{
  "id": 7155806,
  "title": "Cloned - ‘COVER-UP’ – City of Cape Town refutes Fadiel’s R60m cable theft claims",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/cloned-cover-up-city-of-cape-town-refutes-fadiels-r60m-cable-theft",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T19:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/capeargus/city-watch/2026-09-13-cloned-cover-up--city-of-cape-town-refutes-fadiels-r60m-cable-theft-claims/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The City of Cape Town has dismissed allegations by NCC leader Fadiel Adams that over R60 million worth of unwrapped electrical cable owned by the city was stolen and that the municipality attempted to conceal the incident. Adams made his claims during a Facebook live session on Tuesday, 8 September, pointing to the purchase of large quantities of cable from a Hanover Park depot, describing it as \"unauthorised, purchased and delivered\". He further alleged that the cable was subsequently stolen due to the city's failure to initiate any criminal proceedings. Adams questioned the absence of involvement by the city's specialized anti-copper theft unit, the Copperheads. However, a spokesperson for the City of Cape Town, Luthando Tyhalibongo, categorically rejected these accusations. He emphasized that the city does not have a depot in Hanover Park and the area is serviced by a regional depot. Tyhalibongo urged public officials to report such serious allegations through official channels and in collaboration with the South African Police Service for thorough investigation. He also pointed out that the city faces issues like vandalism, theft, and illegal connections, driven largely by the scrapyard trade. The spokesperson highlighted that Cape Town authorities are actively combating these issues through law enforcement operations, infrastructure strengthening, alternative technology, and raids on illegal scrapyards. The city's \"Protect Your Power\" campaign also encourages anonymous reporting of criminal activities. Adams, however, failed to present any evidence to back up his allegations.",
  "summary": "The City of Cape Town has rejected allegations by NCC leader Fadiel Adams that more than R60 million worth of electrical cable was stolen from a municipal facility and that the matter was covered up. Adams has not provided evidence publicly.",
  "key_points": [
    "City of Cape Town denies Fadiel Adams' R60m cable theft claims",
    "Adams made allegations on Facebook live session on 8 September",
    "City spokesperson urges official reporting of serious allegations"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}