POLOKWANE – Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers personally arrested a suspected copper cable thief in Seshego on Saturday, after intercepting a motorbike carrying stolen cables while on his way to a police operation in the township.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Scheepers and his team stopped the driver along Nelson Mandela Road, near the Circle Shopping Centre.

“The driver fled on foot, leaving behind his passenger and a consignment of copper cables. A search was conducted and the cables were recovered. The passenger was arrested at the scene,” he told BONUS.

Operation Retshepeng underway

Operation Retshepeng is a multidisciplinary operation currently underway in Seshego to combat serious crimes, including the theft of essential infrastructure.

According to Ledwaba, the motorbike was transporting copper cables suspected to have been stolen from municipal infrastructure. The recovered cables will form part of the investigation.

Cable theft a major challenge for Polokwane

Cable theft remains a major challenge for the Polokwane Municipality. Mayor John Mpe previously stated that the municipality spent R9.8 million in one financial year to repair and replace vandalised and stolen cables.

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The theft of copper cables has resulted in prolonged power outages, streetlight failures and disruptions to water supply in Seshego and other areas under Polokwane Municipality.

The municipality has linked some interruptions to damage at substations and borehole infrastructure at Sand River.

Linked to organised syndicates

Police said cable theft in Seshego is often linked to organised syndicates supplying illegal scrap-metal dealers.

Recent operations, including Operation Shanela and ongoing targeted patrols, have resulted in several arrests in the township, as well as in the central business district and surrounding suburbs.