Pretoria - Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has welcomed the arrest of cable theft suspects who were taken into custody last Friday morning.
Cable theft has recently caused major electricity and water outages across the country.
The suspects were arrested after the K9 police unit received information about a second-hand dealer in Robertville, Florida, being in possession of suspected stolen copper cables.
The cables are estimated to be valued at more than R250 000.
Minister Mokonyane said tough action must be taken in such cases, as cable theft has a negative impact on the socio-economic development of the country.
“The work of the police in this regard has proven the capacity of our police with regard to how seriously they take their work, as well as how efficiently they work.
“This work is really commended by… the water and sanitation sector as a whole,” said Minister Mokonyane.
She urged communities to help protect infrastructure and report crime to the police.
Last month, parts of Ekurhuleni, the West Rand, Johannesburg and Tshwane were affected by water shortages for two weeks.
The water shortage was caused by various factors, including power supply problems, faulty cables and the theft of electrical cables needed for the reservoirs to pump water. – SAnews.gov.za
