Led by the Group CEOs of state-owned entities – Eskom, PRASA, Telkom and Transnet – the Economic Sabotage of Critical Infrastructure (ESCI) Forum recently hosted a high-profile roundtable with key stakeholders to find solutions and discuss progress in tackling the widespread theft and vandalism of economic infrastructure.
A focused, coordinated effort is needed to address the theft and destruction of state infrastructure.
The economic toll, experienced across the country, has reached the point where drastic measures are required, in terms of policy execution and coordination.
Serame Taukobong, Telkom Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “The country’s critical infrastructure is a platform for economic activity and a catalyst for growth that needs to be always protected by all. The Telkom Group experiences high levels of crimes like cable theft/sabotage, battery theft and vandalism of infrastructure. These crimes hamper the provision of essential basic services to industries and communities.” Taukobong said telecommunication services are essential for daily business electronic transactions, educational and entertainment internet and streaming. “It is incumbent on every citizen to protect our infrastructure and report infrastructure crimes.”
Copper cable theft; theft of electricity poles and batteries from telecoms base stations; electricity theft and illegal connections; vandalism and malicious damage to property; extortion and bribery; hostage taking; burning of train coaches and theft of rail lines – have all increased over recent years. Metals’ theft impacts on power supply, leaves trains unable to operate and causes massive damage to public facilities throughout the country. The economic damage of copper theft alone has been estimated at more than R45 billion annually.
Hishaam Emeran, PRASA Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “Theft and vandalism of essential economic infrastructure have dealt PRASA and the country's economy a heavy blow that cannot be quantified. We are confident that through this forum we can indeed turn the tide.”
Given the intensity and frequency of these incidents, the industry has come together to address the issue with a focused and coordinated response. Since the establishment of the ESCI Forum in 2020, some progress has been realised. This includes the formation of a specialised multi-disciplinary unit to address economic sabotage, extortion at construction sites, and vandalism of infrastructure. The South African Police Service has set up a Task Team on Cable Theft and Damage to Essential Infrastructure. Cabinet has also approved the public consultation process for proposals to restrict the trade of illegally obtained scrap and processed metals.
“Electricity infrastructure is central to the country’s economy, growth and development; therefore every citizen, every business and the whole-of-state has a role to play in stopping the devastation, sabotage and destruction of critical infrastructure,” said André de Ruyter, Eskom Group Chief Executive. “Eskom is encouraged by the support it is receiving from the security and law enforcement agencies, including the commitment by the National Prosecuting Authority to begin the prosecution of the many serious crimes that have negatively affected Eskom.”
Portia Derby, Group Chief Executive of Transnet, said, “Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has experienced an exponential increase in incidents over the recent years, which has resulted in higher losses in tonnage and revenue, and increased repair costs. Over 1 500 kilometres of cable has been stolen in the past five years, with a net financial impact of R4.1 billion. We are confident that the coordinated and focused response by the ESCI Forum will yield positive results.”
The forum has developed a progressive user-friendly app that aims to create awareness on the issue of economic sabotage of critical infrastructure and enable affected industry players to benefit from current insights.
The public will be able to see an updated view of the incident trends, the shared industry losses resulting from economic sabotage of critical infrastructure, and a heat-map view of the hotspots of crime. Industry stakeholders will be able to log in and interact securely with the analytics at a more granular level. The application is updated through a robust data process that provides regular updates on incidents.
For more information visit: www.eskom.co.za
