The Giyani police arrested two suspects at the Giyani Bus Rank shortly before they could board a bus to Gauteng with scores of electric copper cables. The cables were apparently stolen from the Nsami Water Purification Plant and Surrounding Giyani and Malamulele areas.

Police spokesperson Thomas Makhubele said that they had successfully managed to bust the suspects after bus commuters alerted them to the fact that something was wrong. The commuters noticed that the suspects were carrying a lot of heavy bags. Makhubele said the suspects were two men, aged 25 and 39.

“It is a major breakthrough because, for the past three years, the problem of cable theft has escalated in our areas. We also believe that we are going to arrest more people, because it seems as if syndicates from Limpopo and Gauteng operate in this area,” said Makhubele.

Residents of Giyani were recently left without water for a week, after the water purification plant at the Nsami Dam, which supplies fresh water to many villages around Giyani and the townships, stopped operating because cables worth thousands of rand were stolen.

Greater Giyani spokesperson Room Mdaka said the breakthrough made by the police was a major success for the community of Giyani. “I would also like to encourage members of the communities to work closely with the police in order to fight any crime that is hampering service delivery in our areas” said Mdaka.

The suspects are expected to appear before the Giyani Magistrate’s Court soon.