Stolen cable recovered and arrests made

City Power welcomes the police raid on two scrapyards, one in Mondeor and the other in Springs, where over 200kg of stolen cable belonging to City Power and other entities was recovered.

The 50-year-old owner of the two scrap metal businesses, which were also found to be operating illegally with no required documentation, has been arrested in Betrams, Johannesburg.

The arrest was made on January 4 when SAPS officials swooped in after receiving intelligence linking the dealer with possession of essential electricity infrastructure.

During the raid, police found a total of eight bags containing copper cable belonging to City Power, Johannesburg Water, Prasa and Telkom’s cable casings.

The eight bags combined weighed 222kg and the total value of the stolen goods is still being determined.

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City Power is pleased with the arrest and calls on law enforcement agencies to intensify the raids not only in the city but across the country, to ensure the kingpins of these crimes are brought to book.

There have been instances where some of the entity’s stolen infrastructure was recovered in scrap metal dealers’ properties in other provinces.

The fight against cable theft and vandalism, which are a major cause of power supply disruption in the city, requires a deliberate and concerted effort from law enforcement agencies, with the help of the communities we operate in.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said: “We also call for the judicial system to pay closer attention to this economic crime and ensure that harsher sentences are handed down to perpetrators.”

The owner of the two facilities, a Mozambican national, has been charged with possession of essential infrastructure and operating the businesses illegally.

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