A tip-off from concerned residents in Kensington led to the arrest of a 29-year-old copper boef on Tuesday morning.
Community members say they saw the man digging in the bushes along 18th Avenue and they went for a closer look.
“That man was pulling council cabling out of the ground. He was digging a trench right there. Our own poor people are making life difficult for us. These are the same people who break into our houses and steal our washing from the line,” said the woman angrily.
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana, says: “A 29-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday morning and is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for presumed stolen property.
“According to reports police received a complaint about a man who was digging copper cables at 18th Avenue. Upon their arrival on the scene, they found the suspect rolling copper cables.”