Cable thieves could spend 30 years in jail
The South African Police Service has appealed to community members to report suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods. In response to a query from Talk of the Town regarding cable theft in and around Port Alfred, provincial spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the police were focusing on securing the convictions of people implicated in this crime.
In last week’s edition, we reported on the staggering cost: cable theft in this area is costing R9000 a day in replacement materials alone. Add to this the impact it is having on the municipality’s ability to maintain essential infrastructure and the knock-on effect this has on service delivery to communities and businesses. We reported that Ndlambe Municipality would be establishing a stakeholder forum to address what infrastructure director Noluthando Vithi has described as a “pandemic”.
Naidu noted that the theft and damage of copper and steel cables hampers the provision of basic services and impacts infrastructure.
“The high incidence of theft and damage of ferrous and non-ferrous metals lead to a multitude of economic and socio-economic stress and continues to threaten key industries,” Naidu said.
“The theft of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as essential infrastructure related crimes remains a priority for the SAPS. This damage and theft is tantamount to economic sabotage therefore the SAPS is serious about tracing, arresting and convicting those responsible for such theft and damage.”
Naidu said the Criminal Matters Amendment Act (Act No 18 of 2015), was aimed at addressing the rise in crime affecting service delivery to the public. It covered the theft of cable, water metres, bridge railings and street inspection covers. Section 3 of the Act provides that an offender may be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of up to 30 years or, in the case of a company, a fine not exceeding R100 million.
The Amendment Act added several offences to Schedule 5 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which influenced the granting of bail to an offender.
“In essence this means that neither a police official nor a prosecutor may grant bail to an arrested suspect for essential infrastructure type of offences and that bail may therefore only be granted by a court,” Naidu said.
“The South African Police Service appeals to residents to report what they see happening in their communities because that is where the crime happens, and they are the ones who know where criminals live,” Naidu said.
