Police have arrested a 34-year-old man after an alleged attempt to strip an Eskom substation of copper resulted in about R4 million worth of damage.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, facing charges of possession of suspected stolen property and tampering with or damaging essential infrastructure.
The arrest follows a shooting incident reported at Rietkolk Gravel Road in the Westenburg policing area at about 5.30am on Wednesday.
According to Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Flying Squad members responded to information about the incident and found an environmental patrol member at the scene with the suspect.
The suspect was allegedly found in possession of suspected stolen Eskom property and was driving a silver Suzuki believed to have been used in the commission of the offence.
Police recovered a copper bar, copper wire and a transformer terminal.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects allegedly gained access to an Eskom substation, where they cut down a pole carrying a transformer and damaged the transformer in an attempt to remove copper bars contained therein,” Ledwaba said.
Four other suspects allegedly fled the scene carrying bags containing copper of an undisclosed value.
During their escape, one shot was allegedly fired. No injuries were reported.
An Eskom representative was called to the scene and positively identified the recovered items as Eskom property.
The representative also confirmed that the material had been removed from the substation and transformers.
Police estimate the damage to the infrastructure and suspected stolen property at approximately R4 million.
The four suspects who fled remain at large as police continue with the investigation and efforts to track them down.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Jan Scheepers warned criminals involved in the theft and vandalism of essential infrastructure that such offences have serious consequences for communities and the economy.
Police urged anyone with information that could assist in locating the outstanding suspects to contact their nearest police station or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
