A fact that the criminals know all too well. Because South Africa uses load shedding, or rolling blackouts, to manage electricity supply and demand - and the schedules for these planned outages are made public - thieves time their robberies down to the minute. Eskom’s senior manager for maintenance and operations in Gauteng, Motlhabane Ramashi, said copper cable theft cost the power utility between R5 billion and R7 billion a year. Annual train trips fell threefold, from about 634 million in 2010 to 208 million at the end of 2019, mainly down to the increasingly unreliable train service. South Africa had minimal reserves of copper, yet as much as 3000 tons of copper left Cape Town harbour every month. When South Africa shut large parts of its economy and transport network during its COVID-19 lockdown, organised, sometimes armed, gangs moved in to its crumbling stations to steal the valuable copper from the lines. There are five primary objectives in this research: 1. People pull a cable at the vandalised train station in … From power cuts to network downtime, cable theft knocks out traffic lights, delays trains, plunges whole neighbourhoods into darkness, and cuts off critical communications. It's Wednesday night in Amanzimtoti on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and two members of the private security firm hired by Telkom, a major telecoms provider, head out to investigate an alarm that’s been triggered. South Africa is experiencing almost 200 instances of cable theft per day. This is a GSM-based, battery powered Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) that monitors to see whether the cable circuit is open or closed, unlike other alarm systems that simply look for the presence or absence of power. According to the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SACCI) copper theft barometer, copper theft costs South Africa’s economy between R5 billion ($415 million) and R7 billion ($581 million) a year and replacing stolen copper cables alone costs Eskom in the region of R2 billion ($166 million) a year. The theft continuously disrupts and degrades services, such as the power supply provided by Eskom and the telecommunication services by Telkom. The thefts have already had a direct impact on businesses at Orlando station. It mostly involves the theft of copper cable from mines, pipelines, railways, telecoms and electrical utilities. Replacing stolen copper cables, alone, costs Eskom in the region of R2 billion ($166 million) a year. RELATED STORIES . Two decades on, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that cable theft costs the economy between R5-7 billion a year. Copper theft cripples South Africa's railways, leaving commuters waiting By Mfuneko Toyana and Siyabonga Sishi 11/13/2020 A Delta passenger who jumped out of … However, for many sites these measures are prohibitive. “The kingpins, they’re the ones doing it for profit. International India. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Copper cable theft The parastatal explains that “the arrests took place after a member of Eskom’s investigation team noticed a disturbance at a nearby farm fence and decided to keep an eye on the scene. Trains in Cape Town have only resumed limited operations. Had the thieves managed to get away with the cable, they would have melted down the cable to remove the plastic insulation and sold it to a scrapyard for around 900 Rand, or about $50. It’s not the man on the streets making the big money,” he said. Police estimate cable theft costs the economy 5 billion rand ($320 million) a year. Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana and Siyabonga Sishi; editing by MacDonlad Dzirutwe and Andrew Heavens. Business Against Crime estimates that copper cable theft is costing South Africa over R5 billion a year, with the damage done amounting to … In another incident, on Monday, the metro police's newly launched integrated intelligent operation centre (IIOC) arrested five suspects for cable theft. There were only 274,000 passenger rail journeys in July, down from 5.5 million trips in March, according to Statistics South Africa. November 14 2020 12:20 AM. State-owned railway operator, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, did not respond to requests for comment. This after three people were due in the dock on Monday morning after they were caught with more than R2.6 million worth of copper stolen from South Africa’s railway lines. Richard Chelin, an organised crime researcher at the Institute For Security Studies SA, said syndicates eyeing higher copper prices were driving the cable theft surge. The agency did confirm the surge in cable theft during lockdown in a report to parliament in October. When South Africa shut large parts of its economy and transport network during its COVID-19 lockdown, organised, sometimes armed, gangs moved in to its crumbling stations to steal the valuable copper from the lines. Copper Theft (2001) - In South Africa, thieves are stealing large amounts of cable from companies such as Telecom. There needs to be a wider effort across industry, law enforcement and government to eliminate the problem. 2. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Now, more than two months after that lockdown ended, the commuter rail system, relied on by millions of commuters, is barely operational. SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - Hloni Doporo stands on a platform in Soweto's Orlando Station, waiting for a train that may never come because … For most companies it means investing in security; physical fences and barriers, and visible patrols and guards. On arrival, they discover that one of the cables in the cabinet is cut and telephone handsets are strewn on the grass. … The criminals on the ground are a small part of a much wider problem that requires enforcement across the scrap-metal supply chain. This story, which was broadcast in a special assignment by the SABC TV network in late October 2001, highlights just how prevalent and damaging cable theft is. The South African power utility has disclosed that two suspects were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal last week on charges related to copper cable theft. According to the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s copper theft barometer, copper theft costs the economy between R5 billion ($415 million) and R7 billion ($581 million) a year. Data was collected from literature sources as well as from security professionals combating copper theft. In mining areas, the sparse security means that thieves can drive a truck right up to the electrical substation or control panel, cut the cable and attach it to the vehicle’s tow-bar and rip the cable right out of the ground. So, what measures have companies used to tackle the problem? All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Metal theft in South Africa is rampant, with an estimated R 5 billion per annum lost due to the theft. Omniflex understood this problem better than most and recently developed the Silent Sentry. To explore and to describe the extent and the impact of copper cable theft. The result is an instant loss of power to the mine’s operations, killing everything from pumps and ventilation fans to lighting and conveyors. Appellants 1, 2 and 4 were sentenced to 5 (five) years imprisonment and the third appellant to 6 (six) years imprisonment. This is an acceleration of a decade-long trend. SOWETO, South Africa (Reuters) - Hloni Doporo stands on a platform in Soweto’s Orlando Station, waiting for a train that may never come because thieves have stripped away most of the power cables. The typical alarms used in these situations register the power cut as a false-positive, meaning that the mine owner doesn’t realise the cable has been stolen until much later. The estimated loss due to copper theft is approximately R5 billion per year with eThekwini Electricity contributing R60 million to that loss. According to South African Police Services, copper cables are mainly stolen from the mines, Transnet, Telkom, Eskom and municipalities. It seems criminals have broken into the panel and cut the wire to make illegal international telephone calls as part of an elaborate scam. Cable theft is a major problem in South Africa – with a huge impact on the overall economy. Steve Harris, the secretary general of the United National Transport Union (UNTU), says it is more. State-owned railway operator, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, did not respond to requests for comment. However, this only treats the symptom, not the cause. The disruption of Africa’s longest railway system threatens a vital piece of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “Marshall Plan” to revive growth through reliable infrastructure. In the mining sector, for example, sites can span large geographic areas over dozens of square kilometres or more, and the cost of installing fencing and employing patrols and CCTV operators can quickly rack up. However, the problem with these systems is that they fail to distinguish between a genuine power outage and a criminal who has cut the wire. State-owned railway operator, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, did not respond to requests for comment. For the company who has been a victim of this theft, it will cost ten times that to replace the cable and repair the critical infrastructure. These are electrical devices that alert the mine owner when the power goes out - a potential sign that the cable has been cut. Laingsburg police recover copper cables worth R100 000 Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Laingsburg also arrested six suspects for cable theft … In the pitch black, they use torches to explore the bushes off the main road, and a few minutes into the search, a security guard finds the problem - 500 metres of copper wire has been ripped out. This means that in the event of a power outage, the Silent Sentry detects whether a cable has been cut, continues to run on battery power, and sends SMS alerts to the owner. Despite this, Ian Loudon, International Sales and Marketing Manager at Omniflex, explains how advances in remote monitoring are giving businesses a fighting chance. “The government has allowed this to happen,” Doporo, 25 says, staring across the empty platform at cables dangling from pylons outside. A full range of other products like, Braids, Braided and Laminated Flexibles, Copper and Aluminium Strands, small & large, are produced to customer design and specifications. Cable theft has plagued South African industry for decades, and is an issue that requires much more than technology to solve. “We’re lucky to be open ... but it’s dangerous. 320 days ago “We’ve never seen the rail system in this state. South Africa is facing a major problem with copper theft and has a negative impact on all citizens. Even today, they’re digging up cable,” says Motsai. An additional period of imprisonment of 2 (two) years was imposed and suspended for 5 (five) years on certain conditions. Charity Motsai, 49, says the drop-off in customers almost drove her “spaza” shop, that sells crisps, cigarettes and household goods, into the ground. It weighed 750kg in total and has a scrap value of R55,500, he said. Most days these days the video producer walks to work, despite the threat of street muggings. The stolen metal ranges from copper cables, piping, bolts to manhole covers. Sometimes they come with guns, AK-47s. Copper theft leaves South Africa’s railways crippled. Two decades on, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that cable theft costs the economy between R5-7 billion a year. Thieves arrive here daily to take cable, so we’ve made our own plan. Recovered stolen copper cable / Image: TheSouthAfrican A Johannesburg man will be spending the next eight years of his life in prison after being convicted for cable theft in Turffontein. Cable Theft Zero tolerance on cable theft South Africa is facing a major problem with copper theft and has a negative impact on all citizens. One popular option in recent years has been the use of alarms that detect a system power failure. Microchip PIC18F-Q41 Sensor Interface Microcontrollers, A selection of Cables/Connecting articles for further reading, Malasia Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Mouser and Molex produce medical resource site, Reverse polarity RP-SMA connector assemblies for antenna, Connectors on rapid delivery times with access to specialist tech and sales teams, Pre-configured FAKRA cable assemblies for automotive, NEC takes on Palau Cable 2 optical submarine cable, Ruggedised connectors deliver data rates of 10Gbps, MIL-SPEC-qualified covers for 38999 series IV connectors, Smaller, faster, better connector solutions at CES 2021, M12-Mini cable connectors with cable gland certified, SUCOFLEX 500 cable assembly facilitates 70GHz at EuMW. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimate that cable theft cost the economy between R5 billion and R7 billion per year. Frustrated with random power outages? 2-min read. Theron said escalating copper cable theft led to residents protesting over the lack of electricity supply. This dissertation focuses on the phenomenon of copper cable theft within the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The team is still investigating when one of the security officers receives a phone call alerting them of an alarm that’s been triggered just down the road. The agency did confirm the surge in cable theft … It weighed 750kg in total and has a … Why do people steal cables? They wait until the power goes out and then strike, stealing the cable and making their getaway before the power comes back on. The copper cable was identified as Prasa cable. On a good day, trains on just seven of Metrorail’s 34 commuter lines make the trip out of the Soweto township to the economic capital Johannesburg. The estimated loss due to copper theft … In that case the appellants were convicted for theft of copper cable worth R18 000,00. In the meanwhile, you can give your security a fighting chance by using the right alarms to tackle cable theft. It’s diabolical,” Harris told Reuters. Nel was addressing a National Council of Provinces debate on vandalism and theft of service delivery infrastructure and its impact on the economy … Stranded, without phone connections or transport? Although many cable thieves are apprehended, only 7% of offenders are prosecuted because of the difficulty of proving cable ownership. By Mfuneko Toyana and Siyabonga Sishi. Cable theft in Tshwane (the municipality in South Africa in which Pretoria is situated) has been reduced through the implementation of a holistic strategy. To gain insight into the profile and … Using technology alone to find a solution is not adequate because crime is a socio-economic challenge and not a technical problem. Many sites combine this with CCTV and even offer financial incentives for information about cable theft. Flexicor Cables (Pty) Ltd is one of the largest cable manufacturers in South Africa specializing in Water Cooled and Air Cooled Copper Conductors for all types of Furnaces and Transformers. The purpose of this study was to gather relevant data to underpin and to identify the nature of copper cable theft in Gauteng as the economic hub of South Africa and to understand which specific risk factors inhibit the mitigation of copper cable theft. The City’s MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Mpho Moerane, recently welcomed an eight year prison sentence handed to a copper cable thief in Turffontein. The theft and damage of copper cable has directly cost South Africa about R265 million, with indirect costs coming close to R5 billion, says Deputy Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Andries Nel. 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