Inequality in resources available to residents — from security guards and surveillance in some areas to unarmed community foot patrols in others – determines how different parts of the city experience and respond to electricity-related crimes.

In the middle and upper class suburbs of Greenside, Parktown North and Kensington private security firms have taken a frontline role in protecting electricity infrastructure. Security officers often encounter cable thieves during routine patrols, act as first responders and share crime intelligence with the police.

City Power formalises this cooperation through signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with security firms and residents, as part of their Community Partnerships Program.

“The Community Partnership Programme is an initiative in which businesses, customers, security companies, and residents’ associations voluntarily adopt and protect City Power’s network infrastructure. The application form is available at the City Power Security Risk Management Department,” Isaac Mangena, City Power Spokesperson, told Our City News (OCN).

“Currently, City Power has signed over 800 Community Partnership agreements.”

The terms of the agreements vary across different communities.

“We pay about R450 a month to a security company that not only patrols our boxes and substations, but keeps them under lock and key. They only open for contractors who are verified by City Power,” said Judith Ancer, member of the Greenside Residents Association.

“Secure infrastructure should be covered by our rates. We’d much rather spend the extra money on beautifying our local park, or another need, but we had to start with the basics,” she added.

Ancer said that at the height of their cable theft crisis, the area was plagued by weekly incidents of theft and vandalism.

“We’d hear a big explosion in the middle of the night and just know that we’re waking up to no power in the morning.”

Around the time that the Greenside and Parktown North MOUs were signed in 2019, City Power also replaced the overhead copper cables with aluminium that has much less resale value. Ancer said that following those two interventions, incidents of infrastructure vandalism and theft are now few and far between in Greenside.

In Kensington, an MOU with City Power dictates that when residents or security guards report a crime through a dedicated hotline, City Power must respond within two minutes to cable theft reports and within two days to reports of illegal connections.

Poorer suburbs have to do it themselves

Richard Francis, Chairperson of the Cleveland Community Policing Forum (CPF) told OCN that City Power’s quick response time has been especially helpful for prosecuting electricity crimes.

“By law, City Power is the only party that can identify their property and open a criminal case against suspects that we apprehend. Now that they come out so quickly, they’re opening more cases,” said Francis.

The Cleveland precinct comprises a mix of middle to upper class suburbs of Kensington, Bruma and Cyrildene and low-income neighbourhoods like Cleveland, Malvern and the Jampas township. These areas border the inner-city Jeppe precinct, one of the top ten crime hot spots in the country.

“In addition to private security services, our more affluent residents also have security cameras. These resources are what we call force multipliers, they boost our fight against cable theft. In the poorer areas, the only force multipliers are the residents themselves,” said Francis.

In Jeppe and parts of Cleveland where residents can’t afford private security services, community members volunteer for neighbourhood watch foot patrols to guard their infrastructure.

“There are very few private security role players in our areas. As a low-income community we are unable to absorb the costs,” Jeppe CPF Chairperson Zenzile Ayanda told OCN. The Jeppe Precinct borders Cleveland’s low-income areas and the two CPFs often work together in crime hotspots.

Both Zenzile and Francis say that cable theft and damage to the electricity infrastructure are daily occurrences in the Jeppe-Cleveland area. Patrollers regularly encounter people stealing cable and vandalising infrastructure.

“It’s very dangerous to approach them. We are unarmed, and they’ve opened fire on our patrollers before,” said Zenzile.

Zenzile complained that City Power is not supportive or responsive to their efforts.

“We’ve never had City Power’s involvement in our raids on scrap dealers in the area. When we find stolen copper, we call and call and no one comes to identify their property. They have a bad attitude toward us.”

Cost of theft and vandalism

Mangena told OCN that City Power provides security support and responds to incidents in all parts of the city without distinction between rich and poor. However, inner city areas such as Malvern and Jeppe have been identified as high-risk zones where not only is infrastructure under attack, but so are staff and contractors who enter those areas.

“These risks make it increasingly difficult to provide consistent on-the-ground security support in such areas,” he said.

Mangena said that while City Power spends R100-million on private security services to safeguard their infrastructure, “our primary responsibility is not to secure infrastructure”.

That is the oversight of public safety and security services like the Metro Police and SAPS.

City Power loses about R25-million a month to theft and vandalism. According to the Auditor-General’s report, City Power lost about R3.5 billion in the 2023–2024 financial year due to non-technical losses like theft and illegal connections. This year, the utility has so far suffered losses of R114 million because of cable theft alone.

Written by Zanele Mji for GroundUp and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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On 1 September, 21 suspects were apprehended at a Transnet depot in Swartkops, Gqeberha, after security personnel spotted intruders and alerted the South African Police Service (SAPS). The suspects were found hiding on the premises with bags containing copper bus bars, transformers, electrical switches, and cables—items collectively valued at approximately R350,000.

In a separate incident on 3 September, a multidisciplinary police team recovered copper cable worth an estimated R3 million at an unregistered scrapyard in De Deur, Gauteng. Five suspects were arrested at the scene.

Officers also seized homemade stoves allegedly used to burn insulation off the copper. Preliminary investigations confirmed the cable originated from Transnet infrastructure.

The five suspects are expected to appear before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on charges including possession of stolen infrastructure, unlicensed dealing in second-hand goods, and contravention of the Immigration Act.

Transnet Group Chief Executive Michelle Phillips praised the arrests, citing them as evidence of growing success in efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates targeting essential infrastructure.

“Our work is beginning to make serious inroads,” she said, “and we will continue to focus on fighting crimes responsible for the destruction of our essential infrastructure.”

Separately, three individuals were convicted and sentenced by the Molteno Regional Court in the Eastern Cape on 27 August for copper cable theft, possession of stolen copper, and immigration violations. The case stemmed from a December 2021 intelligence-led operation in the Stormberg area, where police intercepted vehicles transporting stolen copper cable.

Each of the three convicts received 15-year prison sentences for theft and possession, plus an additional three months for breaching immigration laws. The investigation was led by the Komani-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit of the Hawks.

Transnet acknowledged the role of SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority, State Security Agency, Eskom, PRASA, and other state entities in securing these outcomes.

Written by Africa Ports & Ships and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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The power utility highlighted various forms of vandalism, including theft of steel components from pylons, illegal sand mining around pylons, and siphoning oil from transformers. These actions compromise infrastructure stability, disrupt electricity supply, and create safety hazards. Eskom has also observed reckless acts such as throwing metal chains onto power lines, which cause flashovers and trip power lines, endangering lives.

Eskom Group Executive for Distribution Monde Bala emphasized the broader impact of vandalism, stating it leads to prolonged outages that affect homes, businesses, schools, and essential services. “Reliable electricity is essential for daily life—preserving food, heating, lighting, and enabling children to study after dark. Protecting this infrastructure is a shared responsibility,” Bala said.

“Tampering with electrical infrastructure poses serious and potentially fatal risks. When transformers are drained of oil or connected to illegal installations, they can overheat and explode, leading to widespread power outages and, in some cases, loss of life.

“The theft of steel components from pylons compromises the structural stability of power towers, increasing the risk of collapse—particularly after heavy rainfall. This endangers both people and animals, as high-voltage lines carry thousands of volts and can be deadly upon contact.”

Despite the decline in financial losses due to increased collaboration with law enforcement and improved security measures, Eskom continues to face challenges. In a recent operation, six suspects were arrested on 6 April with stolen property (smart meters, copper and other items belonging to Eskom) worth R1.5 million. The suspects have appeared in court.

“Although Eskom has seen a reduction in these crimes due to increased collaboration with law enforcement agencies and improved security measures, the problem persists and remains unacceptable,” the power utility said.

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On the evening of 22 January 2025, security personnel stationed at the government building confronted the group, who were armed with dangerous weapons. The group is alleged to have carried out similar acts of vandalism in the area. The confrontation resulted in two suspects being shot while the others fled. The group reportedly used pangas to intimidate and attack security guards as they attempted to steal materials likely intended for sale to scrap metal dealers.

Public Works House has been a frequent target of criminal activity, with incidents of fencing and infrastructure theft becoming alarmingly common. The DPWI has expressed concerns about the connection between these acts of vandalism and the illicit scrap metal trade, which undermines both the economy and vital infrastructure.

The injured suspects were transported to the hospital, and security personnel involved in the incident are being questioned as part of an ongoing police investigation. The department has pledged to enhance security measures at all public assets, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding infrastructure meant to serve the public good.

The post DPWI Security Thwarts Armed Thugs in Attack on Government Property appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

“The scary thing is that for all the confiscated items, thousands of kilograms more made it to bucket shops and unscrupulous scrap dealers, and so fuelling a number of illicit trades. The 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,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The MTU recorded a slight downturn in arrests year on year, but they increased proactive hotspot patrols by nearly 25% which served as a deterrent, and also responded to 43% more complaints.

Metal confiscations weighed in at 1 839.41 kilograms, while the amount of confiscated cable clocked 54 kilometres, which is the distance between the Civic Centre in the Cape Town 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 long list of priorities that we hope to tackle through our cooperation agreement with SAPS and the Western Cape Government. In addition, 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,” added Smith.

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.

Residents can report crime and by-law offences anonymously, 24-hours a day, on 0800 110077.

The post City of Cape Town recovers tons of stolen metal, 50+ km of stolen cable appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

On Monday last week (19 August 2024), at the Nxuba Magistrate’s Court (formerly Cradock) in the Eastern Cape the four were found guilty and sentenced to a collective 50 years in prison.

Charlie van Dyk, 43, Elandre Senekal, 29, Michelle van Straaten, 23, and Kwakhanya Bolowana, 28, were convicted on charges of housebreaking, damaging essential infrastructure and theft.

This relates to an incident which took place at the Scalen Rail Station on Mortimer Road in Nxuba in March 2023, in which four batteries, transformers, and cables, valued at R57 000 were stolen.

The four individuals received five years for housebreaking and 15 years for damage to essential infrastructure, and 15 years for theft. Senekal and Van Straaten were jailed for an effective 20 years, while van Dyk and Bolowana will serve 30 years.

TFR Acting General Manager Security and Forensic, Shawn Johnson, said that security-related incidents on TFR’s rail network continues to have a crippling impact on its operations, leading to train delays, cancellations, and tonnage losses.

“Criminal syndicates attack the rail network, targeting essential rail infrastructure by damaging, tempering, vandalising, and disrupting rail operations,” Johnson said.

“In July this year, we had 481 criminal-related incidents on our rail network, including cable theft and vandalism.”

Johnson added that the TFR security department continues to collaborate with law enforcement agencies, customers, and other state-owned companies to address the ongoing criminal attacks on the rail networks.

Written by Africa Ports & Ships and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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