Madam Deputy Speaker, I'm referring to large-scale cable theft to obtain the valuable copper and other metal cores in this dubious industry, and wish to congratulate the authorities for arresting some culprits involved, particularly in the sabotage at the Manenberg sub- power station.
This criminal activity has increased by leaps and bounds and represents a clear obstacle to sustained economic growth. Major disruption is caused by an overhead train cable being stolen which leaves workers stranded and disrupts production; or theft of an electrical cable leaving an entire industrial area without power and forcing businesses to shut down.
There are clear indications that cable theft is organised and that scrap dealers might be involved. The IFP therefore wants to propose that only approved recycling businesses such as Eskom, Telkom and large municipalities should be allowed to deal in reclaimed copper and other metals derived from cables. In this way, perverse economic reasons for the thefts could be controlled.
Furthermore, copper could be classified as a precious metal thereby restricting general merchandising on the open market with this metal.
Cable theft is clearly a form of economic sabotage and the IFP also wants to propose that the legal definition of sabotage be expanded to include cable theft, which is indeed the destruction and sabotage of infrastructure. Severe sentences and penalties should be imposed on those found guilty of this economic crime in order to stamp it out, once and for all. I thank you, Madam Speaker.