No Signal?
Blame the Battery Thieves!
Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – When your cellphone signal suddenly disappears, your data stops working or calls keep dropping, criminals targeting telecommunications infrastructure may be to blame…
Police arrested eight suspects after recovering suspected stolen cellphone tower batteries worth approximately R500,000 during a late-night operation in the Phokeng area on Thursday 4 June 2026.
According to SAPS spokesperson colonel Adéle Myburgh, intelligence indicated that suspects allegedly involved in the theft of cellphone tower batteries in the Zeerust area were transporting the stolen batteries towards Phokeng in a Toyota Quantum.
Acting on the information, members of the Phokeng K9 Unit and other law enforcement agencies launched a coordinated operation and strategically deployed along routes leading into the area. The Toyota Quantum was intercepted near Boshoek and searched. Inside, officers discovered four cellphone tower batteries concealed in the vehicle. The batteries, valued at approximately R500,000, are believed to have been stolen from telecommunications infrastructure.
Eight suspects, aged between 20 and 48, were arrested and charged with possession of suspected stolen property. The batteries and the Toyota Quantum allegedly used in the commission of the crime were seized.
The suspects appeared before the Tlhabane Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 8 June 2026.
The theft of tower batteries is far more than a property crime. These batteries provide critical backup power to cellphone towers during power outages and load-shedding. When they are stolen, towers can go offline, leaving communities without reliable cellphone coverage, internet access and emergency communication services.
