COPPER THEFT SUSPECT ASSAULTED BY MOB AT UMPHAKATSI, DIES

BHEKINKOSI – Copper theft has become a serious issue in communities, and this time, a suspect involved in a copper theft was reportedly assaulted and later died as a result of the attack by an angry mob at Bhekinkosi. Sabelo Shabangu was allegedly assaulted on Saturday, after being suspected of being one of three men involved in stealing copper cables in the area. He was brought to the Bhekinkosi Royal Kraal (umphakatsi), where he was severely beaten and later succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at a hospital.
Following the theft of the copper cables, 11 households were affected, including a salon, supermarket and bottle store in the area, disrupting small businesses and the livelihoods of community members who relied on these establishments.

Recurring

Copper theft has become a recurring issue in Bhekinkosi, with thieves frequently vandalising cables and reportedly selling them to scrap yards. The problem of copper theft is widespread in Eswatini, resulting in substantial financial losses for corporations such as the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications (EPTC), and Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC), which collectively lose millions of Emalangeni annually replacing stolen materials. It has been reported that copper theft is undermining the reliability of these corporations.

Narrating the events leading up to the incident, Inkhosikati LaMdluli, from the Bhekinkosi Royal Kraal, confirmed that a resident of Bhekinkosi had been assaulted, resulting in his death and that the royal kraal was fully aware of the incident. She recalled that her son had attended a vigil at a nearby homestead. Upon returning home, her son inquired about the power outage at the bottle store, which was owned by the royal kraal. He mentioned seeing people near the bottle store and approached it, where he observed some individuals leaving.
After discovering that cables had been vandalised and stolen, he warned his mother. She then realised that cables had also been stolen from the supermarket and salon and subsequently  alerted her husband, informed the shop owner and contacted the police. She further explained that the homestead where the vigil had taken place had also been affected, as thieves had stolen cables from two houses. The inkhosikati mentioned that two funeral services were taking place in the area at the time and the community police, along with those attending the funerals, had been notified.

Tracks

“A certain man pointed out that smoke had been seen near a dam adjacent to the burial site. The community police promptly followed the tracks and apprehended a man, whom they brought to the royal kraal,” she said. LaMdluli explained that the crowd began questioning the man, who consistently changed his story about his whereabouts. He was then reportedly identified by a local resident who recognised him. The suspect was questioned about his accomplices and according to the Inkhosikati, he described the features of the deceased, who was later identified through a photo on one of the resident’s phones. According to LaMdluli, the suspect was brought to the royal kraal and interrogated by the mob, during which he allegedly confessed to being part of the group responsible for the theft. She stated that the enraged mob assaulted him until the police arrived and transported him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

“It is disheartening that our bottle store operations have been halted due to the electricity outage caused by the copper theft. A total of 11 households have been affected, including the supermarket, where meat is no longer available due to the non-functioning refrigerator,” she said. She also mentioned that in 2020, copper cables had been stolen from various households in the area. At that time, she revealed that suspects had been traced to scrap yards, where they had allegedly sold the stolen copper.

Suspected

She suspected that the copper thefts were primarily being carried out by individuals from the area, who had previously been warned against such activities. Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni, the Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, confirmed that the deceased, who was among the suspects in the copper theft, had been assaulted by a mob at Bhekinkosi on Saturday. Mnguni stated that the deceased was indeed one of the suspects being investigated by the police in connection with the theft. She added that six people had been arrested in connection with the death and investigations were ongoing. Meanwhile, attempts to contact the deceased’s family were unsuccessful. A visit to his homestead at Bhekinkosi revealed that no one was present and a relative’s phone number was unavailable at the time of this report’s compilation.

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