The South African Police Service in the Northern Cape are clamping down on copper cable theft and damage to essential infrastructure after six men aged between 30 and 50-years-old were arrested.
On Thursday 09 November 2023, at approximately 03:00, members of the Northern Cape Provincial Organized Crime Investigation Unit received information pertaining to the theft of overhead Transnet copper cable at Dronfield near the N12.
The information was immediately operationalised.
The Kimberley K9 Unit together with the Local Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management unit were deployed to assist.
En route to the scene a maroon Toyota Yaris with 6 occupants was stopped and searched in the Kimberley CBD.
No suspicious items were found in their possession. The occupants claimed to be traveling to Beaufort West.
Upon further investigation it was discovered that the occupants of the vehicle were suspects involved in an alleged cable theft and damage to essential infrastructure incident.
The maroon Toyota Yaris with Gauteng registration plates was later spotted by members of the Bloemfontein K9 Unit entering Bloemfontein.
The six suspects were successfully apprehended and arrested and returned to Kimberley.
Tools and copper cable weighing 420kg with an estimated value of R90 480-00 was discovered and positively identified as the property of Transnet.
The damage to the infrastructure, is estimated at R124 000-00.
The six suspects, all from Daveyton in Gauteng will appear in the Kimberley Magistrates soon.
The Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Koliswa Otola reiterated the seriousness of crimes pertaining to the damage to essential infrastructure and assured that the SAPS will continue to bring perpetrators to book.
Six arrested for damage to essential infrastructure near Kimberley https://t.co/UfH3xlEJY4#ArriveAlive #Damage #EssentialInfrastructure @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/HmTc5iMsx9
– Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) November 10, 2023