Copper cable theft worries SAPP

Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Thursday February 4, 2016 15:58

 

The working group was set up with a primary role of preventing theft of SAPP equipment. Senior managers of power utilities from the regional bloc were meeting in Gaborone to discuss common criminal activities in the power sector and come up with mitigating solutions to address these threats.

The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) corporate manager (safety, health and environment and security) Joseph Phalalo told Mmegi that regional utilities are faced with similar criminal activities but copper cable theft has been top of the list.

He said that since the network infrastructure in SADC is interconnected, the impact of copper cable theft is huge and calls for collaborative efforts. He said that the meeting affords senior officials of SAPP an opportunity to find inventive measures to address the issue.

BPC security superintendent, Israel Mogonono said copper theft is a disease that has also entered the global market and has evolved into a syndicate crime. He said that vandalism of electricity infrastructure happens in a similar trend across all SADC countries.

“Copper cables stolen in Botswana pass through entry points of South Africa, Mozambique and others into the global market. It is a big problem, which needs cross border collaborations. Fighting this crime is easier when we benchmark from each other and formulate common strategies,” he said. Phalalo said that the meeting would come up with a report to be presented to the regional energy ministers meeting. He said that the report would include solutions and recommendations to the problems faced by SAPP.