The past couple of weeks have been a struggle for Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal residents. Who faced loadshedding coupled with electricity outages resulting from cable theft.
The Endumeni (Dundee) Municipality’s Communications Unit highlighted on Wednesday, 15 February 2023, that during the course of last week, electricity cables that supply power to the entire Dundee CBD, as well as residential areas, were dug out during load shedding.
According to the Dundee Municipality the Speaker and Ward 4 Councillor, Andile Nsibande, followed up on a lead in an attempt to nail the culprits crippling the community.
Cllr Nsibande explained that two suspects were arrested in one of the scrapyards in Dundee after they had gone to the business establishment to sell copper.
As individuals are required to provide their ID to scrapyard dealers when selling copper, Cllr Nsibande said the first suspect was arrested after a scrapyard employee called the local authorities. The employee apparently realised that the man had produced a fake ID to process his sale.
“The second suspect was arrested when he tried to sell copper covers in the same scrapyard. When he realised that he was getting arrested, he then led the authorities to three other suspects who reside in Dlamini Village,” said Cllr Nsibande.
The determined Cllr Nsibande added that the remains of what were electricity cables, tools used to cut the cables and shovels for digging the ground were discovered in a suspect’s home in Dlamini Village. As a result, two young men and an elderly man were arrested.
The Endumeni Municipality now urges the community to be anonymous whistle-blowers if they suspect their neighbours of unlawful activity, especially when it impacts the entire community such as with the electricity.
“We would further like to thank the Speaker of council for his quick response and involvement on the apprehension of these criminals,” the Endumeni Municipality’s Communications Department concluded.
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