By Everson Luhanga
Six people, including security guards and City Power contractors, have been arrested for stealing copper cables in Johannesburg.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said three security guards, hired by a third-party company to protect the Lilian Ngoyi Street construction site, were caught stealing about 50 metres of copper cable.
The guards were set to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 17 September.
City Power’s security team found the stolen cables while patrolling Von Brandis and Lilian Ngoyi streets.
The area has been under tight security as part of the Lilian Ngoyi Street Rehabilitation Project after a methane gas explosion destroyed a section of the street in July 2023.
When City Power discovered that cables had been moved without permission, they called the SAPS’s essential infrastructure task team to investigate. The police found 47.3 metres of copper cables.
The security guards claimed unknown people had thrown the cables into the area, but their records didn’t mention it.
They were arrested for possessing stolen copper cables and tampering with important infrastructure.
Two City Power contractors were also arrested over the weekend. One was caught with copper cables, and the other had cables hidden in his car boot.
On Monday, 16 September, another suspect was arrested in Roodepoort for possessing stolen goods and tampering with infrastructure during a raid at a scrap yard.
Image: The suspects arrested in possession of City Power copper cables.
Source: City Power
