City records increase in cable theft

THE City of Cape Town has recovered 53km of stolen cable over a period of six months. During this time, the City also recorded an increase in arrests and complaints about metal theft.

The stolen infrastructure was recovered during the first six months of the current financial year, starting in July and ending in December.

City officials said they have conducted 404 autonomous operations, 1 260 scrapyard inspections, 1 777 hotspot patrols, and responded to 277 complaints from the public.

Their efforts resulted in 83 arrests, a 34% increase compared to the same period the year before, and the recovery of 120 551kg of metal and 5 374 388m of stolen cable.

Staff also impounded eight vehicles and issued 1 557 fines for various by-law transgressions.

JP Smith, mayco member for safety and security, said cable and metal theft’s impact on services, the economy, and the repair and maintenance budgets of departments that bear the brunt of the scourge is well documented.

“The load on our metal theft unit, and enforcement services on the whole, is not getting any lighter. However, the unit continues to deliver good results in spite of the challenges, and their efforts have to be applauded.”

Smith said: “The strategies of metal thieves are constantly changing, with new trends every few months. These require counter strategies and a unit nimble enough to change direction when needed.

“While it would be unwise to reveal our playbook, we are using our integrated policing incident system to help map hotspots and we are always on the hunt for new tech solutions.”

Among the metal theft unit’s achievements from July-December 2023 were the four-year jail sentence of a suspect in Parow and two suspects found in a trench near the Kromboom Road turnoff apprehended for damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.