The Citizen reports that three officials from the City of Tshwane municipality, believed to be part of a syndicate, have been arrested for stealing a transformer at a substation.

Police said the officials were handcuffed on Tuesday morning. The theft was of a large transformer worth an estimated R7 million, which has since been recovered, from the Laudium substation. Police spokesperson Major General Samuel Thine said the arrests followed an ongoing investigation that started last November, when 11 suspects were initially arrested for stealing a transformer. He indicated: “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 8 August 2025”. Thine said the suspects, all employed by the city’s electricity department, were caught following an internal investigation and tip-offs about missing equipment at the substation. He said one more suspect was expected to be arrested on Tuesday, which would bring the total to five suspects. “The impact relating to the stealing of essential infrastructure is crippling the economy of the country and crippling households in Tshwane,” Thine pointed out.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Faizel Patel at The Citizen

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