When the power went out in Macassar around 19:00 last Wednesday (2 November), residents – many of them left angered by extended periods of power outages – realised this was not a scheduled bout of load shedding.
They realised something was definitely wrong and Ward 109 councillor Peter Helfrich almost immediately started receiving reports from various residents and neighbourhood watch members of an explosion they had seen on the R102, close to Macassar.
“They also claimed to have witnessed two men fleeing the scene when this took place,” Helfrich said. “I called on residents to come forward with information, which many did and two suspects were identified.”
Helfrich praised Clint Skippers and Gerald Claasen of Combined Private Investigations (CPI), a contractor of Eskom, for their bravery that resulted in the arrest of one of the men.
“We have no doubt the other suspect will soon be brought to book,” he said. “We have his identity and we know where he lives.”
Helfrich wants to see criminals who wreak havoc with infrastructure through vandalism such as cable theft, face the full might of the law, particularly as a lesson to others wishing to do the same.
“If you are a cable thief working in our community, I want you to know that your days are numbered. You will soon find yourself behind bars,” he warned.
Macassar police confirmed a 27-year-old man has been arrested and made his first appearance at Somerset West Magistrates’ Court on Monday (7 November).
