Eskom – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Eskom’s Cable / Copper Theft Crisis

Mark Cowan — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 10:33:53 +0000

Eskom’s Cable / Copper Theft Crisis

Eskom’s cable and copper theft crisis in Cape Town

Thieves cut down overhead cable and dig for underground cable, remove it and break into sub-stations.
Newly-installed copper cable along Lansdowne road near Site C in Khayelitsha as well as Swartklip Road has been extracted, with more stolen daily around parts of Khayelitsha.
Street light cable, as well as heavy-duty cable which supplies power to homes, has been stolen in recent months, but residents feel Eskom is not doing enough to stop the thieves.

Eskom has lost approximately R1.7 million in the Cape Town since the beginning of the financial year to date. Cable theft hotspots include Inkanini, Zwezwe, Harare, Makhaza and Site B, Joe Slovo in Milnerton, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Philippi West and Weltevreden Valley.

It costs approximately R958 per metre to replace stolen cable.

Residents of Khayeltisha claim Eskom is not doing enough to curb the theft. “We watch copper thieves help themselves to Eskom cable every day. When we call their Cable Theft Unit, we are often told that they are busy in other areas. Police often arrive after the fact,

Eskom spokesperson Kyle Cookson said the power utility has implemented various strategies and explored many options. “We’ve had several engagements with community leaders and members of the community with regard to vandalism and theft of copper cables. “We have also installed tags and devices along the cable routes. These devices would send signals to the control centre whenever there’s attempted cable theft. In some areas we used ready-mix concrete to cover the cables and have also deployed security at different sites to safe-guard the cables.”

Billions of rands are lost to cable theft across the country. Over the past few years Eskom has lost a total of about R2 billion. A total of 3,432 incidents of cable and pylon theft were reported in 2017 alone.

Content by iol.co.za

Tags: copper theft, Eskom

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ESKOM Orlando Substation Copper theft – twice in two days

Mark Cowan — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 14:38:52 +0000

ESKOM Orlando Substation Copper theft – twice in two days

ESKOM’s Orlando East electricity substation was vandalised for the second straight day‚ leaving thousands without power.

The second Copper theft incident on 2nd October involved the theft of two 45m lengths of cable‚ and has left about 2‚438 customers without electricity supply.

Copper theft from Orlando East electricity substation on October 2 2018.

Eskom said the latest incident came after cables were stolen in the early hours of Monday morning at the same substation. No customers were affected by Monday’s theft.The power utility said it has been working around the clock to restore supply‚ but that it wasn’t yet known when power will be restored.

ESKOM urged members of the community to report any suspicious activities in and around electricity substations. “The battle to stop electricity theft can only be won if community members work together with Eskom and law enforcement agencies‚” Eskom said.

On average Eskom is losing between R2 billion to R4 billion a year just to replace the cables that are stolen.

Tags: copper theft, Eskom, Orlando East

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Eskom’s Zeus substation copper theft arrests

Mark Cowan — Sun, 27 Aug 2017 13:31:43 +0000

Eskom’s Zeus substation copper theft arrests

by Mark Cowan

Two men were arrested last week at Eskom’s Zeus substation near Secunda in Mpumalanga for alleged cable theft. The South African power utility, Eskom, explained that the two were part of a group of five that had been spotted near the substation, which had been a target for copper theft in recent weeks.

“When the men realised that they had been seen by the security guards on duty at the substation, they attempted to flee the scene,” Eskom said in a statement.

The parastatal added that the guards gave chase and apprehended the two suspects. The suspects had hacksaw and carry bags in their possession, which according to Eskom was intended for cutting and stealing copper cable at the substation.

“We decided to beef up security at Zeus substation following an increase in cable theft in recent weeks,” said Tebogo Rakau, divisional executive for security at Eskom. This type of crime at the substation and the resultant power outages negatively impact on customers who are supplied by Zeus substation and compromise substation safety.

Operation Khanyisa
The anti-theft campaign, Operation Khanyisa, is an Eskom-led initiative, which aims to bring awareness to the dangers around these illegal acts. Since 2013, Operation Khanyisa has helped reduce Eskom’s losses from 7,12% to 6.43%, which amounts to an estimated R1,4 billion ($68 million) savings every year in electricity that Eskom would have generated at a loss, the utility explained in an earlier statement.

In addition, the campaign has helped in the recovery of R618 million ($42 million) in revenue for Eskom, while at the same time caught those responsible for these crimes.

12th June 2017

Source: esi-africa.com

Tags: copper theft, Eskom

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Cable thieves arrested in Bot River

Mark Cowan — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:09:49 +0000

Tuesday, 13 September 2016: Eskom’s efforts to stamp out on the apparent increase in incidents of cable theft in the Overberg District in the Western Cape recently paid off dividends when one suspect was apprehended in Bot River whilst a bakkie and the stolen cable was confiscated.

In mid-August, thieves stole strands of Eskom overhead copper conductor valued at approximately R72 000 in Bot River. On investigation, it was immediately discovered that the stolen copper cable had been hidden in the long grass next to a main road. An Eskom-led security task team chased a bakkie driven by two suspects who had arrived to collect the cable. One suspect was arrested and the other fled on foot. The police believe that his arrest is imminent.

Incidents of cable or copper theft remain a serious concern. This is indicative of organised, syndicate-driven criminal activity in the conductor theft environment, which is also experienced by other state-owned enterprises.

The fight against network equipment theft is being addressed by means of intelligence driven investigations by the Hawks, a division of SAPS, which encompasses aggressive policing of the scrap metal market for stolen goods.

The courts are also taking this crime seriously and significant sentences are being handed out to perpetrators. A joint industry working group, formed by Eskom, Transnet, Telkom, SAPS, the National Prosecuting Authority, Business Against Crime and the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), continues to contribute positively in the fight against this crime.

Original Content by ESKOM

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Eskom says security contractor must be able to probe organised crime

Mark Cowan — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:00:46 +0000

ESKOM is looking for a contractor with a team of sleuth-like investigators to gather intelligence‚ analyse forensic evidence and probe organised-crime networks across the country.

Security contractors have until mid-August to furnish the power provider with evidence of their expertise‚ according to a recently issued tender for “security crime investigations”.

The contract calls for experienced investigators with access to “suitable camera equipment to monitor targeted areas‚ surveillance equipment and cellphone software analysing equipment‚ to analyse confiscated cellphones for investigation purposes”.

They would also need to be plugged into a network of experienced informers.

Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said on Friday that the tender was advertised to tackle crimes against the parastatal‚ including electricity theft‚ in the form of illegal connections‚ meter tampering‚ bypassing and stolen pre-paid electricity credit dispensing units.

“Eskom is experiencing incidents of armed robberies at the substations and customer network centres. The criminals are targeting these sites for cables‚ copper components and‚ in certain instances‚ the arms of the guards‚” he said.

Phasiwe added that “criminals are involved in the illegal sales of prepaid electricity”.

Eskom’s annual integrated report for 2016 showed that meter audits had resulted in R372m being billed to large and small power customers‚ “to recover revenue unbilled owing to meter tampers‚ faulty or vandalised metering installations or customers not correctly loaded on the system”.

Fines of R33m were extracted from prepaid customers who had tampered with their electricity meters, and 3,565 tipoffs regarding electricity theft were received from the public.

Phasiwe said that surveillance equipment was needed to “combat the armed robberies and provide an early warning for attempted thefts”.

Software to analyse cell phones would be used against criminals involved in the illegal sales of electricity using “ghost vending machines”‚ which generated a 20-digit code required to recharge customers’ electricity meters.

But it does not end there. Contractors must have bulletproof vests‚ firearms and communication systems.

Eskom executives are under fire for being eligible for performance bonuses worth millions while electricity tariffs rise sharply for consumers. Unions have voiced their displeasure over a proposed 7% wage increase at the parastatal.

Other specifications for tasks to be undertaken include organised-crime investigations; intelligence-based investigations; investigations related to arson‚ sabotage‚ armed robbery and hijacking; and firearm and ammunition related anomalies.

In addition, the winning bidder should be familiar with the identification and tracing of illicit financial transactions and funds, and interviewing and questioning witnesses and suspects.

Other capabilities required include compiling affidavits and taking statements; forensic crime analysis and collaboration with law enforcement agencies such as the police‚ the National Prosecuting Authority and South African Revenue Service.

Source: Business Day Live

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Eskom – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Eskom’s Cable / Copper Theft Crisis

Eskom’s Cable / Copper Theft Crisis

Eskom’s cable and copper theft crisis in Cape Town

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ESKOM Orlando Substation Copper theft – twice in two days

ESKOM Orlando Substation Copper theft – twice in two days

ESKOM’s Orlando East electricity substation was vandalised for the second straight day‚ leaving thousands without power.

The second Copper theft incident on 2nd October involved the theft of two 45m lengths of cable‚ and has left about 2‚438 customers without electricity supply.

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Eskom’s Zeus substation copper theft arrests

Eskom’s Zeus substation copper theft arrests

“When the men realised that they had been seen by the security guards on duty at the substation, they attempted to flee the scene,” Eskom said in a statement.

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Cable thieves arrested in Bot River

Tuesday, 13 September 2016: Eskom’s efforts to stamp out on the apparent increase in incidents of cable theft in the Overberg District in the Western Cape recently paid off dividends when one suspect was apprehended in Bot River whilst a bakkie and the stolen cable was confiscated.

Eskom says security contractor must be able to probe organised crime

ESKOM is looking for a contractor with a team of sleuth-like investigators to gather intelligence‚ analyse forensic evidence and probe organised-crime networks across the country.