Several Transnet contract security officials have been killed while criminals have been in the process of stealing overhead copper cables this month.
The death of the three security officials follows the earlier fatalities of a further two staff members who were injured and died during a cable theft incident in November.
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) management described the situation as “untenable”, demanding “drastic action” to combat the crime.
“Transnet Freight Rail condemns the level of violence meted out on its security personnel who are employed to safeguard and secure the company’s essential infrastructure. These violent, murderous acts cannot go unchallenged and the perpetrators must feel the full might of the law; once arrested they should be handed the maximum possible sentence,” said Marius Bennett, TFR’s security and forensics general manager.
He said TFR’s security efforts had led to a significant decrease in security-related incidents. For the financial year 2022/23 to date there has been a 22% decrease in the number of security incidents, from 3 180 to 2 520 incidents compared to the same period in the 2021/22 financial year.
There has also been a 33% reduction in the length of cable stolen, from 1 206 608 metres to 811 671 metres for the period.
However, the estimated volume of cabling lost due to various security incidents remained high at 5 509 185 tons in the 2022/2023 financial year to date, as at December 21, 2022.
TFR has appealed to the public to assist the parastatal in the fight against cable theft by contacting the Transnet Freight Rail Essential Infrastructure Crime hotline on 0800 8000 34 or the Crime-Stop hotline on 0860 010111 to report any suspicious activities near and around the rail network.
