TO COMBAT the sale of illegal scrap metals that has seen an unprecedented increase in the theft of copper water pipes in Amanzimtoti and Isipingo, eThekwini Municipality has tabled a motion for the implementation of Section 36 of the Crime Prevention Act.

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If implemented successfully, this would grant authority for the metro police to probe documentation of items being sold at scrap metal dealerships. This was revealed during the meeting of eThekwini’s security and emergency committee in Durban City Hall on July 23.

In recent months, a number of scrap metal dealerships have been targeted in Isipingo during joint operations by the police, metro police, and private security companies. In June, an operation raided a scrapyard in Isipingo for drugs and stolen copper. The owner of the scrapyard made a run for it just minutes before the police arrived, and he is still on the loose.

eThekwini deputy mayor and chairperson of the security and emergency committee, Zandile Myeni, said scrapyards have been identified as a contributory factor to crime for the buying and selling of stolen items. She commended the officers for fighting the crime of dealing in illegally sourced metals.

“The exceptional work by the Metro Police Directorate needs to be applauded. Their crime prevention strategies have yielded positive results during the period under review,” said Myeni.

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