‘Chop shop’ causing a big stink

GALLERY: The operation in Morris Road, Empangeni has been ongoing for several months.

August 25, 2015

Kyle Cowan 1 minute read

Acrid smoke hangs in the air as two men tend the fire they were using to burn insulation off copper wires which they then sell to a scrap metal dealer nearby

THE bustling thoroughfare that is the greenbelt on Morris Road, Empangeni has become a veritable ‘chop shop’.

Used condoms, stripped car parts and refuse decorate the surroundings, while in the midst of it all, a group of men use the area to burn the insulation off copper wires and gutted appliances to sell at a nearby scrap metal dealer.

The practice has been ongoing in this specific area near Zululand Mental Health in Kuleka for several months.

Local businessmen Sean King and Donald Garland, who moved into a building on Morris Road recently, told the the Zululand Observer of their battles with acrid smoke and ash from the fires causing a big stink in their place of work.

‘Sometimes we are here for half an hour and have a cracking headache,’ said King.

‘The ash blows in and big clouds of smoke settle inside.’

A recent visit to the premises confirmed the mess caused by the fires.

Illegal practices?

This reporter spoke to one of the men who was busy burning, what looked like a computer power supply, in an attempt to clear glue and insulation to get to the valuable copper.

He did not wish to divulge his name or have his photograph taken, but confessed to selling scrap metal full time to provide an income.

‘I have a five-year-old daughter. I sell the copper I get from this, to buy her clothes and food,’ he said, gesturing towards a small, foul smelling fire emitting plumes of white smoke.

‘I have never had a job. This is what I do.’

The businessmen raised concerns that the materials being stripped and sold could be stolen.

There is not much proof that the men are selling stolen property, but the Zululand Observer will delve into the practices of selling scrap for cash, in a bid to understand why it is so easy for some residents to earn an income this way.