An alleged cable thief was arrested in Highveld on Thursday after being chased by security guards and a members of the Community Policing Forum (CPF).
According to the police, the security guards of Eco Park Estate noticed a man hiding in a ditch in a field close to the estate’s number two gate in Witch-Hazel Avenue. The ditch was also close to the hole where cables were stolen the previous night.
The 29-year-old Mozambican ran away from the security guards as they approached him. He ran into the field towards Nellmapius Drive. The guards chased after him in their vehicle, while giving the man’s description over the community hand-radios.
According to a member of the CPF, who wished to remain anonymous, he was driving in the area after attending to an armed robbery that took place at MTN cellphone store in South Downs shopping centre, when he noticed the man in a red shirt and dark trousers running alongside the road. He also saw the security guard trying to grab the suspect, but the suspect fought back and ran away. The CPF member cornered the suspect with his bakkie, giving the security guard chance to detain him.
The GPF member is of opinion that the man might have been part of a group of ten men who stole cables in the area on Wednesday evening. He noted that 250m of a 100mm thick cable was ripped out. This cable was the main power supply to the estate.
Ward councillor Peter Sutton said that cable theft is a frustrating issue in Centurion and he is determined that the issue should be resolved as soon as possible, because it is costing the municipality millions of rands each time to replace cables. “Hopefully this arrest will lead to more clues and lead us to solve the issue regarding cable theft in Centurion,” Sutton said.
According to Warrant Officer Antoine Botha, a 1km long cable has a value of R2,2m. “This cable was actually replaced three weeks ago after being stolen before,” he said.
Botha confirmed that the suspect was held at the Lyttelton police station and appeared in court on Friday. The case was postponed until Wednesday, when the trail will continue. The suspect was taken to Newlock prison until his next court appearance.
