ANDILE NTINGI: Ending infrastructure vandalism requires enforcement

As copper cable thieves continue to disrupt power supplies, knock out telecommunications networks and prevent freight and commuter trains from running on time — if at all — authorities have their hands full trying to contain the cartels behind the destruction of our public infrastructure that costs the economy as much as R47bn each year.  

For too long SA has been experiencing a gradual breakdown of law and order that as evidenced by the steady rise in violent crime, corruption, theft and vandalism of public property, as well as rampant dumping of waste in many cities and towns.  

Navigating pothole-riddled roads, water shortages, sewerage leaks and electricity blackouts has become a daily reality for millions of South Africans, who are forced to put up with a public infrastructure that is falling apart due to underinvestment, poor maintenance, theft and vandalism.  

In an attempt to address the issue, the government plans to spend R903bn upgrading the infrastructure over the next three years. About 78% of this money will be spent on expanding and improving power generation, transport networks, sanitation and water provision. The state will have to work closely with the private sector to be able to successfully deliver projects on time and within budget.

The deteriorating state of transport infrastructure is not only reducing the quality of life for many South Africans; it is also deterring investment and holding back economic growth. Our country’s railway network, the most expansive in Africa, covering more than 30,000km, has been vandalised and stripped by criminals looking to make a quick buck from scrap metal to such an extent that freight is now mostly transported by road, and commuters have opted for more expensive minibus taxis.  

This haemorrhaging of public infrastructure is accompanied by an entrenched culture of disgruntled citizens going on the rampage during public protests, burning tyres, vandalising public property and throwing litter on the streets to air their grievances, rather than protesting peacefully. 

The government’s response has been weak, emboldening vandals and thieves to act with impunity. We are at a point where we are crying out for ethical and competent leaders to reverse the seemingly unstoppable crime and grime that is plaguing our country.  

South Africans long for visionary and no-nonsense leaders in the mould of late Southeast Asian statesman and the late Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, current Rwandan president Paul Kagame, and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to end lawlessness and build a capable state. 

Lee transformed Singapore, a poor and overcrowded city state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, into one of the world’s leading business hubs, with a high standard of living and clean, green living and working spaces.  

Kagame has overseen the development of Rwanda into one of the cleanest countries in the world, likened to Singapore and Switzerland, thanks to the adoption of umuganda, a community cleanup that is held on the last Saturday of every month. 

Mohammed, a billionaire real estate investor and developer, is credited with growing the UAE’s city of Dubai into a global metropolis that is a hub for finance, trade and tourism.  

Seventeenth century English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes could have had leaders of the calibre of Lee, Kagame and Mohammed in mind when he published his seminal work, Leviathan, in 1651. In it he argues that in a situation where there is no strong supreme leader (a leviathan) or government to enforce law and order there is bound to be chaos, anarchy and destruction. 

Lee, Kagame and Mohammed are considered autocratic and authoritarian, but there is no denying their innate benevolence, which steered their countries towards development. Dubai and Singapore have achieved developed-world world status, and Rwanda is well on its way to joining that elite club. 

Those countries are sticklers for law and order and go to extraordinary lengths to protect public and private property, making them attractive destinations for trade, investment and tourism. In Singapore, you risk being caned for vandalising, stealing, or damaging public property. In Rwanda the state imposes heavy fines on people who dump waste in public spaces. In addition, every Rwandan citizen is legally obligated to participate in community clean-ups, even though critics say this amounts to forced labour.   

In contrast, the SA government has been incapable of vigorously enforcing its anti-vandalism and anti-waste dumping laws, creating the impression that it treats littering and destruction of public property as petty crimes. This is a sign of a failing state that is unable to exert its authority.  

It was revealed during a parliamentary debate in September that of more than 6,000 people arrested for their alleged involvement in public infrastructure vandalism and theft, just 193 of them have been convicted.  

Telkom and other private telecommunications companies such as Vodacom, MTN and Cell C are being affected by the theft of batteries from their base stations that provide backup power for mobile phone networks in the event of blackouts. The net effect of blackouts and battery theft is that it reduces network coverage, preventing customers from making voice calls and connecting to the internet.  

The police have also been unable to stem the tide of copper cable theft, which led to calls for government to impose a ban on the trade and export of scrap metal. State-owned companies such as Eskom and Transnet, which are critical to infrastructure provision, have been hardest hit by the problem.  

In November, the government announced plans to impose a six-month moratorium on the export of scrap metal. In addition, it intends introducing legislation prohibiting cash transactions when dealing in scrap metal.  

That implies that buyers will need to provide electronic banking records for the scrap metal they keep at their warehouses. A licensing system will also be introduced, which will permit only registered buyers to deal in scrap metal from registered sellers. The registered traders will have to be tax compliant and submit records of their trading information to a centralised database. 

It remains to be seen whether these proposed interventions can put an end to cable theft, but one thing is clear: they will fall flat if the government is unable to enforce laws and punish the criminals that are hell-bent on destroying our infrastructure and economy. 

• Ntingi is founder of GetBiz.