Neil Davies (44) who is one of five suspects arrested for possession of suspected stolen copper cables was granted bail last Friday (24 October).
Davies, who works in the metal industry and previously was employed by Reclam Roodepoort was arrested along with four other suspects at a scrapyard in Robertville the previous weekend where he was found loading his BMW X5 with suspected stolen copper cables. It is alleged that the copper was stolen from Eskom power stations in Roodepoort and that theft possibly contributed to water shortages on the West Rand.
Davies, who spent nearly a week behind bars allegedly tried to bribe police officers with R30 000 to avoid arrest.
His four suspected accomplices were granted bail of R3 000 each on Thursday 23 October. Each face a charge of possession of stolen property.
Davies faces charges of possession of stolen property and bribery. His bail is set at R10 000 and he will appear in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court again on ???.
The scrap metal king
Dealing with scrap metal is in Davies’ blood, a recent City Press report stated. It was reported that Davies learnt the trade from his father, Lawrance who headed a scrap metal recycling business on the West Rand, which later was bought by Reclam.
Davies also qualified as an accountant in the 90s, according to affidavits from an earlier court battle between him and Reclam, a company by which he was employed previously City Press reported. He has a pending criminal case at the Hillbrow Magistrates’ Court related to the theft of more than R100 000 in cash from a Reclam branch.
The Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court heard that his love of the scrap metal industry started as a child and that he had wanted eventually to take over his father’s business.
Journalist Phillip de Wet in a Mail & Guardian report wrote, “Davies is not simply a scrap dealer caught on the wrong side of the law. In civil and criminal cases spread across years and multiple courts, he stands accused of being one of a handful of key individuals in the metals trade either guilty of fraud worth tens of millions of rands, theft that can be measured only in tonnes, and an array of dirty tricks that makes the accompanying paranoia seem pragmatic.”
Davies’ R12,5 house in Northern Joburg for sale
According to recent City Press reports, Davies’ house in Northern Johannesburg is up for sale.
The house, listed with Pam Golding Properties, is on the market for a whopping R12,5 million and is advertised as having been featured on television show Top Billing as well as in the Caxton magazine South African Garden & Home. The home in Oaklands is nestled in a lush garden of 1 362 square metres and boasts four bedrooms, four bathrooms and five reception rooms.
It was reported that the home is registered to his homemaker wife’s name.
If he’s found guilty, confiscate the lot – house, car, everything.