Polokwane - Musina police have made a major breakthrough following the arrest of five people who were found stealing steel supports from railway lines.
Captain Sydney Ringane from the Musina police station said four Zimbabweans and a South African were arrested on Thursday as they were busy removing the steel near Campbell, outside Musina.
"Our crime intelligence and crime prevention units caught the suspects red-handed while they were busy removing the heavy steel at about 7am. We were tipped off by the community and we thank them for that," said Ringane.
He added that the suspects, who were between 22 and 40 years old, later revealed that they were selling the steel to a local scrap yard next to the show grounds in town.
"We've also arrested the scrap yard owner as the suspects have already given us all the information that proves they were supplying the stolen steel to him. We discovered some of the steel that he has bought from the suspects in the yard," said Ringane.
He estimated the value of the stolen steel in the scrap yard at R4 million. Ringane said the owner of the scrap yard had been refused permission to run his business in town when he applied last year, but it was later given.
"Officials from Transnet have told us that they visited the scrap yard and showed the owner samples of their steel that was being stolen and asked him not to buy it, but he obviously ignored them," he added.
The suspects were expected to appear in court on Friday on charges of theft and being in possession of stolen goods.
