In the ten months between July last year and April this year, the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) Metal Theft Unit made 88 arrests and recovered more than a kilometre of stolen cable and more than 800 kg of stolen metal.

The unit also completed 5 979 patrols in hotspot areas, executed 1 257 scrapyard compliance inspections, responded to 423 complaints from the public, and issued 3 095 fines for various by-law transgressions.

Since July last year, the unit has also closed 42 scrap metal dealerships and 94 bucket shops following site inspections.

The reasons for closure included continued noncompliance with applicable legislation, or failing to register as a second-hand goods dealer or metal recycler.

Scrap metal dealers are generally formal businesses, trading on a large scale in an area zoned for business, while bucket shops are registered dealers that tend to trade from residential properties in suburbs.

Cape Town has more than 600 scrap dealers and bucket shops.

In recent years, the Metal Theft Unit, like many other units in the city’s Safety and Security Directorate, has started using technology such as CCTV, drones and thermal imagery to amplify their operations and cover more ground, particularly in more rural landscapes.

“We are confident that the near 30% increase in hotspot patrols has prevented acts of criminality and protected essential infrastructure in the process,” says CoCT Safety and Security MMC JP Smith.

“Our staff monitor the entire pipeline, keeping scrap dealers honest. Anyone found without proper registration or contravening any of the applicable legislation is closed upon inspection.

“Public assistance is critical in clamping down on the illegal trade in metals, so if you see something, please report it, no matter how big or small,” adds Smith.

“In one of the most recent cases before court, there was a theft conviction for stealing a see-saw from a park in Ravensmead. So, justice does come around in some of these cases.”

Another conviction awaiting sentencing relates to damage to and/or possession of essential Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa infrastructure.

Meanwhile, in the Blue Down’s Magistrate’s Court, a suspect was convicted in April for the possession of stolen property, after he was found with eight bags of Transnet cable weighing 409.15 kg in Kraaifontein in 2023.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.