A kilogram of copper could get you R144 or a day in court.
A man who at first appeared to be dragging branches along Fritz Sonnenberg Road was arrested when he was found to be in possession of 70m of copper cables.
This was thanks to the skepticism of Lieutenant Colonel Christo Engelbrecht, a member of SAPS’ visible policing unit, who decided to take a closer look when he saw the man on Friday July 29.
“What seemed suspicious was the fact that it seemed to be not only tree branches but also something else on top of the branches,” said Captain Cyril Dicks, head of communication at Sea Point SAPS.
“Upon further investigation it was found that the suspect was dragging stolen copper cables of about 70 meters with him. The suspect was arrested on the spot for being in possession of stolen property and detained,” Captain Dicks said.
He added that they had not yet ascertained if the man, 31, had found or stolen the cables.
He appeared in court on Tuesday August 2, but at the time of publication, there were no further updates.