Copper trade crackdown in South Africa

[Hanno Labuschagne]

Copper trade crackdown in South Africa

South Africa’s government intends making it mandatory for all metal traders to get licenses and prevent them from dealing in cash, a measure aimed at combating a massive illegal trade in cables and wiring stripped from rail, power and telecommunication lines.

Traders will also be required to conduct due diligence on their customers and track the origins of their products, the National Treasury said in the annual budget review, which was published in Cape Town on Wednesday.

[Bloomberg]

 

[Scooby_Doo]

Finally...

Now we need some policing.

 

[RonSwanson]

Finally...

Now we need some policing.

As always. Easy to make laws and regs, not so easy to implement them.

 

[Iwojima]

Considering the level of cable theft in the country right now something needs to be done.

Not the same sh*t as lowering the speed limit to fight road deaths though. Something tangible that's actually practical in policing/regulating.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Yeah, this is going to make sweet fek all difference to this problem...

It needs to be hard and swift, ban the second hand trade in copper completely, and have instant arrest and shutdown for all dealers who are caught with any stock above 20kgs.

 

[Shadowchaser1]

Good luck with that.

 

[Kosmik]

We actually caught someone yesterday climbing our local rail line and stripping the cables, 10am middle of the day, brazen c**t. SAPS arrested and took away.

 

[upup]

Someone told me about his family buying scrap, so if he don't want to buy the copper, then they go around to the paki shop. All the shops know where this copper came from, and they know the police can only do so much.

 

[dualmeister]

As always. Easy to make laws and regs, not so easy to implement them.

Yip. I was in the copper sales industry for 15 years. Some scrap dealers are the dodgiest of the dodgy. From hiding copper that they purchased (from the police) to putting the incorrect grades on export documents so that it appears as though it is worth less than it actually is. It is a dark world.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

Copper trade crackdown in South Africa

South Africa’s government intends making it mandatory for all metal traders to get licenses and prevent them from dealing in cash, a measure aimed at combating a massive illegal trade in cables and wiring stripped from rail, power and telecommunication lines.

Traders will also be required to conduct due diligence on their customers and track the origins of their products, the National Treasury said in the annual budget review, which was published in Cape Town on Wednesday.

[Bloomberg]

Yeah sure...the criminals...checking up on the criminals.

Ban trade in 2nd hand copper....simple as that.

 

[AlphaJohn]

Carte Blanch already covered this back in 2016/2017 (Sadly I cant find the clip anymore?)

Tease laws are useless as there are already limitations on trade in second hand copper.
You have small dealers that have actual tenders to salvaged metal that also buy & smelt illegal scarp and mix it into their legal salvage then sell it of at bigger players with proof of legal salvage.

 

[zoozi]

Finally...

Now we need some policing.

Our forces are ready.

 

[friedpiggy]

Only way this problem will go away is to randomly go to all scrap yards / copper traders and if any stolen copper is found then the owner and staff are all arrested for theft with a minimum 10 year sentence. Business is shut down and all assets sold with proceeds going to a fund that is privately managed and helps to defray the costs of stolen copper.

That however will never happen

 

[Stokstert]

Our forces are ready.

That is why SAPS mostly have to use bakkies.

 

[mercurial]

Carte Blanch already covered this back in 2016/2017 (Sadly I cant find the clip anymore?)

Tease laws are useless as there are already limitations on trade in second hand copper.
You have small dealers that have actual tenders to salvaged metal that also buy & smelt illegal scarp and mix it into their legal salvage then sell it of at bigger players with proof of legal salvage.

Are you referring to the junkyard here in CPT that was exporting stolen copper to some country that I cannot recall now? They were making millions.