News

New software to curb the onslaught of cable theft

There’s a solution for the country's cable theft headache!

January 15, 2019

Sjani Campher 2 minutes read

Johan Ferguson shows the cable that he used to test his device.

With December’s load shedding episode still fresh in our memories, the thought of being plunged into darkness makes all of us nervous.

Power outages don’t just result in fridges defrosting but also leads to the standstill of businesses who lose thousands by the hour, and not just load shedding is to blame.

The theft of cables and transformers plays a large role in sudden and unannounced power outages.
It also costs the South African economy billions of rand on an annual basis, with the Gauteng Province suffering damages estimated at R500 million per annum, alone.

Also read: Cable thief handed three-year prison sentence

In a narrower scope, Middelburg itself suffers from cable theft that affects us in ways we are not even aware of.
Sports stadiums are losing floodlights and mining companies are forced to shut down more frequently than we’d care to admit.

However, while certain industries view cable theft as a losing battle, a new software designed to curb its onslaught, is on the rise.

Early in December, the Middelburg Observer held an exclusive interview with Johan Ferguson from Acu Tech.

We raced to meet him at the HTS sports grounds, where an incident of cable theft had occurred, minutes before our arrival.
Despite the fact that the hoodlums had made off with a stretch of cable, Johan was all smiles.

The local businessman wasn’t too perturbed by the crime committed because to him, it was a breakthrough.

Also read: ‘Copper thief’ caught at Optimum

Johan is the owner of a custom made device that was built specifically to pick up on the tampering of cables and other electrical components.
The software works with sensors that detect any form of tampering, and then sends an SMS notification to alert his company thereof.

The HTS sports grounds was his first test subject, where he set up one of his own cables as bait.
He then waited for the thieves to take it.

The software was programmed to not only send out a notification to Johan but also the groundskeeper at HTS. The groundskeeper incidentally happened to be in the shower at the time of the theft, and if it weren’t for that, the thieves might have been apprehended.

But Johan was excited to see that his device is working.

Also read: Still in hospital after burn wounds

He went on to explain that his objective is not to apprehend the thieves, but rather to alert his client of the theft.
If his device can effectively notify members of the security sector of any criminal activity, then they can respond in time.

He said that his device not only picks up on the tampering of cables but also lighting, transformers and the plastic piping used by mining companies, which frequently are the targets of crime.

He feels that his new software will not only prevent cable theft but also spare the loss of millions of rand.

Should anyone wish to contact Johan from Acu Tech, he can be reached at 060 906 4158.