SA’s economy is under siege. After a few years of little growth and the Covid-19 pandemic, a worsening scourge is rearing its ugly head — cable theft.
This scourge is costing the country’s metros billions of rand each year and is disrupting the delivery of basic services to communities.
In November 2022 the government imposed a temporary ban on the export of scrap and waste metal — a move intended to curb scrap and cable theft. Unfortunately, this has had little effect. Cable theft continues unabated across the country and the crisis is costing the economy an estimated R187bn a year.
The ban which trade, industry & competition minister Ebrahim Patel extended for another six months in June this year, is considered an urgent and necessary means to reduce prices and discourage syndicates from looting infrastructure.
In the trade policy directive dated June 15, Patel ordered the International Trade Administration Commission of SA (Itac) not to accept or process any applications for permits for the export of ferrous and nonferrous waste and scrap metal for six months.
The theft of cables, which is driven by growing global demand for copper scrap, contributes to prolonged power outages and leaves trains stranded as railway lines, electricity pylons and street lights are among the key infrastructure items targeted.
City of Johannesburg
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said cable theft and vandalism is a serious problem affecting the utility’s network across Johannesburg, with more incidents recorded in Reuven, Roodepoort, Lenasia, Hursthill, Randburg, the inner city and the Midrand areas.
City Power is part of the essential infrastructure task team that was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his state of the nation address in February. The team is focused on addressing the cable theft and vandalism crisis. It is also helping with intelligence, assisting the National Prosecuting Authority during investigations.
“A total of 11 suspects have been convicted with 85 years direct imprisonment and 103 cumulative imprisonments in the 2022/2023 financial year and the first month of the 2023/2024 financial year,” Mangena said.
From July 1, the start of the 2023/2024 financial year, City Power recorded 146 incidents of cable theft and vandalism, with 15 suspects arrested and three cable theft-related deaths recorded, he said.
In 2022/2023, the municipal power utility recorded 2,347 cable theft and vandalism incidents, 278 arrests and 11 related deaths. In 2021/2022, it recorded 2,175 incident of theft and vandalism, 1,899 incidents in 2020/2021, 1,639 in 2019/2020, and 1,865 in 2018/2019.
“The City Power security risk management team is constantly recording an increase in these crimes which continue to lead to significant financial losses for City Power and cause frequent power supply interruptions to our residents,” Mangena said.
“Recently, there were three outages affecting Randburg, Pimville Zone 9, and inner-city which were caused by cable theft and vandalism which also resulted in the discovery of three unknown bodies onsite.
“It is worth noting that, when a cable is cut during cable theft, equipment and infrastructure downstream also get damaged. City Power loses over R4bn across the City of Johannesburg from copper cable-theft and vandalism, as well as service cables every year. It spends millions of rand to repair and replace stolen cables and associated infrastructure crimes,” Mangena said.
“For instance, last year alone, the entity spent R188m on service cables. These are the service cables that we often recover during our illegal connections cut-off operations. The money lost could be spent on essential equipment and infrastructure such as mini substations, which cost in the region of R700,000 each.”
City Power, said Mangena, is not ruling out the possibility of a cable theft syndicate. “We suspect that they are well resourced with high firing power and use sophisticated tools and equipment to target high-value cables and network infrastructure across the city.
“In addition, there is that linkage with international syndicates and possibly scrap metal yards that receive and buy these stolen copper cables.” He said the criminal scourge operates at five levels: individual and syndicate operatives, an intermediate buyers’ market, processors and dealers, exporters, [and] international and transnational syndicates.
eThekwini metro
eThekwini metro spokesperson Gugu Sisilana says every component of the city’s electrical reticulated network that has a scrap metal value is targeted.
“Underground conductors, overhead conductors, street light poles, substations and transformers are all targeted for their ferrous and nonferrous properties and sold as scrap metal to scrap metal dealers. The network is not only under siege from the criminal syndicates, but is also being attacked by eThekwini employees and contractors to the municipality.”
Sisilana said materials were being stolen at such a rate that the manufacturers struggle to keep up with production of the cable conductors. Lack of materials result in delays in restoring service and that in turn leads to irate customers, service delivery protests etc.
“Vandalism and theft from the infrastructure delay projects and incur enormous monetary costs, monies that could instead be used for other projects, maintenance, and upgrades,” she said, adding about R120m was spent in 2022 to replace stolen cables across the metro.
Sisilana said the metro’s electricity unit includes a team of investigators. They plan, organise, manage, and co-ordinate investigations pertaining to the municipal electrical network and infrastructure.
There are also external contractors appointed to assist by conducting patrols in identified “hotspots” and carry out proactive and reactive crime prevention strategies, she said.
“The team works closely with members of the SA Police Service, the NPA, the asset forfeiture unit, community policing forums and neighbourhood watch groups, private security companies and other law enforcement agencies and have established confidential informer networks,” Sisilana said.
“They also work closely with the other stakeholders and parastatals, such as Eskom, Telkom, Prasa and Transnet, MTN and Vodacom who are all experiencing this criminal attack on their networks.”
City of Cape Town
Cape Town metro MMC for safety and security JP Smith says theft and vandalism of metal infrastructure is a long-standing issue in the city.
“Already in 2007, the city established a dedicated unit to address metal theft, also known as the Copperheads,” Smith said. “We also noted an increase in the extent of vandalism during the national lockdown, when a lot of infrastructure was left unattended, including pump stations, community halls and other critical infrastructure.
“Other entities too reported increased vandalism during this time. In addition, the theft of water meters, manhole covers and stormwater drain covers is an ongoing problem, as well as theft of electricity and other cables. The metal theft unit has also recorded marked increases in arrests and confiscations of stolen infrastructure.”
He said load-shedding, particularly the “very high stages” experienced over the past year, had also affected the rate of cable theft and vandalism. “Unfortunately, the criminals use the dark and the lack of electricity supply during these periods to their advantage.”
Smith said the city’s enforcement agencies, and the metal theft unit in particular, make arrests on an ongoing basis: “Unfortunately the city is not always apprised of the outcomes of these cases, since suspects and related evidence are handed over to SAPS for further investigation, and the courts for prosecution.”
Between January and June 2023, the unit arrested 101 suspects, up from 73 during the corresponding period in 2022, he said. During this time, they also confiscated 4,664kg of metal, compared to 1,837kg over the six-month period in 2022.
“Generally, cable theft can affect a host of services, including electricity, traffic lights, the rail service etc. However, it’s important to note that there are also other areas that are affected due to metal theft. Our metal theft unit has noted a major impact on water & sanitation infrastructure in particular.”
The Cape Town metro offers a reward of R5,000 for information leading to the arrest of persons vandalising and stealing infrastructure.
Mangaung metro
Mangaung metro spokesperson Qondile Khedama said the metro had not been “immune to the current pandemic of cable theft, which is affecting the whole country”.
The electricity entity Centlec has reported over 100 cases to police in the past three years of cable theft and vandalism to critical electrical infrastructure, Khedama said, adding the scourge has resulted in prolonged load-shedding and loss of revenue.
It also led to an increase in expenditure “as the stolen cables and vandalised equipment needs to be fixed and replaced at regular intervals ... the metro has spent upwards of R50m to replace stolen cables and vandalised electrical infrastructure over the past three years ... this figure does not include the revenue loss”.
He said Centlec is collaborating with various stakeholders such as SAPS, Telkom, Eskom, Vodacom, and Free State Development Corporation, where regular meetings are held to discuss cable theft and damage to critical electrical infrastructure.
Regular meetings are also held with the NPA and SAPS to discuss progress on cases that have been reported, Khedama said.
“Centlec security team regularly participates on special operations with SAPS were premises of dealers of scrap metal are visited on surprise inspections.”
Buffalo City
Buffalo City metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the Eastern Cape municipality is leading a campaign for the national government to “ban scrap metal dealers” as this was the source of trade for those stealing cables.
The metro is working with the police to fight cable theft and vandalism and “over the course of the past two years, some 21 suspects were arrested and have, or are due to, appear in court”.
Ngwenya said substation break-ins peaked in 2021/2022, spurring the metro to install security cameras and electric fences at some 81 substation sites.
“Our three main substations — Stafford, Progress and Chislehurst — have also been equipped with thermal imaging cameras ... and hidden cameras, which are also linked to breaches in the electric fence and whereby suspects can later be identified for prosecution,” he said.
“The metro is looking at advanced technology and at increasing security personnel in order to manage this crime.”
Ngwenya said criminals were also targeting traffic lights and the metro has had to avail “R3.4m from its internal funds to repair the lights”.
Two service providers have been appointed to fix traffic lights at critical intersections in the metro: “However, due to the surging levels of vandalism in the country, there is a national shortage of the required multi-core cables and controllers, since other municipalities are also experiencing these levels of theft and vandalism.”
City of Tshwane
City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said almost all of the capital city’s seven regions were affected by cable theft, “albeit differently in respect of the degree of the chaos or disruption of services. Some areas experience prolonged outages as teams are intimidated from going out to restore services.”
Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay metros did not respond to requests for comment. /With Michelle Gumede
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