PINETOWN SAPS welcomed the sentencing of a copper thief to 12 years imprisonment and said that they hoped that this would serve as a deterrent to other criminals.
The 31-year-old man was sentenced by the Pinetown Magistrates Court last week Wednesday.

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Pinetown SAPS communications officer Jennifer Naidu said the incident, which involved four men, happened in 2020 in the Pinetown CBD.
“The men dressed in municipal uniforms had opened a manhole to drag the copper from underground. They were nabbed by a private security company. They fled in one of the four cars that were parked at the scene which belonged to the suspects. The members of the security company gave chase and the suspects started shooting. A shoot-out ensued; one suspect was arrested and the others fled,” said Naidu.

Three cars which belonged to the other suspects were forfeited to the state. Naidu said the sentencing will serve as a lesson to others as copper theft is a serious problem and affects businesses.

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“Pinetown is an industrial area and if this continues, businesses will move and people will be left with no jobs.”
The man was also charged with attempted murder.

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