Metal theft Unit hits the hotspots

05 February 2025

Over a six month period, staff recorded nearly 2 000 visits to known hotspots in a bid to deter cable thieves. They made 74 arrests, with some handy assists from the City’s tech arsenal.

On 20 October 2024, two suspects were arrested in Belhar while digging up cables. The arrests were made with the assistance of drone surveillance. The suspects were charged in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act for tampering and damaging essential infrastructure.
                                                                                                                     
In addition, CCTV operators detected 60 incidents of cable theft and 37 incidents of metal theft over a 12-month period between July 2023 and June 2024. Responding officers were able to make 14 arrests linked to the detections.

More recently, on Wednesday, 8 January, MTU staff received a tip off about two luxury vehicles outside a scrapyard in Epping. They intercepted the vehicles in Matroosfontein and recovered more than 200 kilograms of copper cable with an estimated value in excess of R30 000.

Seven men were arrested in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, and the vehicles were impounded.

‘We continue to use everything at our disposal to crack down on metal theft. This is another area where our ongoing investment into technology is being put to good use, and I imagine the return on investment will increase as we expand our use of these tools and all that they have to offer. Cable thieves often rely on the cover of darkness to avoid detection – our Eye in the Sky and drones come with cutting-edge technology, including high-definition cameras and thermal imaging sensors. This enables real-time monitoring of activities on the ground, including tracking suspicious behaviour and identifying heat signatures.

‘Staff have made more than 70 arrests over a six-month period for tampering and damaging essential infrastructure. This tracks with the annual average, but the pace of convictions and sentences handed down need to be accelerated. There are systemic issues within the criminal  justice system that need to be tackled if we are to ever make a meaningful dent in metal theft, but crime in general,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

Other interventions over the period in review (July – December 2024) included:

• 1 962 hotspot patrols
• 852 scrapyard compliance inspections
• 1 955 fines issued for various by-law transgressions
• 656,5 metres of stolen cable recovered
• 1 258,65 kilograms of stolen metals recovered
• 275 complaints responded to

‘I want to appeal to the public to be alert to incidents of metal theft, and to report any suspicious behaviour that they see. The assault on essential infrastructure is relentless, with untold costs and impacts on service delivery, so we ask that the public please assist us on this,’ added Alderman Smith.

Metal theft in progress can be reported to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700.

Alternatively, the public can share tips for a potential reward via the City’s 24-hr tip-off line on 0800 110 077.

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office