Within four days the Lejweleputswa police arrested 11 suspects and confiscated more than 1 831 kg of copper cables valued in excess of R290 000 in Ventersburg, Thabong and Welkom.
On Tuesday, 14 March, in Ventersburg, a South African man and a foreign national were arrested after they were found in possession of suspected Transnet copper cables valued at more than R240 000.
The acting district commissoner of Lejweleputswa, Brig. Mzondi Mojafi, applauded the Ventersburg police who made the arrest.
“A police officer was on his way to work when he noticed a suspicious white Isuzu bakkie with no registration numbers. There were two men, aged 30 and 22 years, inside the vehicle and he requested to apprehend,” says Capt. Stephen Thakeng, media liaison officer for the Lejweleputswa police.
The police approached the vehicle and asked the suspects to get out. The back of the bakkie was covered with a blanket.
Sgts Molahlehi Lebatla and Morena Tjakata seized 1 140 kg of copper cables with an estimated value of R240 436. The bakkie was also seized.
- On Saturday (18/03), the Meloding police arrested five men, including a man wearing a Matjhabeng Municipal Waste Management overall, with copper cables weighing 559,7 kg. The copper had an estimated value of R50 373.
The police were busy with a routine visible policing and crime prevention patrol when they noticed two suspicious bakkies at the Meloding railway.
They approached and seached the vehicle. The suspects could not produce any documentation permitting them to be in possession of the copper and the five men, aged between 24 and 36 years, were arrested for posession of suspected stolen copper cables.
Mojalefi applauded the Meloding police for the arrest.
“This is a breakthrough, as we have a problem with copper cable theft in Matjhabeng.”
- Also on Saturday, four foreign nationals were arrested when found with a large quanity of copper wire and sheets in Thabong.
Members of Public Order Policing (POP) noticed a suspicious vehicle near the Bongani Hospital traffic lights and followed it towards Mothusi Road. When they tried to stop it, the driver sped away.
The POP members managed to stop the vehicle near the Vuyo Charles Stadium in Thabong.
The police searched the vehicle and found copper wire and copper sheets weighing 131,5 kg. The suspects could not provide the police with documents proving ownership of the copper cables.
The suspects, aged 28, 29, 36, and 38 years respectively, were arrested for possession of suspected stolen copper cable.
Mojafi applauded members of Welkom POP for their vigilance.
“We are faced with many incidents in which copper cables are stolen during load shedding and these arrests are a breakthrough,” he said.
