The police’s National Response Team recovered copper cables worth about R 700 000 at an old mine in Hendrina on Wednesday, 16 September.
Police received a tip-off about suspects who were stealing copper cables from the Boschmanspoort mine.
Police followed-up and inspected the place where the illegal activities were reportedly conducted.
On their arrival, they spotted about 30 armed men outside the mine who were in possession of large quantities of copper cables.
When the suspects realised they were cornered, they immediately sought refuge inside a mine shaft and fired shots at the security formations.
In response, the team defended themselves and retaliated, but there were no reports of any injuries.
The members seized the copper cables and an additional charge of attempted murder was added to the charges for investigation purposes.
The Provincial Commissioner of South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lt Gen Mondli Zuma, strongly condemned the attack on members of the police and thieves who capitalise from unused mines.
Recently three men lost their lives in Sabie when they were stealing minerals from an old mine and the mine shaft caved-in on them resulting in their death.
General Zuma further indicated that if anyone attacks a police officer, that person attacks the state, therefore these men must be brought to book.
He also commended the members for the arrest of suspects and the recovery of the stolen copper cables.
“This type of criminality is a thorn in our flesh, because there are several cases of this nature that have been reported across the province,” Lt Gen Zuma indicated.
He also said that police cannot allow a situation where unscrupulous criminals reek havoc, going on a rampage damaging infrastructure and helping themselves with items which do not belong to them.
In an unrelated, but similar incident, eight suspected copper cable thieves are due to appear in court following their arrest on Friday, 18 September.
Police received information about a certain house at Brakfontein Farm in Ogies that is reportedly used for criminal activities.
Police followed-up on a lead and pounced on the suspects, aged between 25 and 55 where they were allegedly busy packaging rolls of suspected stolen copper cables to the value of about R50 000.
They were immediately arrested and police confiscated the copper cables.
They will appear before the Ogies Magistrate’s Court today, Monday 21 September and face a charge of possession of suspected stolen property.
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