By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City Power has nabbed more employees and a contractor for cable theft and vandalism this week, after nine contracted guards appeared in court on Monday.
The employee was arrested at the head office of City Power in Booysens on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old man, who was working in the security department, is alleged to have stolen copper pipes from scrap metal dealers under the guise of returning them to City Power premises.
On Wednesday, an employee of one of City Power’s service providers responsible for maintenance was found in possession of copper metals.
The 30-year-old man was working in the Joburg CBD when he was caught trying to leave work with pieces of copper material.
The two join nine contracted guards linked with the power utility, who were arrested over the past weekend.
Three more suspects were arrested in Booysens on Tuesday after being found digging and laying aluminium cable from a pole.
They were caught in possession of a stepladder, 6m cable, spade and cutting tools (infrastructure damaging implements). The three have been charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and illegal connections.
According to CEO Tshifularo Mashava, has expressed concern over the involvement of the power utility’s employees in acts of theft and vandalism.
“The involvement of contracted security officers and now one of the employees is something we find particularly worrying, because these are the people that have been entrusted with the duty of safeguarding our infrastructure,” said the City Power boss.
“However, these arrests are testament of our unwavering resolve as the municipal utility, in dealing with the problem of theft and vandalism, whether perpetrated by outsiders or those from within.
“Early this financial year, we reinforced our security operations with extra intelligence and technology muscle to unmask some of these internal collaborators.
Mashava added, that the regional power utility has lost R160 million to theft and vandalism this year alone.
“We strongly condemn this conduct and assure the public that even those among us implicated will not be spared. We have never ruled out the involvement of our contractors and staff in the theft and vandalism problem.