Four men were arrested in the early hours of September 1 after Community Policing Forum (CPF) patrollers and Mapogo officers prevented an alleged cable theft in Randgate.

According to CPF head Ruan Sheppard, a CPF patroller living nearby alerted patrol teams after seeing several individuals open and enter a manhole on Unie Street. Patrollers responded quickly and found four men inside the manhole, allegedly cutting and removing electricity cables. They called for backup, and Mapogo officers arrived soon after.

The men were taken into custody and handed over to Constable Liso of Randfontein police for further investigation. Items recovered at the scene included electricity cables, a power cable puller, and a hacksaw.

Sheppard noted that camera footage shows that up to 10 people may have been involved in the attempted theft, with some returning later but fleeing upon seeing the response teams.

He commended the CPF patrollers and Mapogo officers for their quick actions, calling the arrests a significant success for the community.