The J.B. Marks Local Municipality’s Rapid Response Team and various stakeholders visited five registered scrapyards in the Potchefstroom and Ikageng areas on Tuesday, 24 May to raise awareness on the cable theft dilemma in the municipality.

The SAPS, Fire Brigade, private security, Department of Infrastructure, Scorpions and Peri Peri Community Safety Structures also joined in on this campaign.

Photos: Wouter Pienaar

The main purpose of the Awareness Campaign is to stop cable theft in the municipality.
There has been an alarming number of copper cable and copper pipe theft incidents in the past month in Potchefstroom. As a result, the municipality has been losing revenue which impacts the community at large.
On a visit to one of these scrapyards, there were numerous copper pipes and copper cables seen in bags. The Rapid Response team gave a stern warning on the damaging effect of buying stolen cables from unverified sources.

According to the chief of community safety and liaison officer at J.B. Marks, Sello Cele, scrapyards who buy stolen goods are only assisting in furthering criminal habits.

“We cannot encourage barbarianism in the municipality where criminals not only steal copper, but also pipes used for plumbing,” stated Cele.

“This is a team effort from everyone involved with the Rapid Response Team so that we act accordingly to fight this criminal activity. Scrapyards who knowingly or unknowingly buy stolen items encourages theft,” he added.
Cele also encouraged the public to report illegal activity to him directly or phoning the police at the Control Room.

Cele can be contacted on 072 110 4663 or the police can be contacted on 018 299 7477/6.