Several suspects were arrested after a meeting on Tuesday, 22 August, between management of Centlec and community organizations regarding theft and damage to infrastructure in Bloemfontein.
Lele Mamatu, spokesperson for Centlec, says in a news release that two persons were arrested for theft and vandalism of Centlec infrastructure on Saturday (26/08).
The first arrest was in the early hours of Saturday when the Heidedal Community Policing Forum arrested a suspected cable thieve.
They allerted the Centlec Security Service and the South African Police Service who came to the scene and arrested the suspect in possesion of stolen copper cables.
Mamatu said the damage led to a prolonged power outage in Bloemspruit with damage to the value of R100 000.
The suspect was charged with vandalism of valuable infrastructure.
In another incident, the Centlec Security Team foiled an attemted cable theft on the Cecelia line in Kwaggafontein near the Bloemfontein Zoo ground in the early hours of Saturday.
The police arrested a suspect that was charged with theft.
Mamatu said tampering with infrastructure, electricity theft and vandalism of valuable infrastructure is a serious crime in South Africa which carries harsh sentences upon being found guilty.
Big parts of the north of Bloemfontein was without power on 23 August after a mini substation was stripped clean in Douglas Valley.
Christo Joubert from the Vaalbank-Zuid Neighbourhood Watch says thieves are targeting the Centlec transformers to get copper because they already stripped the Spoornet infrastructure.
He says the first transformer in the northern rudal area was stripped on 14 July in Olive Hill and the second one the same day in Vaalbank-Zuid.
The third was on 14 August where a transformer was removed from a power post in Vaalbank-Zuid. On 24 August the second transformer was stolen on the same farmer’s property. Two suspects were followed in this case.
The Vaalbank-Zuid Neighbourhood Watch working together with VR Security and members of the SAPS Flying Squad managed to arrest one suspect with an electrical cabel and a stick which is used to brake fuses.
A case was opened at the Navalsig SAPS.
“We would like to thank the public, including the community forums such as the Heidedal Neighbourhood Watch and the CPF for the work well done and giving us tip-offs whenever these incidents happen. Fighting crime is a collaborative effort between the community, police and Centlec,” Mamatu said.
