Suspects caught red-handed with eThekwini Municipality copper cables worth almost R1m in two incidents
|Published
Durban — Three suspects have been arrested after the recovery of eThekwini Municipality copper cables.
Hawks members from Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation working together with police units and eThekwini Municipality officials arrested three suspects aged between 23 and 51 for possession of property suspected to be stolen on Saturday.
KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said police were alerted to stolen copper cables that were kept in one of the houses in Montclair
He said that a joint operation was swiftly conducted and members proceeded to the said house.
“Upon arrival, four sealed wooden drums of eThekwini Municipality copper cables and 11 carrying cables to the street value of approximately R250 000 were found,” Mhlongo said.
“The owner of the house and two foreign nationals were placed under arrest. They are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (Monday), December 11, 2023.”
Mhlongo added that in a separate incident, 11 suspects aged between 24 and 35 were remanded in custody after they were arrested by Hawks members from Durban Serious Organised Crime on Wednesday.
“They were arrested at uMgababa area where they were caught red-handed burning copper cables which were positively identified by the eThekwini Municipality officials as the property of the municipality,” Mhlongo said.
He said the suspects were charged with possession of property suspected to be stolen.
“The street value of the recovered copper cables is approximately R500 000. The accused will reappear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on December 14, 2023,” Mhlongo said.
Meanwhile, last month the eThekwini Municipality said it was working with the police’s Specialised Multi-Disciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Team (EITT) to curb damage to and theft of economic infrastructure.
At the time, municipal electricity head Maxwell Mthembu said internal investigations were also under way to expose criminal syndicates involved in the theft of critical economic infrastructure including copper cables, electrical conductors, transformers, scrap metals, street lights, and electrical fittings.
“To combat theft of infrastructure, the department has implemented a joint operation strategy that brings together teams from all regions and internal investigations have led to the disciplinary and dismissal of seven employees within the unit (electricity). We are also working closely with the SAPS Specialised Multi-Disciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Team which gathers intelligence and carries out operations. The task team has attained notable successes,” Mthembu said.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News