Irate public beat copper wire thief to death
Justin McCabe HERALD REPORTER
A KWAZAKHELE copper wire thief met a brutal end when he was set upon by fed-up community members.
The incident took place at the corner of Nbelini and Qeqe streets at about 4.15am yesterday.
Police spokesman Andre Beegte said: “The thief was stealing copper wire from the top of a pole. He was spotted by community members. He was found to have a broken leg, which could mean that they shook the pole and he fell.”
The man was then beaten to death with pangas and metal poles.
“Community members are starting to get fed-up with copper piping and wire theft. It leaves them without water or electricity for days and days. We are stepping up our investigation of who is profiting from these thefts. We just ask that the residents stops killing these suspects, as they have vital information that could aid in our investigations,” said Beetge.
In a similar incident at the weekend, a Soweto-on-Sea man was attacked by community members after he was found stealing copper piping. Beetge said the man had been beaten badly, but had escaped with his life. His name and age are unknown.
The police have asked that anyone with information about the murder and theft of copper items should contact the Motherwell and Kwazakhele detective branches.
http://www.epherald.co.za/herald/news/n04_09042008.htm