Senior City Power official nabbed for cable theft
A senior City Power official in Johannesburg has been arrested after he was found in possession of four cable drum rolls with an estimated value of R350,000 each.
In a statement, City Power said that the official is due to appear in the South Gauteng High Court on charges of cable theft and possession of stolen property.
The Hawks, the South African Police Services and City Power were investigating further to establish whether the official was working with any syndicates responsible for numerous spates of cable theft around Johannesburg.
Sicelo Xulu, managing director of City Power, said he was encouraged by the breakthrough as it demonstrated the utility’s commitment to rid itself of corrupt practices.
“No one is above reproach in the fight against corruption and cable theft, including City Power employees,” Xulu said. “We need to lead by example and reaffirm our zero tolerance for corrupt practices. The arrest of this official is a culmination of months of painstaking work by the police and our officials, and we are pleased with this breakthrough as it further cripples the efforts of these syndicates and spares the residents of Johannesburg a spate of unplanned power cuts and millions in lost revenue.”
Xulu thanked the Hawks and the SAPS for the work and again appealed to members of the community to continue to work with City Power and law enforcement agencies to report suspected incidents of cable theft.
According to City Power, cable theft is conservatively estimated to cost the South African economy about R5 billion a year directly and indirectly.
Xulu said that besides the cost of replacing the infrastructure and damaged equipment, cable theft contributed to increased electricity tariffs and prices for ordinary South Africans.
The industry has lamented the scourge of cable theft and has lobbied government to classify cable theft as an act of economic sabotage due to the debilitating impact of this crime on the economy.
Earlier this year, government tabled a Criminal Matters Amendment Bill 2015 which sought to impose more stringent sentences on suspects convicted of cable theft.
Xulu said: “We are encouraged by the gravity and urgency with which government is taking this issue, and we hope that the amendments to the bill will be fast-tracked to bring the perpetrators of cable theft and the syndicates behind them to book. We are confident that the imposition of maximum sentences will serve as deterrence to those who selfishly regard our infrastructure as vulnerable prey and an easy source of revenue.” - ANA