The staggered week-long strike at Transnet has resulted in a spike in cable theft, further hampering the port and rail manager’s operations.
The CEO of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), Sizakele Mzimela said on Tuesday that the “dramatic” increase especially in its container corridor continues to seriously hamper the movement of trains.
“It’s a stop-go operation at this stage because once we have cleared the cables… further up, we will find another incident of theft of cable”.
In conversation with Bruce Whitfield, TFR’s Acting Chief Commercial Officer noted that a rise in cable theft had been a problem before the recent strike.
Bonginkosi Mabaso says Transnet has seen an increase of up to about 180% in the number of incidents across its network over the past five years.
For this reason the spike during the strike can’t be pinned down automatically to an “inside job”, he maintains.
Bonginkosi Mabaso, Acting Chief Commercial Officer – Transnet Freight Rail:
It could be attributed to a number of elements, some of which include the level at which our security resources were stretched in ensuring we safeguard assets during the strike, but also in ensuring that critical elements of the goods that we move were secured.
Also the fact that there was no traffic moving in our infrastructure and in our line made it possible then for the syndicates that possibly are targeting our system, to have access to certain areas in our network.
At the crux of the matter is the fact that Transnet is not a security company Mabaso says.
Bonginkosi Mabaso, Acting Chief Commercial Officer – Transnet Freight Rail:
Of course we have a obligation to safeguard our assets and ensure that we keep them in operating condition… but in the end this problem of ‘lawlessness’ has become bigger than Transnet and bigger than any organisation in the country. Therefore it really requires a lot of input from all stakeholders, including government.
Mabaso says Transnet at least has the right to its own security forces that are empowered to make arrests.
He wants the focus to shift to clamping down on those entities that actually buy the stolen copper cable.
Bonginkosi Mabaso, Acting Chief Commercial Officer – Transnet Freight Rail:
By the time it gets to the port it’s too late – we need to nip it at the point where these cables are being purchased.
-EWN
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