Two men in court over theft of railway cable valued at R50 000

TWO men appeared in the Durban Regional Court yesterday on charges of cable theft amounting to R50 000 and causing damage to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA’S infrastructure.

Siphamandla Mthembu, 27, and Malusi Ngcobo, 33, are alleged to have stolen cable straps worth about R50 000.

It is alleged that on March 23, Mthembu and Ngcobo along with three other suspects cut the cable at Kenville railway station.

When allegedly spotted by security guards, the other three managed to run away, while Mthembu and Ngcobo were apprehended.

Two cutters, one red and one green, and a 10m cable were allegedly recovered by the security guards at the scene.

Both accused pleaded not guilty, stating that all the allegations were untrue. Testifying, one of the guards who was on duty at the time, Nkosinathi Bongani Fakude, said all the suspects fled when they saw them approaching.

Fakude claimed he managed to catch Mthembu, and pointed him out in court, while his partner allegedly caught Ngcobo.

“It was around 19:40pm when I noticed the train cable moving at the platform. My partner Mr Gcabashe and I proceeded to investigate and find out what was happening.

“We then saw two people at the top of a steel pole cutting the cable. As we got closer we then realised that there were three other people on the ground busy cutting the cable falling from the top to smaller pieces,” said Fakude.

He said both apprehended suspects were put inside the company vehicle and were delivered to Greenwood Park police station.

According to Mthembu’s affidavit, he was coming from a bank in Tongaat where he went to withdraw money.

He stated that he was crossing the railway line when he heard people shouting at him to lie down, and he was allegedly beaten.

Meanwhile, Ngcobo stated that he was just walking around the area with his friend when they realised that they were being chased.

He further stated that he was taken, while his friend fled.

Both accused are alleged to have been assaulted by the security guards prior to being delivered to the police station. The matter was postponed to today after the prosecutor stated that a second witness was unreachable yesterday.