Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has warned it is “under attack” by cable thieves after an alarming spike in incidents in the past week which is crippling the state-owned company’s business.
TFR, the largest operating division of state-owned logistics company Transnet, on Thursday said it has experienced a surge in cable theft and vandalism across the rail network which has had a severe impact on operations, resulting in significant delays in its train service.
“In just 14 days, TFR has experienced 152 cable theft incidents resulting in over 40km of cable lost. These incidents often appear to be well co-ordinated and planned to cause maximum disruption,” it said in a statement. “The theft and vandalism of our infrastructure is often carried out by large groupings of 20 to 25 people who are often armed and not hesitant to use force to commit these crimes.”
The recent surge in incidents comes on top of continued cable theft and operational issues on the rail network this year which have frustrated customers, especially miners attempting to export minerals and metals to take advantage of a commodity price boom. Transnet as a whole has had its challenges too, and in July suffered a cyberattack which led it to declare force majeure at its port terminals.
“This recent spike in incidents is quite alarming, the peak being six incidents within a 14-hour period in one of our corridors,” TFR said. Criminals are targeting overhead and signalling cables which are essential for the efficient running of our trains. The impact of these theft incidents has resulted in TFR having to suspend trains and causes delays in the delivery of goods.”
The rail operator said safety is also of significant concern as missing and damaged infrastructure can cause the system to become unstable and pose a danger to the driver of the train.
“TFR is simply under attack from brazen criminals seeking to undermine not only our business but our customers and our country at large,” said Sizakele Mzimela, TFR’s CEO. “While we are deploying all our resources to fighting this scourge, it is clear that we need a long-term, sustainable industry solution to this challenge.”
TFR said the incidents were crippling its business and hinder its ability to provide a service to customers. It urged anyone with information to report it to their nearest police station and encouraged people to report any suspicious activities to its tip-off hotline 0800 003 056 or to email transnet@tip-off.com.
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