Court clears alleged cable thief, denies damages claim against police

AN alleged cable thief, arrested by police, was cleared of charges on technical grounds but subsequently lost a damages claim against the South African Police Service (SAPS).

- ZELDA VENTER

A judge in the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, said while Ramathafeng Mphamo was acquitted, it did not detract from the reasonableness of the suspicion that had committed the crime.

Mphamo sought damages from the police ministry for what he claimed was an unlawful arrest. The court heard that on December 24, 2022, a private security officer received a report about two suspicious individuals near a trench dug along the roadside.

He was requested to go and investigate, and on his arrival, he found the plaintiff and another person - one was standing next to the trench while the other was in it. One was in possession of a hacksaw and they were clearly tampering with the underground cable, which had been partially exposed by the trench and had been cut on one side, the court was told.