The Sarah Baartman District Commissioner, Major General Thandiswa Kupiso, has praised the partnership between the community and police after a 27-year-old suspect was arrested for allegedly stealing municipal electrical cables worth more than R15,000 in Robert Sobukwe Town.
The suspect was caught following a joint response by community patrollers and police during an early morning crime prevention patrol.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of Thursday, 9 July 2026, when officers joined a community patrol group that spotted two individuals tampering with a municipal electrical service connection on Muller Street.
The suspects were allegedly removing electrical cables from a pole when they noticed the approaching patrol group and fled the scene on foot.
Community patrollers pursued the fleeing suspects and successfully apprehended one 27-year-old man before handing him over to police.
He now faces charges of tampering with, damaging or destroying essential infrastructure under Section 3 of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015, as well as attempted theft and malicious damage to property.
He is expected to appear in the Robert Sobukwe Town Magistrate’s Court soon.
Major General Kupiso said the arrest demonstrated the value of active citizenship and effective cooperation between communities and police.
She commended the community patrol group for their vigilance and swift action, saying their intervention prevented further damage to the local electrical grid and highlighted the importance of community-police partnerships.
