Suspect arrested after alleged R4m Eskom substation damage in Limpopo

A 34-year-old man is expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court after allegedly being caught with suspected stolen Eskom property linked to an incident that caused about R4 million in damage to essential infrastructure.

The man was arrested by members of the Limpopo SAPS Flying Squad on Wednesday morning following information about a shooting incident at Rietkolk Gravel Road in the Westenburg policing area.

Police were alerted to the incident at about 05:30.

When officers arrived, they found the suspect with an environmental patrol member operating in the area.

According to police, the suspect was allegedly in possession of suspected stolen Eskom property and was driving a silver Suzuki believed to have been used in the commission of the offence.

Among the items recovered were a copper bar, copper wire and a transformer terminal.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects allegedly gained access to an Eskom substation, where they cut down a pole carrying a transformer.

They allegedly damaged the transformer while attempting to remove copper bars from it.

Four other suspects reportedly fled from the scene carrying bags containing copper of an undisclosed value.

Police said one gunshot was allegedly fired as the suspects escaped, although no injuries were reported.

An Eskom representative was called to the scene and positively identified the recovered items as belonging to the power utility.

The representative also confirmed that the material had been removed from the substation and transformers.

The damage to the infrastructure and suspected stolen property is estimated at approximately R4 million.

The four outstanding suspects are still being sought as the police investigation continues.

Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers warned criminals involved in the theft and vandalism of essential infrastructure that such crimes have serious consequences for communities and the economy.

He said police would continue working with relevant stakeholders to prevent and combat infrastructure-related crimes.

The arrested suspect is facing charges of possession of suspected stolen property and tampering with or damaging essential infrastructure.