The Odendaalsrus couple caught with R89 000 worth of copper cable belonging to the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, have appeared in court, and the wife was released on R1 000 bail.
William Bird (72) and his wife Hilda (67) appeared in the Odendalsrus Magistrates’ Court on Friday (11/11). They are both facing charges of the possession of copper cable and theft of copper cable.
Destruction of the infrastructure might be added to their charges, says Capt. Stephen Thakeng, media liaison officer for the Lejweleputswa police.
Hilda was released on R1 000 bail on Friday, while William was granted bail of R2000 with strict conditions on Wednesday.
The couple was arrested on Thursday, 10 November, following a joint operation led by the police, Crime Intelligence and the Matjhabeng Municipality investigation team.
The copper belonging to Matjhabeng Municipality, was found at the home of a Matjhabeng electrician in Hospital Park, Odendaalsrus.
The 67-year-old wife was the first to be arrested, and her 72-year-old husband was arrested the same day at 18:00. The arrests were made after the Matjhabeng Municipality investigation unit acted on information regarding an electrician living in Hospital Park, Odendaalsrus, who was involved in the illegal trading of copper cable.
The Matjhabeng Municipality investigation unit, as well as members of Crime Intelligence and Visible Policing, discovered the copper cable which belongs to the municipality.
Police asked the elderly woman living in the house for permission to conduct a search, which she granted. They discovered copper cable which was stolen from the Theronia sewage treatment plant, also known as the Theronia Waste Water Treatment Works in Welkom, the Kutloanong sewage treatment plant which is currently under construction, and electrical substation number one in the Odendaalsrus central business district (CBD).
The Matjhabeng Municipality Investigation unit confirmed that cases were registered and under investigation by the Welkom detective services.
“There was no documentation to prove why the copper cable belonging to the municipality was found on these residential premises,” says Thakeng.
The district commissioner of Lejweleputswa, Maj. Gen. Lerato Molale, says these seizure and arrest will send a strong message that during this festive season the police will have a zero-tolerance approach to the destruction of infrastructure.
