The King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality Law Enforcement Unit conducted an operation at Matebese Phase, which is situated within the Northcrest area, at House No. 40, following information regarding suspected stolen cooper wires. During this operation conducted on Friday 4 September 2026, Law-Enforcement officers apprehended a foreign national from Uganda and seized a bakkie suspected to have been used in the commission of a crime.
A quantity of copper/metal material was allegedly found at the back of the bakkie. The individual was unable to satisfactorily account for the suspected stolen copper. The suspected stolen items had recorded weights of 4,020.0 and 32,560.0 respectively. The recovered property and vehicle were seized and taken for further investigation.
The operation was also conducted following information regarding individuals suspected of being involved in the burning and vandalism of Municipal mini substations/ electrical boxes at KSD area. These incidents have resulted in residents being left without electricity and staying in darkness.
Following the information obtained during the Northcrest operation, the Law Enforcement Officers conducted a follow-up operation regarding suspected theft and illegal dealing in copper.
The investigation established that the storage facility is located in Northcrest, Maninjwa, where a container was identified as being used to store the suspected stolen copper.
In another operation at Polar Park, officers found a female suspect loading copper from the container into a bakkie GD6. The vehicle was intercepted while the loading operation was taking place. She is a girlfriend to a foreign national who is a well-known businessman.
The recovered material consisted mainly of copper wire, copper coils and copper strips.
Information received further indicates that the copper is allegedly transported to a scrapyard, where each pair involved is paid R500 by the scrapyard owner for delivering the copper. This information remains subject to verification and further investigation.