Metal theft a heavy load to carry
15 September 2024
The City’s dedicated Metal Theft Unit battles a relentless onslaught on critical infrastructure – and the past year was no different. Staff recovered more than 1 800 kilograms of metal and 54 kilometres of stolen cable. Read more below:
'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.
| | July 2022 – June 2023 | July 2023 – June 2024 |
| Arrests | 184 | 143 |
| Autonomous operations | 663 | 656 |
| Complaints received | 464 | 662 |
| Hotspot patrols | 2 330 | 2 892 |
| Scrapyard compliance notices | 2 704 | 2117 |
| Fines: general | 3 253 | 2 775 |
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 (Google Map illustration).
'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 Alderman 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.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
