The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng managed to recover stolen copper cables worth approximately R15 million and arrested two suspects on Monday, 6 June 2022.
“The endeavors of the police in Gauteng Province to fight and curb crimes related to essential infrastructure continue to bear positive results, this after stolen copper worth approximately R15 million was recovered and two suspects arrested. On Monday, 06 June 2022, the members of Gauteng Highway Patrol operationalised information about a hijacked trailer offloading stolen copper in a storage facility in City Deep. Upon arrival at the said venue, members found the copper, a truck and trailer; all suspected to be stolen,” said Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello.
Sello said two foreign nationals were subsequently arrested and are due to make an appearance in the dock on charges related to being in possession of stolen property, which in this case is the copper cables.
“Two foreign national men aged 32 and 38 years old were arrested and will appear before a Magistrates’ Court soon on charges of possession of suspected stolen property,” Sello said.
The Provincial Commissioner of the police, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has welcomed the arrest and applauded the members for their swift reaction and dedication in fighting crime.
“Essential Infrastructure related crimes are a priority to the police in Gauteng as they impact negatively on the economy and service delivery of the province. To ensure continuouspositive successes, the province has established a multi-disciplinary task team which includes all law enforcement agencies, State owned entities and other industry stakeholders to ensure that resources and expertise are brought together with the purpose of curbing these crimes”, he said.
