Locals noticed the two men walking to bushes with two empty bags on Monday afternoon and followed them, Constable Busi Mtshweni said.
"They hid between the trees next to the road and waited for the duo to return. When the men came back, their bags were full of cables worth about R10,000.
"The pair apparently failed to explain where they got the cables from, and the residents beat them with fists and stones."
Police raced to the scene to save them.
"They were arrested and rushed to Philadelphia Hospital in a serious condition."
The two, aged 29 and 30, were expected to appear in the Mdutjana Magistrate's Court on Wednesday on theft charges.
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