The body of a 28-year-old unidentified man was found in a garden in Bonteheuwel after he had apparently shocked to death while stealing cables on Monday.
Police were called to the scene inside a property in Bracken Road just before 7pm where the body was found.
None of the residents at the scene could identify the man, believed to be from Kriefgat.
A resident at the scene, Trevor Pretorious, 42, said the man had been stealing cables.
“We heard he had been on the train tracks removing cables and he had shocked there. His body was then carried off the tracks and dumped here. The guy was burnt from the shock. It was after 6pm or just before 7pm on Monday,” Pretorius said.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut, confirmed the man was found shocked to death.
“This office can confirm that a 28-year-old man shocked and succumbed to death in Bracken Street, Bonteheuwel on Monday around 6.30pm. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” Traut said.
Bonteheuwel ward councillor, Angus Mckenzie, says: “The theft of railway cables is a completely and utterly disgusting thing to do. It has the ability to completely collapse our economy and take away job opportunities from our people.
“When a criminal is caught and prosecuted we are always happy, but in this situation we are sad that someone has lost his life. However, it is the risk that people take when they attempt to steal railway cables and take jobs away from our people. It is very sad.”