South Africa’s cable manufacturing sector is under siege as a flood of cheap, substandard imports from China and Zambia threatens to dismantle the industry, putting thousands of jobs at risk and compromising public safety.
This concern is raised by local cable manufacturers, including the South Ocean Electric Wire Company (SOEW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed South Ocean Holdings, sounding the alarm after Q1 2025 saw import volumes soaring and domestic production plummeting.
Data from January to April 2025 reveals the influx: according to the latest Commodity Trade Observer statistics, low-voltage cable imports surged to 5 805 897 units (up from 4 910 492 in 2024); medium/high-voltage imports hit 3 055 269 units (from 1 361 312); overhead conductor cables dropped to 438 763 units (from 628 570); and optical fibre imports increased to 891 520 units (from 839 590); yet prices plummeted, with China and Zambia dumping cables at suspiciously low prices.
SOEW COO, Tertius Ness says, “This mirrors the unethical tactics that impacted the local tyre industry and has prompted urgent calls for SARS to impose anti-dumping duties, as it did on tyres from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on June 3, 2025.”
He adds that the crisis is exacerbated by talk that companies allegedly could buy into local businesses with the option of shutting down factories and flooding the market with imports. Ness warns, “Q1 2025 was a disaster for local manufacturers with volumes evaporating as imports poured in. Q2 sees this trend continuing, forcing most firms onto short time. The future of the industry hangs by a thread and, as a result, jobs as well.”
Ness says South Africa’s cable industry boasts ample capacity to meet local demand, but this import surge, driven by extremely low prices per unit for low-voltage cables from China, undercuts quality and safety. Substandard cables, failing standards like SANS IEC 62930, have already sparked fires, including a 2023 Cape Town blaze and a 2024 Durban explosion, confirming concerns that SOEW has raised previously regarding the risks of using inferior solar cables.
He notes that the flood of low-cost imports typically bypasses quality and endurance tests; the products degrade rapidly, risking arcing and efficiency losses. These are risks that SOEW has highlighted before. And the economic toll is severe, with local manufacturers like SOEW, producing high-quality tinned copper cables, losing ground to price-driven imports that can jeopardise numerous projects including solar projects.
Ness emphasises that this unethical behaviour not only endangers cable safety but also sabotages South Africa’s economy, slashing jobs and tax revenue. “We urge the authorities to act swiftly, as they did in the tyre import crackdown, to investigate dumping and protect local industry. Failure to act risks irreparable damage, as illicit trade flagged across all cable types undermines a sector capable of self-sufficiency.”
For more information visit: www.soew.co.za/
