Police arrested two men and a minor last weekend after stopping them with two donkey carts loaded with scrap metal that reportedly belongs to the municipality and is worth around R20 000.
Police arrested two men and a minor last weekend after stopping them with two donkey carts loaded with scrap metal that reportedly belongs to the municipality and is worth around R20 000.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the two men, aged 18 and 28, and the 14-year-old boy were arrested on Sunday evening for being in possession of suspected stolen property.
"The suspects were on their donkey carts loaded with metal pipes riding on Beaufort Street, travelling towards the township, when they were spotted and stopped by police officers on patrol," Govender said.
While the officers were busy questioning the three on the donkey carts, she said a Makana municipal official arrived on the scene and identified the property as belonging to the municipality.
Govender said the pipes were allegedly stolen from municipal property in the industrial area and are worth approximately R20 000.
She said the suspects will appear in the local magistrate's court soon.
Theft of metal is a persistent problem throughout Grahamstown, where people's houses are often broken into for their metal piping. The problem has spread to such an extent that many people now install plastic piping to avoid having it stolen.
