R10 million worth of Prasa cables recovered during north scrap metal dealership
The arrests came after Prasa’s intelligence unit discovered there may be illegal Prasa scrap metal on the premises and the dealership were kept under surveillance.
About R10-million worth of stolen cables and other rail equipment were seized at scrap dealership in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria, by a Prasa security team this week.
Police also made arrests at the scrapyard, according to Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani.
The arrests came after Prasa’s intelligence unit discovered there may be illegal Prasa scrap metal on the premises and the dealership were kept under surveillance.
Zenani said an operation led by the police was held.
“The premises were raided and three suspects were arrested, including the owner of the dealership.
She said three Prasa employees allegedly working with the illicit dealers were arrested.
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Prasa administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo said the “evident” growth in the illicit trading of copper and steel on the black market, meant that the agency had to refocus efforts towards providing more security manpower.
“The vast open nature of Prasa’s facilities means there are about 370 stations and around 22 300km of rail network, which makes it difficult to effectively secure both the stations and the rail network.”
He said Prasa found itself overstretched between planning for service to resume and also making good on their commitments to upgrade the system.
“It is important that communities become vigilant and help report acts of vandalism or theft.
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“If we do not work together, Prasa’s ability to provide affordable public transportation will be in jeopardy, leaving thousands of South Africans faced with the reality of seeking alternative and less affordable services” said Mpondo.
In 2019, Prasa recorded loses of about R364-million due to vandalism as a result of train burnings in the Western Cape and Gauteng as well as the vandalism of power stations and the theft of electrical cables.
It, however, said that it continued to make gains in the fight against vandalism such as a recent major bust of an illicit ring trading in the agency’s cables in February, at a house in Ratanda, Heidelburg.
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