This according to Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Andries Nel, who said that cable theft and theft of public infrastructure, including electricity, were often treated as petty crimes.
“Since the amendment of the Second Hand Goods Act, the number of arrests for cable and other non-ferrous metals theft has increased, but what we haven’t seen is a concomitant rise in convictions… and for us that is really the essence of the problem,” he said.
Nel said government had established a working group, consisting of the deputy ministers of co-operative governance, police, justice, State security and public enterprises – which was working very closely with law enforcement agencies – to deal with the issue.
A range of proposals were being considered regarding operations and policy, including looking at possible amendments to legislation, he said.
There was a proposal to amend the Precious Metals Act to include copper, which would assist police in prosecution and make it possible to impose heavier sentences, as well a proposal to make the theft of electricity a crime.
Further proposals included seeking to place the onus on someone who had a certain amount of copper or other metals in their possession to justify why. There were also efforts to find technical solutions such as marking cables to make them more easily identifiable.
In the past financial year, cable theft cost the City of Joburg R75 million, of which R35 million was labour and equipment to replace stolen infrastructure, and R40 million in revenue costs.
The City of Joburg’s MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Matshidiso Mfikoe welcomed the government’s action, saying cable theft should be regarded as a serious crime and perpetrators should be sentenced as such.
“We have worked with our bylaw enforcement agencies, JMPD and Saps, where people are arrested, but they don’t even spend a weekend in jail,” she said.
People did not understand the impact cable theft had on the provision of services and on the economy, she added.
Colonel Gerhard Pretorius, of the police’s task team on second hand goods and non-ferrous metals, said there were three categories of perpetrators – petty thieves, opportunistic thieves, those working in the industry such as contractors and construction workers, and organised thieves or syndicates.
“The main challenge the police service is currently facing lies in the type of perpetrator,” he said
“Our most common theft of copper cables are being conducted by opportunistic or petty thieves. It is very difficult to determine where they are going to strike next – we cannot plan for a person who tonight needs drugs and steals a copper cable.”
