Latest news with #eThekwiniMetroElectricity
The Citizen
03-07-2025
- The Citizen
Police recover R700 000 worth of stolen copper in Botha's Hill
A 43-YEAR-OLD man was arrested in Botha's Hill after copper with a value of R700 000 was found at the back of his property on Tuesday, July 1. Brigadier Jay Naicker, KZN police spokesperson, said detectives from the Organised Crime Unit tasked with investigating essential infrastructure offences, together with other role players, swooped on a residential premises in the Upper Highway following information of copper cables being stripped on the property. Also read: Two nabbed with stolen copper worth R850 000 in Malvern 'Police officers found workers stripping copper cables in a container at the back of the building. The owner of the premises failed to provide police with evidence of where the cables were purchased from and was arrested by detectives,' reported Naicker. The man was detained at the Hillcrest Police Station for being in possession of suspected stolen property and is expected to appear in court soon. Last week Wednesday, police arrested two men who were found in possession of copper valued at R850 000 in the Malvern area. It was discovered that the 288kg of the 861kg recovered copper belonged to eThekwini Metro Electricity. For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
25-06-2025
- The Citizen
R850K stolen copper cables recovered in Malvern, two arrested
Police recover 861kg of suspected stolen copper belonging to eThekwini Municipality. The copper cable thieves were handcuffed on Tuesday. Picture: Saps Two suspects have been arrested for stealing copper cables worth an estimated R850 000. The copper cable thieves were arrested on Tuesday. Copper cable theft Police spokesperson Captain Carmen Rhynes said the South African Police Service (Saps) eThekwini District Infrastructure Task Team members conducted operations in Malvern when they encountered the suspects. 'A suspicious truck was stopped and searched. A large amount of suspected stolen copper cables belonging to eThekwini Metro Electricity was recovered. Both the driver and the crew, aged 49 and 50 years old, were arrested and charged with tampering with economic infrastructure and possession of suspected stolen property. ALSO READ: Six City Power contract workers arrested for copper theft Additional charges Rhynes said additional charges of receiving stolen property and possession of burnt copper cables were also added. '861kg of suspected stolen copper were recovered with a total value of R850 000, 288kg of which belonged to eThekwini Metro Electricity. 'The estimated value of the property belonging to eThekwini Metro Electricity was R306 000. Both suspects will be appearing in Pinetown Court on Wednesday morning,' Rhynes said. Joburg theft In February, the City Power Security Risk Management in Johannesburg arrested six people employed by a contractor for possession of suspected stolen copper cables. The suspects were handcuffed at the Observatory Substation in Johannesburg for possession of suspected stolen copper cables. Cable theft City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the arrests followed a routine site inspection by Operations Management to verify the removal of all burnt cables damaged in the underground tunnel fire incident on Thursday evening, 6 February 2025. 'This forms part of our ongoing fight against cable theft and vandalism, plaguing the Inner City and other areas across Johannesburg. 'During the inspection, we discovered four individuals from a contracted company cutting and stripping various sizes of copper cable — some burnt and others intact. A search of the bus used to transport those workers revealed two individuals with copper cables hidden in their bags and shoes, while additional cables were found under the bus,' Mangena said. ALSO READ: City Power disconnects 120 homes for bypassing prepaid meters
