'Economic sabotage': unit recovers 54km of stolen cables in Cape Town

A specialised unit has recovered 1,800kg of stolen metal and 54km of stolen cables in the past year across the City of Cape Town.

“The scary thing is that for all the confiscated items, thousands of kilograms more made it to bucket shops and unscrupulous scrap dealers, fuelling a number of illicit trades,” said safety and security MMC JP Smith.  

“The metal theft unit [MTU] has also recorded a marked increase in complaints attended to, compared to the previous year. It is a sign that the theft and vandalism of infrastructure remains rampant, but also that more people are reporting it.” 

Smith said the unit recorded a slight downturn in arrests year on year, but had increased proactive hotspot patrols by nearly 25% which served as a deterrent. They also responded to 43% more complaints. 

“Metal confiscations weighed in at 1,839km, while the [length of] confiscated cable was 54km — the distance between the Civic Centre in the CBD and the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass.” 

“The scale of the destruction becomes more evident when you consider exactly how much infrastructure we’re losing and replacing, only to be lost again and again.

“This is not nickel-and-dime stuff but economic sabotage — and we need to start treating it that way, with swift prosecutions and heavy sentences.” 

Metal theft is on the list of priorities the city wants to tackle through its co-operation agreement with SAPS and the provincial government, said Smith. 

“We will continue to use tools like our CCTV network, eye in the sky and infrared technology to tackle metal theft, but also continue to invest in training and inter-agency collaboration.  

“In August staff members from the city’s enforcement agencies joined the SAPS and National Prosecuting Authority for a joint two-day training intervention on essential infrastructure crime.” 

TimesLIVE