MTN South Africa has joined forces with the Gauteng Provincial Community Police Board to aid community policing forums (CPFs) in their battle against infrastructure theft, battery theft, and vandalism at cellular towers. The pilot phase of this partnership initiated in Soweto, where a command centre, outfitted with laptops, printers, and other data collection tools, was set up.
The project aims to explore how technology can aid in preventing and reducing criminal activities at cellphone towers. Tools such as CCTV and WiFi will be employed to track illicit activities and prompt an immediate response from the authorities. CPF members will also be equipped with panic buttons, handcuffs, and new uniforms.
MTN South Africa determined to take this stand due to the significant costs incurred from such criminal activities and to prevent disruptions in network access for communities during emergencies or work. In March 2023 alone, the vandalism and battery theft caused MTN South Africa to expend R1.5 billion ($78.9 million) to maintain the smooth running of its mobile network.
The partnership of MTN SA to combat theft occurs just a week after another South African telecom provider, Telkom, declared that its Security and Investigation Team is collaborating with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to apprehend and bring to justice those involved in cable theft and infrastructure vandalism in South Africa.
Telkom asserts that it has accomplished “hundreds of convictions” over the past six years. From July 2017 to December 2023, 3,003 individuals were apprehended, but only 523 were successfully convicted. Approximately 311 individuals are under suspicion for vandalism crimes, with 1,126 alleged cases still pending trial.
Mobile operators in South Africa have faced losses running into hundreds of millions of rands due to infrastructure theft and vandalism, reportedly one of the top crimes in the country. Cable theft alone inflicts an estimated annual damage of R7 billion ($372.24 million).
Vodacom estimates that vandalism and theft annually cost the company between R120 million ($6.3 million) and R130 million ($6.8 million). Consequently, the company has bolstered security measures in KwaZulu-Natal, incorporating surveillance cameras, deploying trained security personnel, and introducing high-security battery cabinets and reinforced site containers.
“Every month, the region experiences between 90 and 140 incidents of vandalism and 120 and 160 battery thefts,” according to a report.
