Copper Cable and Essential Infrastructure Anti-Theft Technology and Security Conference

In South Africa, copper cable theft stands out for its corrosive impact on infrastructure and ripple effects across the wider economy. A new report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime provides a detailed analysis of this illicit sector, which may be costing South Africa’s economy close to R200-billion a year. The power utility has had to spend millions in security at hot spots in an effort to curb cable theft, which ultimately led to power outages and compromised the supply of electricity. Crimes like cable theft, railway infrastructure vandalism hamper the economic activity and discourage investment in the country. Transformers were stolen, the power utility said the stealing of transformers was not a new phenomenon, but was growing by the day, especially in big metropolitans.

Copper is an appealing commodity for criminals, and in South Africa, they are cashing in — and almost everyone else is paying the price. The issue of cable theft and illegal connections, especially in areas close to informal settlements, is sadly very common. Not only is it highly illegal, but it is also a very dangerous practice that leads to death or serious injury in many cases. It also puts unnecessary strain on the electric grid.

Economist said, electricity cuts harm the economy as they lead to revenue loss. A solution to this problem affecting many municipalities was far from being reached. The incidents of cable theft are not only costly to the municipality but create unnecessary inconveniences for both the city and its consumers. Cable theft needs a comprehensive and coordinated effort in order to provide sustainable and reliable electricity and water supply to our people. Cable theft is crippling metros, and Major Cities lost Millions of Rands.

The theft has severe implications for both service delivery and businesses, which are losing revenue. The money been spent on replacing stolen cables could have been channeled into building millions of houses, providing new electricity and water connections, building and maintaining roads, installing new street lights, fixing potholes and infrastructure. Private security service providers need to understand the impact of cable theft and vandalism on the electrical infrastructure.

It is against this background that this event is being organise, and it would focus on the impact of cable theft and electricity theft and illegal connect in our society, technologies and safety measure to combat crimes such as cable theft on railway infrastructure vandalism.

To request Brochures please contact Chris: chris@maphosam.co.za; 010 214 0666; 083 509 5002