine sweep of the tunnels.

“The suspects attempted to flee. A dramatic foot pursuit unfolded underground, culminating in the arrest of one suspect at the corner of Quinn and Carr streets as he tried to escape via a JRA manhole,” Mangena shared. “The other two were apprehended minutes later near Mainreef Bridge. Officers recovered a bundle of aluminium cables in their possession.”

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A sixth suspect was arrested in Bramley. Mangena said the suspect was caught in the act, cutting electricity cables along Glen Road in Bramley View. “While one suspect managed to flee, the other was restrained by community members before being detained by private security and SAPS.”

All suspects will be charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and theft, and further investigations are underway.

“These arrests demonstrate that City Power, and its partners, are stepping up its fight against criminals sabotaging essential infrastructure and crippling electricity supply to residents,” Mashava noted.

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