Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - The Hawks in Mpumalanga have hailed the arrest of a scrapyard owner who allegedly created a market for thieves specialising in stealing Eskom cables, plunging residential areas into darkness.
According to Eskom, the country loses more than R2 billion per annum due to the growing trend of cable theft.
Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said investigators acted on a tip-off. The team, involving investigators from the Hawks, the Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Witbank DSO, CPI Transnet, Nelspruit Crime Intelligence and Eskom, arrested Beatrice Geldenhys, 40, who owns Monkey Scrap Metal in Middelburg.
“The acting provincial head of the Directorate For Priority Crime Investigation Brigadier Gregory Gaillard hailed the multidisciplinary approach by the team from different stakeholders.
“He warned the community to refrain from stealing Eskom equipment as it is affecting the economy of the country,” said Sekgotodi.
Sekgotodi said the investigators were concerned with the theft of cables around Middelburg-Emalahleni, where Eskom has its biggest power stations.
“Information was received and a disruptive operation was conducted targeting the scrap metal dealers who contravened the Second Hand Goods Act around Mpumalanga. The team proceeded to Old Middelburg road at Monkey Scrap Metal dealer where a search operation was executed. They allegedly found Eskom pylons weighing 740kg, 350m of Eskom cable and a burned copper 98.5kg valued at over R200 000. The suspect who is the lawful owner of Monkey Scrap Metal, Beatrice Geldenhys, was arrested.
“The accused appeared before the Witbank Magistrate Court and she was granted R5 000 bail and the case was postponed to August 5, 2022 for further investigation,” she said.
Raputsoe Taoana (29), Prince William Mbanzini (29), Lawrence Makhinika (30) and Takalani Nndweleni (44), who operated from different areas were also arrested.
“The four appeared before the Ogies Magistrate Court and they were remanded in custody. The case was postponed to July 12 2022 for formal bail application. The total value of the seized properties is over R1 million,” Sekgotodi said.
If convicted, the accused may face up to a maximum of 15-year prison sentences each.
In May, Eskom welcomed the sentencing of copper cable thieves Anye Nkwenti and Happy Dube, who were sentenced to 12 and 15 years, respectively in the Bronkhorspruit Regional Court.They were found guilty of possession of stolen property and malicious damage to essential infrastructure.
“The theft of cables, overhead lines, transformers and conductors costs Eskom approximately R2 billion per year. Illegal electricity connections and cable theft often lead to prolonged power outages and compromise the quality of supply, which affects businesses, essential services, as well as the day-to-day lives of society, and this has a negative impact on the economy,” said Eskom Gauteng’s Safety, Health, Environment, Risk, and Quality Manager Kith Maitisa.
Pretoria News