Govt intensifies war on cable theft

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Pretoria - Government is intensifying the war on cable theft through the training of designated second-hand goods police officers, says Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

"The ... training of designated second-hand goods police officers that is currently underway ... will ensure that police not only arrest those who break the law, but equally secure harsher convictions in court," said the minister, in a response to a Parliamentary question on how the police are dealing with cases of cable theft and whether any arrests are being made.

A Non-Ferrous Metal Committee has also been established at a national level involving both business and other government departments.

Mthethwa said cable theft should be viewed as a serious crime which has potential to negatively impact the country's economic growth. "We cannot allow that, hence our declaration of war on izinyoka (cable thieves)."

The minister said the incidents reported often involved thefts from Spoornet of metres of cabling, theft of municipal metres and cabling, theft of cables and transformers from Eskom as well as cases of theft of wire from private farms.

Mthethwa said these cases were difficult to address unless the suspect was caught in the act or there were witnesses.

"However, there is now a closer scrutiny of second hand metal dealers and intensified investigations by our detective division and where applicable, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations otherwise known as the Hawks," he said.

Amongst the measures currently being implemented by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to address cable theft, include crime prevention patrols by visible police and engagements with role-players through formal localised structures.

In May this year, the Second-Hand Goods Act, 2009 (Act No 6 of 2009) came into effect. The Act stipulates that any person who buys a stolen good, including cables is as guilty as the person who stole the goods.

If an unscrupulous dealer is found guilty, a court may impose a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

The review of the Act was informed by a lot of challenges, dynamics and the growth of the industry which became vulnerable and a major property crime generator.

The Act also makes specific provisions for the accreditation aspect of the industry dealers, associations and equally the compliance monitoring as well.

Cable theft in South Africa is rampant, with an estimated of R5 billion per annum lost due to the theft.

The stolen metals range from copper cables, piping, bolts to manhole covers. The theft continuously disrupts and degrades services, such as rail transport system, the power supply provided by Eskom and the telecommunication services by Telkom SA, amongst others. - SAnews.gov.za