The police say they have made a major breakthrough in Allanridge, Free State, in bringing down an alleged copper cable theft syndicate.
They arrested six foreign nationals on Monday after receiving a tip-off about the alleged criminals’ whereabouts.
According to the police, the men were arrested through collaborative efforts between the police and the Eyes & Ears (E2) public-private crime-fighting initiative. The police received information at about 9pm Monday night that two vehicles travelling from Bothaville to Welkom were carrying stolen copper cables.
The vehicle was stopped and police found 560.85kg of alleged stolen electrical wires, valued at an estimated R100 000.
The men, aged between 26 and 48, were arrested and face charges related to the possession of suspected stolen property.
Preliminary investigations indicate the stolen copper cables belong to Transnet in the North West province. The men were expected to appear in the Odendaalrus Magistrate’s Court soon.
Operation Shanela II: Police crime prevention efforts in full swing
The arrests were part of the SAPS’ crime-fighting Operation Shanela. The policing intervention was launched in 2023 under former Police Minister Bheki Cele’s directive. It was relaunched at the start of 2025/2026 as Operation Shanela II.
The initiative has seen the arrest of several suspects across the country in recent years, with the deployment of police officers to identified crime hotspots.
