Tshwane employees to appear in court for alleged infrastructure theft
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday morning, 1 July following a probe by the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in Gauteng, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, stated that the latest arrest follows an ongoing investigation that began in November 2024, in which 11 suspects were initially arrested for stealing a transformer at Laudium substation worth approximately R7 million.
The 10 suspects who were sub contractors were released after they could not be linked to the crime and one who is an employee of the municipality remained behind bars and has since made several court appearances and is currently remanded in custody until 8 August 2025.
Nevhuhulwi said the three suspects arrested on Tuesday will be charged with theft of essential infrastructure and are expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 2 July. More arrests are expected as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, the Tshwane District Commissioner, Major General Samuel Thine has commended the team for their ongoing efforts to deal with this crime.
Thine further assured the public that the police will continue working hard in dismantling the syndicates that target essential infrastructure and related crimes as this has a detrimental impact on the economy of the country.
In November 2024, The South African reported that the brazen attempted theft of transformers by an alleged cable theft syndicate was foiled by vigilant community members who noticed unusual activity at the substation.
An employee from the City of Tshwane's Energy & Electricity Department and his associates arrived at the substation in a fleet of marked and unmarked trucks, with an assortment of equipment, including an expensive crane.
The City of Tshwane said the alleged cable theft syndicate had already removed two MVA transformers from the plinth, with the other one already dismantled, awaiting to be loaded onto a flat-bed truck.
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