An evaluation of the impact of cable theft on free flow of traffic in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v11i6.1968Keywords:
Cable theft, Free flow of traffic, Law enforcement, Criminals and South AfricaAbstract
Cable theft is a severe problem affecting South Africa, the loss of signal due to theft causes trains and all other forms of transportation to derail or collide, and many innocent lives and livelihoods are lost and this also affects the free flow of traffic. It disrupts the movement of people, goods and costs of the South African economy. The inability of law enforcement agencies to combat cable theft is a significant problem in South Africa and more should be done to counteract this problem as to a greater extent cases of cable theft are reported daily. This article focused on the impact of cable theft on the free flow of traffic in South Africa. The article is based on a qualitatively rooted methodology including a wide range of primary and secondary sources. The article further draws on the findings from the world on the impact of cable theft on the free flow of traffic and formulate steps to counteract the problem. The research-based key steps lead to the prevention of cable theft in South Africa. The first step related to capacitating law enforcement agencies with resources to combat cable theft; strengthening partnerships between law enforcement agencies, the business community, and all other significant stakeholders; Increasing the visibility of traffic officials to ensure the free flow of traffic.
Downloads
References
Arrive Alive (2017). SA Road safety report 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.arrivealive.co.za/documents/SA%20Road%20Safety%20Report%202017.pdf. Accessed on 01/07/2022.
Arrive Alive (2022). Crime as a Threat to Road Safety in South Africa. Retrieved from: https://www.arrivealive.mobi/crime-as-a-threat-to-road-safety-in-south-africa. Accessed on 30/06/2022.
Bizcommunity (2022). Cable Copper Anti-Theft Technologies and Security Summit. Retrieved from: https://www.bizcommunity.com/event/2022-cable-copper-anti-theft-technologies-and-security-summit-77000. Accessed on 04/07/2022
Bloem, A. (2016). Cable theft has an impact on all aspects of daily life. Roodepoort Record, South Africa.
Bull, A. (2003). Traffic congestion: The problem and how to deal with it. Santiago, Chile.
Burger, J & Lancaster, L. (2010). The increasing burden of crime on business in South Africa. Retrieved from: Htttps://www.issafrica.org/amp/iss-today/the-increasing-burden-of-crime-on-business-in-south-africa. Accessed on 04/07/2022.
Burger, J. (2014). Cable theft is strangling SA's economy: can we escape the noose? Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria.
Chaudhari, A & Sivalenka-Cyient, N. (2017). Cutting the risks of copper cable theft through the IoT. Retrieved from: https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/article/64288/cutting-risks-copper-cable-theft/. Accessed on 07/07/2022
Drakenstein Municipality (2020). Cable theft hurt us all. Retrieved from: https://www.drakenstein.gov.za/cable-theft-hurts-us-all. Accessed on 30/06/2022
Dzansi, D. Y, Rambe, P & Mathe, L. (2014). Cable Theft and Vandalism by Employees of South Africa’s Electricity Utility Companies: A Theoretical Explanation and Research Agenda. Department of Business Support Studies; Faculty of Management Sciences Central University of Technology, FS; Bloemfontein, South Africa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09718923.2014.11893281
Eskom (2012). Infrastructure theft presentation. Retrieved from https://static.pmg.org.za/docs/120228eskominfra-edit_0.pdf. Accessed on 29/06/2022
Freight News (2021). Transnet continues to intensify the efforts to curb cable theft. Retrieved from: https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/transnet-continues-intensify-efforts-curb-cable-theft. Accessed on 07/07/2022
Geldenhuys, K. (2008). Non-ferrous Metal Theft brings cities to their knees. Servamus Safety and Security Magazine [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.telkom.co.za/general/cabletheft/metal_theft.html. Accessed on 15/06/2022
Independent Online (2013). Cable theft caused train accident. Retrieved from: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/cable-theft-caused-train-accident-1462255. Accessed on 18/06/2022
Johannesburg Road Agency (2022). Faulty traffic lights results in fatality. Retrieved from: https://northcliffmelvilletimes.co.za/359429/faulty-traffic-lights-results-in-fatality/. Accessed on 30/06/2022
Lawful Living (2022). Cable theft is a serious crime. Retrieved from: https://lawfulliving.co.za/book/text/energy--cable-theft.html. Accessed on 18/06/2022
Loudon, I. (2022). Remote Monitoring technology: Tackling South Africa’s cable theft problem. Retrieved from: https://www.sourcesecurity.com/insights/remote-monitoring-south-africa-cable-theft-co-1613485589-ga-co-1613539910-ga.1613487836.html. Accessed on 26/07/2022.
Lundqvist, F. (2018). Unemployment and crime. Retrieved from: http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1252037/FULLTEXT01.pdf. Accessed on 08/06/2022
Mail & Guardian (2021). Cable theft, vandalism and load shedding: What’s affecting your internet connectivity. Retrieved from: https://mg.co.za/special-reports/2021-03-24-cable-theft-vandalism-and-load-shedding-whats-affecting-your-internet-connectivity/. Accessed on 01/07/2022
Manana, MC. (2011). The Impact of the Gautrain Service Disruptions Due to Cable Theft on The Viability of Modernised Public Transport and Commuter Confidence (Subject for Discussion). National Assembly, South Africa.
Mathibela, B. (2017). Another broken traffic light? Reducing traffic congestion in resource constrained environments. Retrieved from: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7995892/metrics#metrics. Accessed on 12/06/2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/IVS.2017.7995892
Mbhele, PD. (2011). The Impact of the Gautrain Service Disruptions Due to Cable Theft on The Viability of Modernised Public Transport and Commuter Confidence (Subject for Discussion). National Assembly, South Africa.
Naidoo, B. (2011). Copper cable theft declared a high-priority crime. Retrieved from: https://www.polity.org.za/article/copper-cable-theft-declared-a-high-priority-crime-2011-06-23. Accessed on 13/06/2022
Ncwane, N. (2022). Thieves dismantle traffic light to steal cables. Retrieved from: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/thieves-dismantle-traffic-light-to-steal-cables-cable-theft-johannesburg/. Accessed on 04/07/2022
Nganga, M. (2021). Communities often left in the dark as they see an increase in cable theft. Retrieved from: https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/communities-often-left-in-the-dark-as-they-see-an-increase-in-cable-theft-293b1255-d6c7-4add-bae5-5cbd04651cb8. Accessed on 04/07/2022.
Nkwana, M & Mpuru, L. (2019). Copper cable theft and the perpetrators in South Africa. Pretoria, University of South Africa.
OpenServe (2022). Cable theft, vandalism and load shedding: What’s affecting your internet connectivity. Retrieved from: https://mg.co.za/special-reports/2021-03-24-cable-theft-vandalism-and-load-shedding-whats-affecting-your-internet-connectivity/. Accessed on 01/06/2022
Overstrand Municipality (2017). Introduction to Traffic Services. Retrieved from: https://www.overstrand.gov.za/en/traffic-law-enforcement. Accessed 22/06/2022.
Parliamentary Monitoring Group (2014). Collaborative solutions to address vandalism and theft of water infrastructure in South Africa: public hearings with stakeholders. Retrieved from: https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/17921/. Accessed on 19/06/2022.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Centre (2017). The Role of Law Enforcement in Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Programs. Retrieved from: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/programs/enforcement.cfm. Accessed on 13/06/2022.
Périquet, S., Roxburgh, L., Le Roux, A., & Collinson, W.J. (2018). Testing the value of citizen science for roadkill studies: A case study from South Africa. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, p.15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00015
Peters-Scheepers (2015). JRA Strengthening fight against traffic light vandalism. Johannesburg Roads Agency, Johannesburg.
Pretorius, W.L. (2012). A criminological analysis of copper cable theft in Gauteng. Pretoria, University of South Africa.
Randburg Sun. (2022). Metro police out in numbers to assist with peak hour traffic. Retrieved from: https://randburgsun.co.za/444865/metro-are-police-out-in-their-numbers-to-assist-with-peak-hour-traffic/. Accessed on 21/06/2022.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). (1996). National Crime Prevention Strategy. Government Printers, Pretoria.
Sefularo, M. (2022). Eldorado park power infrastructure under attack from cable thieves. Retrieved from: https://ewn.co.za/2022/05/13/eldorado-park-power-infrastructure-under-attack-from-cable-thieves-city-power. Accessed on 24?06/2022.
Sidebottom, A, Ashby, M & Johnson, S.D. (2014). Copper cable theft: Revisiting the price-theft hypothesis. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 51(5):684-700 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427814521216
Theron, A. (2018). Copper theft remains a concern. Retrieved from: https://www.esi-africa.com/southern-africa/copper-theft-remains-a-serious-concern-eskom/. Accessed on 07/07/2022.
Van Dalen, P. (2009). Combatting non-ferrous metal theft - the City of Cape Town story. Retrieved from: http://www.eepublishers.co.za/view.php? sid=18829. Accessed on 11/07/2022
Venter, C. (2011). Personal pilot Interview for research on copper theft. Pretoria, Centurion.
Western Cape Government (2019). Cable theft. Retrieved from: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/general-publication/cable-theft. Accessed on 11/06/2022
Wireless CCTV LLC. (2022). How to prevent copper theft. Retrieved from: https://www.wcctv.com/how-to-prevent-copper-theft/. Accessed on 04/07/2022.
World Health Organisation. (2021). Road traffic injuries. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries. Accessed on 20/07/2022.
Wright, G & Ribbens, H. (2016). Exploring the impact of crime on road safety in South Africa. Proceedings of the 35th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Mmakwena Modipa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
For all articles published in IJRBS, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work, while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit.