Five suspects appeared before the Molteno Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape this week after they were allegedly found in possession of R350 000 worth of copper cables.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, the suspects were between the ages of 18 and ever 61.
Mgolodela said that it was in the early hours of Thursday morning (2 March 2023) that security guards from private security company, Magnum Security, spotted a suspicious Nissan bakkie travelling in Molteno.
They decided to pull over the suspects on the intersection of Stormberg and Burgersdorp roads. The security officers then conducted a search and managed to uncover a mass of copper cables hidden in the vehicle.
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All five occupants of the vehicle were immediately arrested.
The five suspects were charged with possession of suspected stolen goods and damage to essential infrastructure.
Serious Organised Crime investigation
The matter was referred to the Queenstown-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation team of the Hawks for further probing.
The copper cables confiscated are estimated to have a street value of R350 000, and the Nissan bakkie, which was allegedly used to carry out the crime, was also confiscated. It is estimated to be worth R120 000.
Last month, police managed to retrieve R5 million in stolen copper cables in the Pinetown area of KwaZulu-Natal.
The copper cables were stolen from companies such as Telkom, Prasa and the eThekwini Municipality.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers received a tip-off about stolen cable being stored at a premises in the suburb.
“The team was acting on intelligence when they stormed into the premises and executed a search warrant. Huge bags of copper cables were found stashed in two trucks that were parked in the yard. A further search resulted in the recovery of more copper inside the warehouse.”
“The recovered copper was positively identified as the property of Prasa, eThekwini Municipality and Telkom. Five suspects, aged between 26 and 41, were arrested for possession of suspected stolen property,” Netshiunda said.
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Additional reporting by Faizel Patel.
