Local economy ravaged by copper thieves
Cable theft costs the South African economy billions each year and Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM) is no exception.
MBOMBELA – Exact figures could not be given by the spokesman for CMLM, Joseph Ngala. The reason being as the expense calculation to restore electricity supply interruption also include illegal connections.
According to the Ngala, it is usually a syndicate which operates within a specific town and as soon as the authorities’ mobilize to curb copper theft in the area, they move to another town.
During April 24, 2015 Mpumalanga News reported on copper thieves stealing copper cables from traffic lights, situated along Ferdinand Road.
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“As soon as we deployed the security guards to guard the traffic lights, the thieves moved to the Nkomazi district,” Ngala said.
He stated that it is a country wide problem and not at all unique to CMLM.
Cable theft is still prevalent in CMLM, as cables were stolen from the Kiaat Hospital a few weeks ago, which caused major power outages at the hospital.
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South Africa is in an energy crisis with Eskom’s debt spiralling out of control and fast approaching R500 billion and the criminal act of cable theft is contributing to the problem. This trend of stealing cables affects every citizen and robs the country of billions of rands each year.
According to South African Police Services, copper cables are mainly stolen from the mines, Transnet, Telkom, Eskom and municipalities. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimate that cable theft cost the economy between R5 billion and R7 billion per year.
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You might ask yourself, why do people steal copper cables?
Cable theft is thought to be done by people who see this as quick money, as copper is known on the black market as red gold, fetching as much R63 per kilogram. There are also syndicates who operate in conjunction with unscrupulous scrap yard dealers, who buy the copper at reduced prices from thieves and then proceed to sell it at a premium.
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The effect of cable theft has a big impact on crucial services like public transport, electricity, telephone and internet. It obviously affects Eskom’s ability to keep the lights on. When cables are stolen from the rail system, trains are delayed and cancelled because the infrastructure is badly damaged. Metrorail vandalism costs Metrorail approximately R70 million per year. Delayed and cancelled trains lead to lower productivity and job losses.
To safeguard against cable theft, Eskom has
- Replaced copper conductors with aluminium.
- Placed unique markers on all steel pylons that identifies them as belonging to Eskom.
- Replaced bolts on pylons with anti-theft bolts.
- Installed alarms on overhead lines.
Cable theft wreaks havoc on local economy and power supply.
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Recently a former Eskom employee, Ziphozonke Daniel Ntuli (33), was convicted on two counts of theft by the Middelburg Regional Court on July 18.
Ntuli was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for each count, and the sentence has been ordered to run concurrently, meaning he has to serve an effective 12 year prison sentence, as per the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Hawks, Capt Dineo Sekgotodi.
The law has also changed to be unforgiving on cable thieves. It imposes a maximum sentence of 30 years for those involved in instigating or causing damage to infrastructure, which can be compared to an act of terrorism.
