The Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) has arrested a 45-year-old man for tampering with essential infrastructure after he was found with stolen cables worth R20,000.
The man was arrested after he ran across the R21 freeway in the Kempton Park area, according to EMPD spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa.
“When officers were on patrol on the R21 roadway direction Pretoria before the R25 off-ramp, they noticed a pedestrian who was crossing the road unsafely on the freeway. On closer inspection, they noticed a man who was carrying cables crossing with them,” said Thepa.
“Officers immediately ordered the suspect to stop, however, the suspect tried to run away, but he was overpowered by the officers. The street value of the stolen cable is estimated to be R20 000.”
Thepa said the 45-year-old man was arrested and taken to the Kempton Park police station, facing charges of tampering with essential infrastructure.
“He is scheduled to appear in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court soon,” said Thepa.
Last year, IOL reported that the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court had sentenced two Zimbabwean nationals, Namer Ndovu, 27, and Collen Singanje, 28, to 10 years of direct imprisonment each after they were convicted for tampering with essential infrastructure.
The two were arrested on December 21, 2020, at Eskia Mpahlane Drive in the Wonderboom area of Tshwane after Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) security guards found them with eight pieces of signal copper cables.
“The Prasa security guards took the two and the cables to the police station to report the matter, where they were arrested and have been in custody since,” Lumka Mahanjana, Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said at the time.
In court, Ndovu and Singanje pleaded not guilty to the charges.
“However, State prosecutor Lufuno Manena was able to prove the State’s case beyond a reasonable doubt. The State called John Motswaledi, a corporate security investigator at Prasa, who told the court that each cable was valued at R3,000 each,” Mahanjana said.
IOL