CAPE TOWN - Four suspects are expected to appear in court soon after they were found in possession of Metrorail infrastructure on Thursday.
According to the acting spokesperson for Metrorail, Nana Zenani, members of the Goodwood community came to the aid of Metrorail Security and successfully apprehended one of the suspects.
She said just before 11am, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) Security Personnel were driving along the N1 highway from Bellville to Cape Town opposite Monte Vista when they noticed a suspect pulling electrical cables next to an informal settlement.
Zenani said this caused the security team to stop on the side of the road and approach the suspect who dumped the cable in an attempt to get rid of the evidence and ran away, crossing over the N1 highway.
The team decided to investigate the scene where the suspect fled and found four more suspects in the act, busy digging and pulling Metrorail cables from the ground.
Three of the four suspects were apprehended and found with five metres of cables and digging tools. One suspect managed to escape.
Zenani said while the security team were awaiting back-up, they received word that members of the Goodwood neighbourhood watch and Byers Security (a private company) had managed to apprehend the suspect who managed to flee.
The neighbourhood watch members took the suspect to the Goodwood police station, where the security team also took the three other accomplices.
“Metrorail manages passenger rail on behalf of the people of the Western Cape. They pay for and own the service through their hard-earned taxes, and therefore, we must, as Metrorail, deliver a quality service. Our efforts, however, are being destroyed daily by the senseless attack, not only on our electrical lines and infrastructure, but all users of high voltage electricity such as Transnet and the City of Cape Town,” Richard Walker, Regional Manager for Metrorail said.
He said although the joint arrests were not planned, it worked perfectly.
“The criminals learnt a big lesson that Prasa Security, Railway Police, Private Security and most especially, our neighbourhood watch groups and communities will not allow the senseless destruction and criminality against rail infrastructure. That the rule of law and order will prevail,” Walker said.
The suspects face charges under the Criminal Amendments Act 18/2015 for tampering, damaging, and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
Metrorail has urged residents to call in any criminality or vandalism on 080 021 0081.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL