Harsher sentence for copper thieves
“This is my food. I have also been in possession of stolen cables before and have sold them"
POLOKWANE – Those who make a living by selling of copper wire in the city say they are undeterred by a new law that will see them face a minimum of three years in jail if found in possession of the metal.
The men spoke to Review in Chroom and Staal Streets in Ladanna, where smoke as a result from copper wires being burnt is a daily sight.
One of the men, Simon Rabothata, said he has been making a living selling copper for the past two years.
“This is my food. I have also been in possession of stolen cables before and have sold them,” he said.
One reason he wasn’t afraid of being persecuted, he says, is because “there are so many people involved in the theft of copper and the selling thereof”.
Under the new law, suspected copper thieves will not be granted bail as easily as in the past nor be released after paying smaller fines.
The Criminal Matters Amendment Act came into effect in May, paving the way for harsher sentences and bail conditions for those who damage the infrastructure of services such as transport, power, water and communications.
The law creates a new offense: damaging infrastructure that disrupts the provision of essential services, whether publicly or privately owned. The new law makes specific reference to copper theft but also makes provision for people to be charged with tampering with basic service infrastructure.
Before the new law, cable theft was tried as malicious damage to property and only had minor penalties.
The new law brings a minimum sentence of three years for first-time offenders and a maximum of 30 years for those involved in instigating or causing damage to infrastructure.
Scrapyard employees linked to organising thieves to steal copper can also be charged.
