The King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality’s Law Enforcement officials have, in the early hours of Saturday, 13 September 2025, successfully apprehended six suspects involved in the vandalism of municipal electricity infrastructure. This operation was initiated following crucial information received from anonymous tip-offs from the members of the public, officers executed a series of linked interventions across Mthatha.
The operation led officials to the Soweto informal settlement behind Mthatha Plaza, where two suspects were found in possession of copper electricity infrastructure material. These individuals were identified as being responsible for the burning of mini-substations and kiosks within the KSD area.
Further investigations led to the arrest of a foreign national buyer in the Vulindlela Industrial area, who was also found in possession of similar materials. Subsequent leads resulted in additional arrests in Bhongweni and Payne locations, where more copper material was recovered.
The Executive Mayor Cllr. Nyaniso Nelani applauded KSD public safety officials and said, “The successful apprehension of these suspects is a testament to the dedication and vigilance of our law enforcement officials and the invaluable cooperation of our essential services but also poses a significant safety risk to our residents. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that such criminal activities are eradicated, and we urge the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.”
This marks the third significant breakthrough by our law enforcement officials in apprehending multiple suspects since November last year. This is when seven suspects were arrested and again on 22 August 2025, when another three foreign national suspects were detained.
These continuous operations underscore KSD Municipality’s commitment to eradicate the scourge of electricity infrastructure vandalism and reduce electricity outages.
The suspects have been taken to various police stations in Mthatha, where cases have been opened for possession and vandalism of electrical infrastructure.