* R28 000 - the cost of batteries.
* Between R250,000 and R500,000 - the cost of generators
— IN NUMBERS:
Vodacom generators, each worth R500,000, have been stolen almost every week in the past two months from cellphone tower sites across KwaZulu-Natal.
The “relentless” theft of generators and batteries and vandalism are nationwide challenges that all network operators are struggling to beat.
Generators provide backup power to mobile base stations during load-shedding, ensuring the cellphone tower remains functional as long as the batteries last or the generator keeps running.
Network operators say the theft and vandalism of these crucial elements are rife across the country as load-shedding provides an opening for criminals to operate under cover of darkness.
The thefts are the work of highly sophisticated syndicates that stake out the premises before pouncing on security guards and pointing high-calibre weapons at them as the goods are loaded onto vehicles and carted away, to be sold on Facebook Marketplace or to a pre-arranged buyer.
Vodacom said generators have been stolen in Port Shepstone, Margate, Ixopo, New Hanover, Pietermaritzburg, Howick, Kokstad, Imbali, Edendale and Scottburgh in the past eight weeks.
“Base stations of local network providers are increasingly being targeted for theft and vandalism and what we are finding through our investigations is that organised syndicates are coming up with unique approaches to commit this crime.
“It is estimated that local cellphone network providers lose hundreds of millions of rand annually through damage to base stations as a result of theft and vandalism, which ultimately impacts the cost of mobile services.”
Manhar Parshotam, founder of Dragon Protection Services, said reports indicate some members of syndicates are deployed on-site ahead of the actual theft to “prepare and remove” the generators.
“Then a vehicle comes in and removes it. Generators do have tracking units on them, but these are removed and left behind.
“The demand for generators is high at the moment due to load-shedding so the black market is growing,” he said.
In January two Dragon Protection Services guards were ambushed and executed by a gang of 15 men as they escorted technicians to a cellphone tower site in KwaMashu.
“Syndicates are definitely involved as they need to know where and when the generators are placed on-site,” said Parshotam.
We repeatedly see situations where people can't make emergency calls and are put in danger by these criminals and sooner or later these criminals will cost someone’s life
— A Vodacom spokesperson
MTN spokesperson Jacqui O’Sullivan said 390 sites have been vandalised since January 2022 alone, with criminals returning to the same sites over five times after each repair.
“MTN has observed a trend that as the country hits persistently higher levels of load-shedding, the vandalism of base stations has shifted from opportunistic criminality — petty thieves breaking into the stations and sites to get what copper or metals they can — to a more organised form of criminality being run by syndicates.
“The criminals will at times disguise themselves as third-party contractors so as not to be confronted by local communities. They take that opportunity to specifically steal batteries. After a site has been hit by a syndicate, and should it not be secured soon enough, opportunistic criminality will then also occur,” she said.
Nomvuyiso Batyi, head of the Association of Comms and Technology (ACT), which represents Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, MTN, Rain, Telkom and Vodacom, said there was an increase in crime during load-shedding due to compromised monitoring and surveillance systems.
“South Africa’s prolonged load-shedding is having a devastating effect on the country, as the demand for lithium batteries and generators continues to rise alongside the country’s high unemployment rate.
“The load-shedding is also having a devastating effect on the nation’s network operators. They have turned to using diesel generators on critical data centres, operations centres and base stations. The use of generators has its own logistic challenges such as ensuring that there is enough fuel for static and mobile generators not only at base station sites but in data centres and customer service centres.
“They are also deploying dedicated technician teams to monitor and restore power at sites around the clock. These incur increased operational costs for network operators. Since last year network operators have spent more than R1bn in diesel fuel alone,” she said.
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