The South African Police Service (SAPS) has arrested two suspects with four mobile tower batteries in their vehicle at Mangweni in Mpumalanga.
The suspects were nabbed on Tuesday at about 18h00.
In a statement issued today, SAPS says the Tonga police arrested two suspects, aged 31 and 34, after receiving information about suspicious activity at a mobile tower.
The arrests come as telcos in South Africa bear the brunt of a growing trend of theft and vandalism of mobile tower infrastructure.
MTN recently told ITWeb that it has had to replace and optimise power batteries at more than 3 000 sites in less than one year.
In the recent announcement of the group’s full-year results, Vodacom SA said it has spent over R4 billion on backup power solutions, such as batteries and generators, and a further R300 million in the past financial year on running costs for diesel, security and maintenance.
SAPS was able to arrest the suspects after a citizen approached the police on site to alert them of a white Nissan bakkie which was at the tower.
Police approached the vehicle, which sped off but was later abandoned by the two occupants, who took off on foot. Police cornered both of them and found four mobile tower batteries inside the vehicle.
The suspects were arrested and charged with possession of suspected stolen property and damage to essential infrastructure. A charge of contravention of the Immigration Act was added after it was discovered they did not have valid documentation that permits them to be in South Africa.
Lieutenant general Semakaleng Manamela, provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, applauded members of the police for their continuous commitment to the fight against crime, including those damaging essential infrastructure in the province.
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