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AfriForum says civil society may need to step in where government fails.
A man with alleged stolen copper cables around his neck in Mokgola village in Zeerust after his arrest. Picture: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Tiro Ramatlhatse
AfriForum has called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to enforce harsher sentences for copper cable theft as its scale is staggering.
AfriForum’s chief spokesperson for community safety Jacques Broodryk said theft has become a national epidemic, especially in high-risk areas such as the Cape provinces, where cellphone towers, fibre networks and batteries for cellphone networks are systematically looted.
This leaves entire communities without electricity, communication and access to emergency services.
AfriForum slams petty theft narrative
“It is completely unacceptable that criminals can steal kilometres of copper from Eskom, Transnet and telecommunications towers while the courts treat it like petty theft. This is not a petty crime. This is economic sabotage,” he said.
“The people who suffer the most are ordinary South Africans in places like Port Elizabeth, the Garden Route and the Karoo. These are the ones who are literally left in the dark.
“Eskom reports up to R7 billion in annual losses due to illegal connections and non-technical losses in Gauteng alone.
“Even Transnet has recorded over 3 500 incidents of cable theft in a single year. The total cost of cable theft is estimated to be R46.5 billion per year. This includes lost productivity, repairs and estimated service disruptions at hospitals, schools and households,” he added.
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Civilian protection units
Broodryk said AfriForum has already begun looking into training opportunities for specialised civilian teams to assist in safeguarding critical and essential infrastructure in areas, such as the Cape provinces, which are sometimes repeatedly hit without adequate response from government or law enforcement.
“If the government refuses to act, civil society must step in,” he said.
Ward 1 councillor Leon Kruyshaar said in the Suiderberg area in the west of Pretoria, a 11kW cable was dug out overnight.
“It was trenched out. You can see the people worked here during the night and stole this cable.
“This is the reason why there is no power in Mountainview and Suiderberg areas. They stole the cable during the night which caused a back flash to the substation.
“This trench may have taken a day or two to dig. It’s quite a bit of work, or there were several people busy trenching,” he said.
Water meter theft
Ward 98 councillor Dana Wannenburg was concerned about the daily theft of brass water meters. In some areas it was four or more daily.
“It is out of control and the City of Tshwane’s failure to act pushes communities to the brink of desperation,” he said.
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