Energy crisis sees criminals hitting cellphone service providers hard

The sustained attack on cellphone towers for their backup batteries, diesel and cables by organised crime syndicates has reached crisis proportions, with top two service providers MTN and Vodacom losing upward of R600 million to the rampage in three years.

Since the dawn of the scourge in 2017, MTN alone has spent over R300 million repairing the vandalised towers and replacing the stolen batteries.

Vodacom is losing up to R130 million to cellphone network infrastructure damage and theft every year.

This spike in tower batteries theft has been linked to the growing demand of backup energy sources during power outages as well as load shedding.

The batteries can be used for multiple purposes such as running household appliances, charging electrical appliances and the lead is also sometimes stripped from the battery and sold as scrap metal to dealers.

Investigations show that most of the stolen batteries, which cost R28,000 each, were being smuggled across the border into neighbouring countries.

“These criminals are heavily equipped with heavy duty machinery and tools to force their way into the towers quickly and escape even before security can respond. It is a well-organised crime syndicate,” said MTN spokesperson Mthokozisi Ndlovu.

This situation has left many South Africans without access to network services either because of downtime caused by repeated maintenance and repairs or in the extreme case of repeatedly hit towers being terminated.

“This impacts on consumers’ access to emergency services, effective business operations and connecting with loved ones,” said Ndlovu.

The syndicate started operating in Gauteng, particularly in Johannesburg Metro, with the worst hit areas currently being Soweto, Tembisa, Vereeniging, Germiston, Ruimsig, Klerksdorp and Parktown.

Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy said their infrastructure was targeted countrywide, with the hardest hit areas in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga as well as KwaZulu-Natal.

He said cellular base stations were the only form of connectivity available to many communities, particularly in rural areas, and that when criminals target these to steal diesel, power cables and mainly batteries, they can cut off hundreds if not thousands of people.

Theft ‘rife and not ending’

Between January and December last year, over 2,000 incidents of battery theft were reported countrywide at MTN towers alone, MTN’s general manager: network operations, Paul Ernest, has said.

He said the high levels of theft of cellphone tower batteries was “worrying and not ending”.

According to Paul, as many as 13,450 batteries were stolen and that more than 700 batteries were stolen in January this year in 122 incidents.

He said despite additional security measures, towers were still under siege but said they have invested in technology and had hoped this will help reduce theft incidents and lead to arrests and confiscations.

“Equipment such as generators, air conditioners, security infrastructure and fencing is also being damaged and stolen. The theft of diesel and cables is also rife,” he said.

This week the police elite unit, the Hawks’ Port Shepstone Serious Organised Crime Investigation and K9 unit in KwaZulu-Natal, pounced on three suspects around the Hibberdene area and seized 48 cellphone tower batteries valued at R480,000.

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