Provincial police spokesperson Dimakatso Mooi, confirms two suspects who are currently in police custody are set to appear in the Warrenton Magistrate’s Court on Monday for their alleged involvement in the theft of R156 000 worth of cell phone tower batteries in Kimberley and the Galeshewe township. 

Mooi explains authorities managed to track the suspects down in Warrenton which is close to 80 kilometres away from the scene of the alleged crimes. It is here that they were arrested on Thursday, 12 March. Mooi was unable to state which mobile operator the batteries belonged to.

The incident comes less than a month since the Managing Executive of Vodacom in the central region, which comprises of the Free State and Northern Cape, Mamello Selamolela, told media, that 40% of their base stations or sites in the region that has power alternatives like batteries and generators installed, were the targets of attempted and successful vandalism and theft. Selamolela says while this is a problem that affects all mobile network providers in the country, it’s a problem costing Vodacom in the region of R15 million a year on average repairing sites that have been vandalised.

She says this is money the company cannot afford, but that ends up being spent due to criminal activity. Selamolela has noticed that “the worse the load-shedding problem becomes, the worse the vandalism also becomes” - a vicious circle. 

One of Vodacom’s sites in the region has been frequently targeted by vandals, forcing the company to cough out R2,5 million “just on alternative power on that site alone”. The Managing Executive notes that this is unsustainable in the long run.

The mobile network provider has been working alongside law enforcement officials, police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to increase penalties for the theft of network infrastructure, a feat which they say has been achieved. Selamolela says the theft of infrastructure is an industry-wide problem and needs to be dealt with as such.

Elsewhere in the country, in early February the Directorate for Priority Crime, known as the Hawks, in KwaZulu-Natal arrested three suspects on the N2 after they were found in possession 48 cell phone tower batteries to the total value of R480 000 as well as a stolen van.

OFM News