Durban - A joint operation between Durban Metro Police Service, the South African Police Service, Telkom and Transnet on Sunday uncovered stolen copper valued at R8 million at a business in KwaMakhutha south of Durban within eThekwini Municipality.
Metro police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said the large amount of copper cables belonging to eThekwini Municipality, Prasa, Transnet and Telkom was discovered buried underground in the yard of a foreign national scrap dealer.
Zungu said two foreign nationals, aged 28 and 20, were arrested, and a large amount of copper was recovered.
“The two suspects were charged for tampering with essential infrastructure, contravening Section 36 and 37, possession and receiving of property reasonably suspected to be stolen and possession of burnt copper cables,” he said.
He said exhibits recovered include 4.2 tons of property confirmed to be stolen from eThekwini Metro, Transnet, Prasa, and Telkom.
“The estimated total value of these goods is R8 000 000.00. Cash to the value of R35 000.00 was also recovered,” said Zungu.
Zungu said both suspects were processed at KwaMakhutha SAPS station.
Parts of street lights were also found at the business.
Last week, KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Policing, Major General Phumelele Makoba, officially launched the Specialised Multi-Disciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Teams (EITTs) in KZN.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the launch followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of The Nation Address in February, where he stated that the ongoing damage to and the theft of economic infrastructure had damaged confidence and severely constrained economic growth, investment and job creation.
During the launch, Makoba urged all role-players to work together in an integrated manner to stem the scourge and bring the perpetrators to book.
“We are convinced that the perpetrators of these crimes are repeat offenders, and we need to strike a blow to these criminal syndicates and bring an end to the theft and destruction of our essential infrastructure,” she said.
The focus of the EITT will be to address the scourge of economic infrastructure-related crimes:
- Non-Ferrous metal theft (eg. copper cable theft);
- Essential infrastructure crimes (eg. tampering, damaging or destroying of infrastructure related to energy, transport, water, sanitation and communication services);
- Critical infrastructure crimes (eg. Pipeline fuel theft);
- Extortion at construction and or economic sites and;
- The combating of illegal mining and illicit trafficking.
Naicker said three teams were formed that will be dealing with these crimes, and they will be based in the eThekwini, Umgungundlovu and King Cetshwayo Districts, where these crimes are most prevalent.
He said the teams consist of various disciplines from the SAPS, Government departments, other law enforcement agencies, State Owned Entities, Cellular Telephone Providers and the DPCI.
“EITTs will ensure the integration of operational processes, resources and intelligence across all operational environments of the SAPS under a single command in order to successfully address economic infrastructure-related crimes and extortion in a coherent and synergised manner,” said Naicker.
