Electrical cable theft has repercussions that go well beyond the punishment that the law metes out to those found guilty of pulling cable out of the ground and reselling it as copper scrap. Cable theft can set off a myriad of unintended consequences, including the death of those desperate for electricity to stave off illness or serious injury.
It needs to be brought home more forcefully that the new Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill must effect changes to the Electricity Regulation Act that are more meaningful, especially given the propensity of South Africa’s Correctional Services to reduce jail terms. One public hearing called for a ten-year jail sentence for cable theft and that call should be taken seriously.
There also needs to be proper interrogation around identifying the buyers of the cable scrap stolen. The risk-to-reward ratio needs to be drastically changed so that the risk of stealing cable becomes sky high.