PRASA has welcomed the ban on the trade of scrap metal.
“Theft of cables and metals have badly damaged the Prasa network,” said acting group CEO Hishaam Emeran. Emeran said they believed the ban on trading in scrap metal would make it more difficult for thieves to damage passenger rail assets.
“We have beefed up security, introducing military-grade fencing to protect our most valuable assets. Since we implemented the integrated security plan, asset-related crimes have dropped significantly,” he said.
“But it is not economically feasible to fence our entire network and this policy change on the trade of waste scrap and semi-processed metals will assist our efforts.”
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He said cable theft and vandalism of substations and signalling equipment resulted in financial losses as Prasa had to pay the cost of repairing, replacing and protecting equipment. Emeran said the theft of metal and copper had forced Prasa to rebuild its rail corridors.
He said others were in the same boat as Prasa.
“Transnet Freight Rail, Telkom and Eskom have also seen their networks targeted by thieves, many of them highly organised,” he said,
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Prasa chairman Leonard Ramatlakane said they welcomed assurances by Police Minister Bheki Cele that the government would strengthen law enforcement around stolen assets.
“Our focus should be on running passenger trains, not spending billions to protect our network,” he said.
Prasa spokesman Andiswa Makanda said without the ban, the trade in stolen cables and metal would continue and place an unbearable burden on the organisation to secure its infrastructure.
