Badly burnt suspected cable thief rescued by BCM workers

An alleged cable thief was almost killed trying to steal valuable copper cables from a BCM power substation in East London on Tuesday.

Residents said the man had deep burns on his hands, legs, buttocks and stomach. Some wondered whether he would survive.

They reported seeing him clutching the cables, unable to pull his hands away until BCM workers turned off the power.

Residents were scared to speak freely to DispatchLIVE about the incident, as they were concerned that those involved in cable theft would come after them for “snitching”, but they agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

They said the substation in Ajax Crescent in Cambridge was a hotspot for izinyoka who make a killing by selling large amounts of copper to scrapyards.

When DispatchLIVE arrived at the substation situated behind a few businesses, three BCM employees were welding the doors together, sealing them off.

It looked as if there had been an explosion inside, as the walls were burnt black. 

A resident said: “He was inside a trench full of water inside the station when I got there. His hands were still on the wires and they had third-degree burns. He was also burnt on the legs, stomach and buttocks.”

He said it was a regular occurrence for people to steal power cables in the area.

 “They make money hand over fist.”

“It’s very lucrative and many drug addicts have now seen that they can get a lot of easy money through this.

“Last year, it happened a lot of times, but now a Red Alert K9 unit guards the area.

“So it’s hard for thieves to operate there now, but they still find chances to break into that station.”

A woman who lives near the substation said she saw the same alleged thief, stealing copper cables on Monday.

“But on Tuesday he was unlucky because the power was on and the trench inside substation was filled with water, and that’s why he got the shock of his life.”

She said the man could not let go of the live cables. He was saved by BCM workers who switched off the station’s power supply.

“On Monday, the same guy was there and he stole a few cables. Now he went again today and when he touched those wires it was raining.

“Now we don’t have electricity because BCM had to switch off the power to get him out, and to fix the station.”

Another resident said the man had a hole in his stomach and his buttocks.

“When the ambulance got here he was still alive, but he had holes in his body and I don’t think he will survive from the burns,” he said.

An electrician who works for a private company in Cambridge said vandalism and theft had subsided, but it was flaring up again as the festive season approached.

“People want money and they know to target substations. In this particular station there are 500mm thick cables which have four wires inside and they are worth a lot of money.

“One metre of this cable can easily get you R3,000 or more, and people know this.” 

Questions were sent to BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya, and provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana but at the time of print deadline they had not responded.

DispatchLIVE