DA welcomes arrest of SAPS officers for alleged cable theft

5 June 2017

Two police officers from Diepkloof, Soweto, have been arrested after an attempted cable theft at Zakkariya Park over the weekend. This comes in the wake of reports that the train collision that took place in Elandsfontein in Ekurhuleni last week was caused by cable theft.

I will submit questions to the MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng, Sizakele Nkosi-Malabane, in the Gauteng Legislature to determine how many police officers are being investigated for involvement in cable theft. I will also inquire how many of those have been arrested and of those arrests, how many have led to guilty verdicts.

It is deeply concerning that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been infiltrated by criminals. Who will protect South Africans if the police themselves are criminal?

The Metrorail service is highly vulnerable to cable theft as railway lines are open and must therefore be patrolled. It cannot be tolerated that those who are meant to prevent deadly cable theft are guilty of cable theft themselves.

The DA remains concerned about whether the SAPS and Metrorail have a memorandum of understanding in terms of who is responsible for what aspects regarding commuter safety and security of rail stock.

We welcome these arrests as a step in the right direction, regarding the curbing of cable theft. The alleged corrupt actions of the arrested policemen stands to add to the negative relationship between the public and the police service. We must be able to rely on the SAPS and trust them to serve us and to secure our safety.

Issued by Michele Clarke, DA Gauteng Deputy Chairperson and Spokesperson for Community Safety, 5 June 2017