Cops catch suspected cable thieves digging trench, seize 500m of electric cable

More than 500m of abandoned electrical cables were found in Germiston on Thursday.

Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers disturbed suspected cable thieves digging a trench in Germiston on Thursday and confiscated more than 500 metres of electric cable.

According to EMPD spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, the officers were on patrol in the area when they spotted a group of men running in different directions in Johann Rissik Drive. They also saw exposed electrical cables on the ground, he said.

“On closer inspection, officers picked up that lawbreakers were busy digging a trench and when they saw law enforcers, they disappeared into thin air. The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department Anti-Cable Theft Unit was summoned to the scene,” Thepa added.

More than 500m of cable were confiscated and taken to the nearest energy department building.

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No arrests were made.

News24 previously reported that parts of the municipality were plagued by cable theft.

WATCH | ‘It looks like a graveyard’: Safety concerns in Reiger Park as cable thieves dig trenches

In Reiger Park, residents expressed fears that children could fall into the open holes and trenches that cable thieves leave behind. The community has faced the impact of cable theft for a year.

In Johannesburg, more than 150 incidents of cable theft and vandalism were recorded in December alone, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena previously told News24.

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