Chair, the Gautrain is a magnificent service and the cable theft that threatens it must be stopped. A Bombela spokesman says disruptions are already having a massive impact on the economy and are demoralising commuters. One comment on Twitter says, "I'm starting to think that Gautrain is Public Utility Transport Corporation, Putco, in drag."
Somebody reasons that the cable theft problem appears not to be underground, but with the area around substations or inside substations, where cables buried in concrete have to rise. These appear to be the thieves' target areas and, clearly, the points at which greater security is required. Unless cable theft is an inside job, which must be investigated, dogs and CCTV cameras are not doing the job. There must be a vulnerable point in the present system which needs urgent attention.
In the United Kingdom, UK, cameras and motion detectors are camouflaged inside discarded pipes, bits of sleepers, and stones glued together. Disguised in vulnerable places, they send images of thieves to railway police on their cellphones for detection and arrest. Surely, we can do this too.
A South African inventor has, in fact, patented a durable tamperproof shield for underground cables using redundant truck tyres. The tamperproof shield prevents cables from being directly accessed or dragged from the ground. Local firms have systems to take photos over three to five kilometres for alert and detection.
The Gautrain is ours. We should protect it and extend the concept to benefit our economy and the people of South Africa. The ACDP calls on the Minister of State Security to crack down on not only those stealing, but also those dealing and creating a market for cable theft. Thank you.