Surge in copper cable theft

BTCL security team in collaboration with police apprehended a suspected copper cable thief in the wee hours of Monday while three other suspects fled in a white Honda Fit with fake number plates. “We are optimistic that we will arrest his accomplices,” said Sir Seretse Khama Airport Police Station Commander, Banneetse Keakile. According to the police the suspects were intercepted while burning their contraband in one of the farms near Sebele. The cable had been cut a few metres from Gaborone North police station and dragged through farms to Sebele. Keakile said if found guilty, the criminals face a four-year imprisonment or a fine of P50 000 or both.Authorities at Botswana Telecommunication Limited (BTCL) are complaining that copper cable theft is denting operations at the company. Modise Mokgathong, Head of Security Services at BTCL revealed that the company has suffered an increase in overhead and underground copper cables theft, despite increased security patrol teams at night by the company. “Over the past three months, we have been experiencing a surge and have lost close to three million pula in replacement of cables,” said Mokgathong citing that other costs are aligned to service interruptions. Makgathong said due to rapid theft of the cables which occur every week at an alarming rate, repairs are lagging behind. “I am behind in replacements and have also run out of cables in the storeroom,” said Makgathong attributing the rise in copper cable theft to market forces. “There is demand in copper that has grown and the prices have gone up too.” He said the interruptions of services affect both voice and data for customers across board – shops, banks and individuals.