Two men from Cameroon have been caught with a huge amount of stolen copper by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) undercover officers.
Recounting events leading to the arrest, Xolani Fihla, JMPD spokesperson said acting on a tip-off, JMPD officers proceeded to corner 11th Road and 3rd Avenue in Bramley, where they observed the suspected property.
“An unknown male opened the gate of the premises, officers approached him, identified themselves as police, and proceeded to search inside the premises,” said Fihla.
“Whilst searching, they found another male inside the premises and discovered huge quantities of copper cut up into pieces.
When questioned, the two males failed to give a valid explanation on how they acquired the copper and were immediately arrested.
“Upon their arrest, the suspects attempted to bribe officers with R10 000 in cash.”
City Power and Prasa officials were called to inspect the copper.
“It was discovered that the copper belongs to Transnet and Prasa, and it cost an estimated R3 million worth of damage to infrastructure,” said Fihla.
The suspects were detained at the Bramley Police Station. They face multiple charges including damage to infrastructure, possession of stolen copper, and bribery.
The arrested pair were expected to appear at court today, Monday 07 March 2022.
Scrap metal dealers in South Africa pay between R20 and R65 per Kg for copper wire.
On Friday last week, the global copper price hit an all-time high owing to supply disruptions blamed on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
