Independent Newspapers
The arrest of three suspected cable thieves was welcomed by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) and Metrorail on Tuesday.
“We call on law enforcement agencies to redouble their efforts in bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to book,” RSR spokesman Sibongiseni Henna said in a statement.
Two people were arrested for allegedly being in possession of stolen copper cables and railway sleepers in Chloorkop, north east of Joburg on Monday.
A third man was arrested for possession of power cables. He was approaching a scrap dealership only to find Hawks detectives on the property.
Henna said cable theft placed the lives of innocent people at risk and undermined economic development.
“The social and economic implications of these incidents are massive as they result in line closure, expensive repair costs, delays for freight trains and passenger trains, train cancellations as well as huge consequential costs to the economy,” he said.
Metrorail said heavy penalties should be handed down to those vandalising trains and stealing cables. – Sapa
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Cable thieves’ arrest applauded