Cable thieves electrocuted in Johannesburg

The community of Moffat View‚ Johannesburg‚ was unaware on Wednesday that the reason for a power outage in the area was the electrocution of alleged cable thieves and not the weather.

Thinking that a heavy storm the evening before had caused the electricity to trip‚ community members failed to log the complaint with authorities until the next morning.

It was only once the local neighbourhood watch‚ SS Crime Alert‚ went in search of the fault that the true cause came to light.

The power outage was caused by a pair of alleged would-be cable thieves digging for copper in the early hours of the morning.

A man was found dead in the trench he had been digging and his colleague beside him was critically injured with severe burns.

SS Crime Alert said that the community had been affected by cable theft in the past.

"We knew to look in this spot [the area where the deceased was found] because they hit the very same place three times in December‚" a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the cable had been buried to keep the copper from being stolen.

"We deal with this on a daily basis. Now a man has been killed and another one is in hospital."

The severely injured alleged thief was taken to South Rand Hospital.

A bystander who asked not to be named described the gruesome scene: "This guy just sat in agony on the pavement – his whole body burnt – even on his head. His white skin was all black and pulled together in clumps‚ leaving pink flesh behind.

"Yoh‚ but I actually feel bad for this one [the injured man]. He looked in so much pain. His friend was just dead."

Local authorities were investigating.