SEBENZA SAPS thwarted an inside copper cable theft job at a substation early on Thursday morning last week.
The thieves stole copper cables, clamps and isolator plates worth about R500 000 at a substation in Edenvale where they were employed as security guards.
One suspect was arrested while the other three escaped.
Spokesman for Sebenza SAPS, Const Sharon Mahamba, said police were informed by the provincial office that these items were being stolen at the substation at about 4am. The police arrived just in time to find the suspects still in the vicinity with the stolen goods.
Police gave chase and apprehended one of the four thieves.
When police investigated the crime scene, they found workers at the substation had been tied up.
Mahamba said the arrested suspect was a security guard at the station and admitted to police the other three were also security guards there.
The stolen goods were returned to Eskom.
