Five cable thief suspects were arrested on the act by the Cambridge police cluster while digging up cables in a bush between Stoney Drift and Cambridge cemetery on Wednesday afternoon.
The group of males, aged between 25 and 56, were nabbed by the police K9 unit at a trench of about 2km cables which had been dug out.
According to Cambridge police spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi, the police confiscated a red Corsa bakkie which was used to load the cables.
“Cable theft and damages to the railway and powerline infrastructure are serious crimes with detrimental effects to our public transport system and electrical supply. For the past few weeks, SAPS and Buffalo City Metro have been  monitoring a group of cable thieves operating in and around Amalinda and Cambridge area in East London,” said Mbi. 
Police also recovered 79kg of copper cables and 154.15 kilograms of lead cables, three spades, one pick and an axe.
The suspects will appear before the East London magistrate’s court soon to face charges of tampering with essential infrastructure, possession of stolen property and bribery.
Cambridge station commander Brigadier Pumla Mdlankomo,  said: “This arrest is a clear indication that the SAPS is determined to root out criminal elements and ensuring that our communities are living a decent life, free of disruptions,” he said...