Africa-Press – South-Africa. Eight people appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, charged with being in possession of hijacked Eskom overhead cables.
Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said four of the accused were released on bail, while three would remain in custody until their next appearance on 5 July.
The accused are London Sonwabile Tshobeni, Zukisani Mvula, Marlan Christian, Knowledge Chivizhe, Anthony Christian, Mandela Mdluta, Moses Matamba and Neville Adams.
Tshobeni, Mvula and Chivizhe are understood to be planning to apply for bail at their next appearance.
They were arrested on 27 June, in a case dating back to May, when a truck moving Eskom aluminium overhead cables was hijacked in Piketerg in the Western Cape.
A surveillance operation was carried out by police, and the accused were tracked to Cape Town.
A storage facility in Blackheath was raided by police and six rolls of aluminium cables were seized.
Eskom security contractors denied bail after being caught with minibus full of stolen cable
Those arrested face charges of possession of stolen goods, contravention of the Second Hand Goods Act, and charges of damage or theft of infrastructure.
Further afield, Fin24 reported last week that two security guards contracted to Eskom, as well as a taxi driver, were arrested after allegedly being caught with a minibus taxi full of copper cable at an Eskom warehouse in Germiston.
“The Eskom in-house security personnel found the minibus taxi parked outside the storeroom loaded with the Eskom cable, and the driver seated inside,” said Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha.
“The two are alleged to have spent the night cutting the cable into sizeable pieces that could fit into a minibus taxi.”
The three were denied bail, and the taxi was also impounded.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
