Crime in KwaZulu-Natal is hindering Vodacom’s efforts to achieve the company’s goal of building an inclusive digital society that caters for everyone including those living in rural areas.
The company on Tuesday said that of the 1186 batteries that went into the network, 1125 were stolen.
Molefe Mahlangu, Vodacom’s executive of operations, speaking at the company’s regional head office in uMhlanga on Tuesday, said criminal incidents have gone down in the last financial year, but incidents of battery theft are still high.
The company is affected by crime across the province with the hot spots including eThekwini, Pietermaritzburg and KwaDukuza.
“Out of the 1186 batteries that went into the network, 1125 were stolen. That effectively means we only installed 61 batteries.
“And if you consider that each site takes about four batteries in essence we only installed on 15 sites,” he said.
These stolen batteries are driven by demand on the black-market to be used with alternate energy sources like solar panels or solar inverters while some are taken across the borders to other countries.
Mahlangu said as Vodacom takes five steps forward, crime pushes the company four steps back.
“It costs about R1million to build a tower. Currently, we have 32 that are temporarily decommissioned because of vandalism.
“This means we have R32million worth of investment or infrastructure just lying around doing nothing and if you consider the impact in terms of services to the community you can imagine the magnitude of that,” he said.
In the previous financial year, 32% (about 85) of the 270 high security battery cabinets were breached, he said.
“So crime is working against us in our fight to improve network experience.”
Mahlangu said the company found thieves among some of the contractors who installed the cabinets. A few weeks after installation, they would return to breach the cabinets and steal the batteries.
“A special programme is handled by head office and good traction is being made in terms of people of interest.”
There was an incident where a battery cost the company R45000 was stolen and advertised for R13000 on social media, he said.
“We had an employee being hijacked on site; he was stabbed while attending to a fault on the South Coast. And there was an attempted hijacking of an employee going to a site in December.”
Managing regional executive of Vodacom, Imran Khan, said vandalism can get so bad that they decommission sites and this has an affect on many people.
Khan said working together with communities to fight these crimes paid off when a lead from a community member led to an arrest recently.
Vodacom said to address battery theft and base station vandalism, the region has installed security cameras to monitor sites and deployed security personnel to respond quickly to any suspicious activity.
“High security battery cabinets and hardened site containers have also been installed, making it more difficult for criminals to access valuable equipment.
“In addition, the region is working closely with law enforcement agencies and security companies to arrest thieves for prosecution with several cases awaiting trial,” Khan said.
Vodacom acknowledges that the fight against vandalism and theft is ongoing and criminals are constantly finding new ways to operate illegally.
“Therefore, Vodacom appeals to all stakeholders, including law enforcement and communities, to play their part in curbing these offences.
“We have seen success in deterring thieves when members of the communities, such as farmers, report criminal activity, Khan said.
“Stopping vandalism and theft is in everyone’s interest to prevent network disruption and ensure inclusive access to the benefits of connectivity.”
Vodacom urged the public to report incidents of battery theft or site vandalism through their toll-free number: 082 241 9952 or by contacting the SAPS on 10111.
The Mercury