The brazen acts of these Reiger Park cable thieves, who were caught on camera brazenly unearthing thick copper wires across the road from a police station, speak volumes about the prevalence of crime in South Africa.
Watch: Reiger Park cable thieves dig up copper in broad daylight
Footage of the daylight cable theft surfaced on social media on Thursday, where at least 10 men were filmed digging up metres of copper and casually walking off with bystanders doing nothing but watching in dismay.
In a statement quoted by IOL News, Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed that Reiger Park authorities were informed of “people who were digging and stealing copper in Reiger Park.”
By Masondo’s own admission, authorities in were, in all likelihood, aware of the cable thieves’ efforts to dig up the copper, a monumental feat that presumably took a while.
However, nowhere in the video did a police officer appear to curb the copper thieves’ efforts, despite the Reiger Park police station being situated right across the road from the active crime scene.
Alas, Masondo explained that “police from the local police station and Public Order Policing responded and on arrival at the scene, the group ran in different directions.
“Police found digging tools and some copper cables abandoned,” Lt-Col Masondo added.
At this juncture, it remains unclear if the robbers made off with any of the stolen copper. According to Masondo, a case of theft and tampering with essential infrastructure has been opened.
However, at this time, no arrests have been made.
Here is a look at the video clip of the brazen Reiger Park cable theft that’s since gone viral on social media:
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