Latest news with #GautengOrganisedCrimeUnit
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Eyewitness News
Attorneys for 3 Tshwane employees accused of stealing R7m transformer ask for them to be held in police cells
JOHANNESBURG - The media has been granted access to cover the court case involving three Tshwane municipal workers. They were arrested on Tuesday by the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit. It's alleged that the trio stole a R7 million transformer from the Laudium substation. The suspects are all privately represented by three different attorneys. Despite their requests that journalists not be allowed to film proceedings, the court ruled in favour of the media. Before the matter could be postponed for a bail application, the legal representatives of the suspects then requested that their clients be kept at the Atteridgeville Police Station cells instead of being transferred to the Kgosi Mampuru Prison pending the outcome of their bail application. State prosecutor Katlego Manana said: "My colleagues know the procedure that we normally follow, in that we need to get permission from the station commander to keep prisoners at the Atteridgeville Police Station cells." The court has adjourned for a break to consider the latest application.
The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
Tshwane employees to appear in court for alleged infrastructure theft
Three employees from the City of Tshwane Municipality are expected to appear at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 2 July, in connection with the theft of a transformer worth R7 million. The suspects were arrested on Tuesday morning, 1 July following a probe by the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit. South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in Gauteng, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, stated that the latest arrest follows an ongoing investigation that began in November 2024, in which 11 suspects were initially arrested for stealing a transformer at Laudium substation worth approximately R7 million. The 10 suspects who were sub contractors were released after they could not be linked to the crime and one who is an employee of the municipality remained behind bars and has since made several court appearances and is currently remanded in custody until 8 August 2025. Nevhuhulwi said the three suspects arrested on Tuesday will be charged with theft of essential infrastructure and are expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 2 July. More arrests are expected as investigations continue. Meanwhile, the Tshwane District Commissioner, Major General Samuel Thine has commended the team for their ongoing efforts to deal with this crime. Thine further assured the public that the police will continue working hard in dismantling the syndicates that target essential infrastructure and related crimes as this has a detrimental impact on the economy of the country. In November 2024, The South African reported that the brazen attempted theft of transformers by an alleged cable theft syndicate was foiled by vigilant community members who noticed unusual activity at the substation. An employee from the City of Tshwane's Energy & Electricity Department and his associates arrived at the substation in a fleet of marked and unmarked trucks, with an assortment of equipment, including an expensive crane. The City of Tshwane said the alleged cable theft syndicate had already removed two MVA transformers from the plinth, with the other one already dismantled, awaiting to be loaded onto a flat-bed truck. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Three Tshwane municipal employees arrested for R7 million transformer theft
Three City of Tshwane municipal employees were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing a R7 million transformer from the Laudium electricity substation in Pretoria. Image: Supplied The SAPS in Gauteng arrested three City of Tshwane municipal employees on Tuesday morning for allegedly stealing a R7 million transformer from the Laudium electricity substation. The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation that started in November 2024, in which 11 suspects were initially arrested. Of those, 10 suspects were subcontractors and released due to a lack of evidence, while one municipal worker remains in custody and is scheduled for a court appearance on August 8, 2025. Tshwane District Commissioner Samuel Thine said an investigation by the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit resulted in the arrest of three employees. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The suspects will face charges of theft of essential infrastructure and are due to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. "We are making inroads because essential infrastructure theft, as we know, cripples the economy of the country. It also cripples the households, where we run into a shortage of electricity, where this infrastructure is supposed to be taken to the right places, they are transferred somewhere else, in terms of thefts," he said. Thine said transformer theft was not a new occurrence in the metro, adding that while this case involving a large sum was specific to Tshwane, smaller transformer thefts had been reported in other areas. He added that more arrests are expected as investigations continue. City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the SAPS had arrested three municipal workers in connection with the attempted theft and vandalism of transformers at the Claudius substation in Laudium, which occurred last year. He said the arrested individuals are reportedly employees linked to the incident, which severely compromised the city's power infrastructure and security. "The city welcomes this development and commends the SAPS for their swift and decisive action. Criminal acts such as theft and sabotage not only endanger public safety but also place unnecessary strain on municipal resources and disrupt essential services," Mashigo said. He said the arrests represent an important step towards ensuring accountability and deterrence. "Our residents deserve uninterrupted services and infrastructure that is secure from deliberate damage and sabotage. As the matter is now being handled within the justice, crime prevention, and security cluster, the city will refrain from further comment at this stage to avoid compromising ongoing investigations," he said.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Three Tshwane employees arrested in R7m transformer theft probe
A year-long investigation into the theft of a transformer worth R7 million from the Laudium substation has led to the arrest of three City of Tshwane employees as the Gauteng Organised Crime Unit tightens the net around a suspected infrastructure theft syndicate. Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a thorough investigation by Gauteng Organised Crime Unit has led to the arrest of three employees from the City of Tshwane Municipality. 'This arrest follows an ongoing investigation which started last year November, where 11 suspects were initially arrested for stealing a transformer at Laudium substation worth approximately R7 million. 'The 10 suspects who were subcontractors were released after they could not be linked to the crime, and one who is an employee of the municipality remained behind bars and has since made several court appearances and is currently remanded in custody until August 2025.' She said the three suspects arrested today, July 01, 2025, will be charged with theft of essential infrastructure and are expected to appear before Pretoria Magistrates' court tomorrow, July 02, 2025. More arrests are expected as investigations continue. Tshwane District Commissioner, Major General Samuel Thine, has commended the team for their ongoing efforts to deal with this crime. He further assured the public that the police will continue working hard in dismantling the syndicates that target essential infrastructure and related crimes, as this has a detrimental impact on the economy of the country. Also read: Here are the most dangerous suburbs in Pretoria Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
