Kilometres of cable cut down by thieves
CABLE thieves are becoming more brazen, cutting kilometres of cable from train stations in broad daylight.
One of the train stations cable thieves seem to constantly target is Netreg station on the Mitchells Plain line, were they removed 3km of copper cable.
City law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said rail enforcement and metal theft units launched into action yesterday morning.
“They were on crime prevention patrols at the infamous Netreg station, a highly problematic area in terms of vandalism and cable theft.”
Dyason said they observed a group of men cutting the cable close to the Kreefgat side of the railway line. Suddenly one of the men’s lookouts warned them of law enforcement’s presence by blowing a whistle.
“The suspects ran into Kreefgat and escaped. The officers walked next to the cut cable and saw its length was longer than the platform. They measured the cable and it was just over 3km in total,” Dyason said.
He said that on Sunday five suspects were busy stealing cable in the Kreefgat area when officers closed in on them.
“Unfortunately all five managed to escape but left behind about 300m of cable. In Kalksteenfontein the officers arrested one suspect who was found in possession of 20m of cable”.
He said that also on Sunday enforcement responded to information provided about a cable theft occurring at Bonteheuwel station.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie said brilliant work was done by their Bonteheuwel law enforcement team in partnership with the rail enforcement unit.
“An alleged cable thief was caught in the act with 190m of railway cable,” McKenzie said.
The suspect was arrested and taken to Bishop Lavis police station.
“We now sincerely hope that the teams will not have to catch this individual again, and that bail will be denied and the court process will prove to be a deterrent to other similar cable thieves,” he said.
Metrorail spokesperson Riana Scott said: “Trains and stations are unfortunately not exempt from random and opportunistic criminal attempts.”
Mosebenzi Zwane, chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on transport, said the committee denounced the criminality and called for an investigation into a possible connection between these acts and the scrap metal industry.