Government needs to implement harsher penalties for cable thieves, says Bombela Concession Company.
The Gautrain's operator says it cannot fight against copper theft alone, but needs the backing of government and other authorities, as the train was once again crippled by cable thieves this week.
Government needs to implement harsher penalties for cable thieves and must make sure it's not so easy to benefit from copper theft, says Errol Braithwaite, executive at Gautrain operator, Bombela Concession Company (BCC).
He says great assistance is needed from the authorities, since the Gautrain can only increase security, but this will not solve the problem. This comes after a second cable theft within a week brought the Gautrain to a halt.
Braithwaite says all the trains and buses are back on schedule and fully functional now. He would not provide figures for the cost of the cable theft, but says it's not the biggest loss.
“The actual cost of lost copper is negligible compared to the knock-on effect of the loss of service. When copper is stolen, whether it's from the Gautrain or City Power, the real loss is of productivity for the economy.”
In terms of dealing with the issue going forward, Braithwaite says it's a two-sided coin. “We've got to optimise security and preventative measures and the authorities need to make it more and more difficult to profit from stolen copper.”
He says government must raise the penalties for those caught stealing copper and must put legislation in place or amend the current legislation so that it's not so easy to benefit from stolen copper.
Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson for transport in Gauteng Neil Campbell says if existing security measures are incapable of stopping cable theft, more security should be provided by the consortium.
Campbell says the failure of the Gautrain in this manner is “disgraceful”. He adds that the DA expresses alarming concern at the second failure in less than a week.
“The excuse that cable theft is to blame has a hollow ring, especially when one considers that one of the most important questions posed to the department was – could the consortium deal with the high theft rate of copper products in SA?”
Campbell says assurances were given that cables would be buried under concrete, but it now seems the thefts were above ground and that not all cables are “thief-proof”.
“This substandard service belittles the Gauteng taxpayer who has already poured R30 billion into this programme. We deserve a reliable service after spending so much taxpayers' money, not an additional bus service.”
