Themba Tshabalala (31) was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for electric cable theft in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on August 16.
Members of Alberton SAPS arrested him while performing their routine patrol in the streets of Alberton on December 26, last year.
According to Alberton SAPS’ Sergeant Makwena Moeti, they saw a suspicious-looking individual moving unsettlingly. When they approached him, he attempted to flee. Following a chase, they caught him.
“When the officers thoroughly inspected the area around Tshabalala’s location, they discovered that he was busy cutting cables and placing them into his bag. Some pieces were still on the ground,” said Moeti.
“The investigating officer established beyond a shadow of a doubt that the arrested suspect was the one who cut the electric cables,” he said.
The acting station commander of Alberton SAPS, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Makopo welcomed the conviction, as he believes it would send a strong message to other suspects who are actively stealing cables and harming critical infrastructure.
