09 Jun 2022

Police in Maun have recorded an increase in the number of copper cable theft cases from both households and BPC power grid.

Responding to questions from residents of Thito East ward, during a kgotla meeting addressed by Maun East MP Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile, Inspector Motlhanka Serame of Maun police said they had made several arrests in connection to cable theft.

He stated that the crime involved disconnection of copper cables from the plumbing systems, leading to household owners waking up to pools of water in the morning.

Mr Serame said thieves cut the black power cables from the Botswana Power Corporation grid line that connect households to the transformers, adding that the spike was an indication that there was a market somewhere. He further stated that there were scrapyards with lawful permits, who committed other illegitimate dealings by buying stolen copper cables. Mr Serame said BPC incurred huge loses due to cable theft, adding that even BTC suffered interruption of signal and service due to the scourge.

Moreover, the officer said they had detected another form of theft, where thieves disconnected Water Utilities Corporation metres from households, looking for copper metal in them.

He noted that this was common in Thito, Botshabelo and Shashe wards. He said all these criminal activities were committed by locals who were informed about the security and household setup of their victims.

“Be our eyes and ears out there so that we can cut this chain by identifying where these power cables and water metres are sold,” he pleaded.

Thito East ward, VDC vice chairperson, Ms Kutlwano Oneilwe had decried the alarming rate at which copper cables were being stolen from households.

ENDS