Means business
“We are not making empty threats, we will arrest scrap metal dealers who buy stolen copper and we will close their businesses!”
The words of lieutenant-colonel Leonard Hlati, the Chairman of the Mpumalanga Non-Ferrous Metal Crime Combatting Committee.
The committee held a meeting at the Springbok Village on Friday where the issue of individuals and syndicates involved in copper theft, as well as the scrap metal dealers who do not adhere to the law, were discussed. This committee consist of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, the mining industry, government entities, communication network companies, the security industry, Business Against Crime and other related businesses.
The most critical issue on the lips of the committee members were the involvement of some scrap metal dealers who are part of the problem.
Scrap metal dealers are legislated by law in terms of the Second Hand Goods. This Act is intended to regulate the manner in which dealers and pawnbrokers conduct their business, thus promoting ethical standard in the industry with the view of reducing all property crimes.
“There are, though, unscrupulous dealers who connive with criminals and try to bridge the contents of the Act thus committing crime. Such conduct is disturbing, hence the scrap metal dealers are expected to comply with the law as promulgated!” Lt.col Hlati stated.
He said that in the Middelburg Cluster (Middelburg, Mhluzi, Hendrina, Blinkpan) there were a lost of over a million rand due to copper thefts in the area.
Besides syndicates and scrap metal dealers, there are even some security personnel who are part of the problem, “but we must also say that others arrested their own colleagues when they caught them.”
Lt.col Hlati was happy to report that the work of the committee has shown a tremendous success and that Mpumalanga has shown a decrease in copper thefts.
According to him the police arrested suspects, as well as scrap metal dealers who were receiving the stolen copper.
