Battling a wave of cable theft: City recovers 1,7 tons of stolen metal
10 May 2024
Following a wave of cable theft, particularly of street lights, the City of Cape Town is turning up the heat on metal thieves, with over 1 700 kilograms of stolen metal recovered in nine months between July 2023 and March 2024 by Law Enforcement’s Metals Theft Unit, also known as the Copperheads. Over 53 000 metres of stolen cabling was recovered over this period, with the unit also making 115 arrests , including securing a 12-year prison sentence for a metal thief. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, joined the metal theft unit for a ride-along on 9 May.
The City of Cape Town is repairing and replacing stolen cables and vandalised street lights at record pace, with 1 120 street lights cable replacements in April 2024 alone. But in some parts of the City, these repaired poles are suffering repeat cable theft almost immediately. City policing operations have responded to 70% more metal theft complaints than the previous year, showing that the public is getting more involved in helping to combat this criminal activity. The City received 519 reports of metal theft from the public in 2023/24, compared to 304 in 2022/23.
Over the past nine months, officials also conducted 1 715 inspections of scrapyards and bucket shops, and 2 145 hotspot patrols. A total of 10 vehicles were impounded, with 2 382 fines issued for various by-law transgressions.
'Our message to metal thieves is simple: don't steal cable, we will catch you. Last night in Mitchells Plain, I was pleased to see residents enthusiastically providing our metal theft officers with tip-offs of suspected stolen cable locations. We also witnessed our officers bust three suspects in the act of burning cables from a nearby traffic light. Those stealing cable should also know that the City's new Eye-in-the-sky is now watching and recording hotspots, including with infrared cameras at night.
'The public can help us bust metal thieves by calling the City's 24-hour toll-free tip-offs line on 0800 110077. Rewards are on offer for information leading to arrests and convictions of metal thieves,' said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
'The confiscations are an indication that we are not dealing with just small operators. In fact, some suspects are being caught with considerable amounts of stolen goods, and that leads to bigger questions about the level of organisation involved, but also the continued vulnerability of critical infrastructure. The City is throwing many resources at this problem, but we can't do it alone. Something has got to give at a national level, to tighten the screws on cable thieves, and take the shine out of the illicit scrap metal trade,' said Alderman Smith.
In recent years, the City has increased the number of staff attached to the MTU, coupled with investments in technology to improve detection and action against cable theft.
Ongoing training too is part of the arsenal, and in the most recent intervention in mid-April, 39 staff members in the enforcement services attended a sensitising information session, focusing on essential infrastructure crimes, presented by the Southern Africa Revenue Protection Association.
This session followed a brainstorming workshop with the Copperheads exploring and identifying innovation and optimal effectiveness in combatting metal theft and damage to essential infrastructure.
The engagement was spearheaded by Safety & Security Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe, and Chairperson of the PC's Metal Theft task team, Councillor Rhynhardt Bresler.
It served as a precursor to SAPS-led Designated Second-Hand Goods Officer (DSO) training that MTU and other enforcement services staff can attend, in relation to enforcing the Second-Hand Goods Act.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
