Latest Media Releases
2006
Overhead Cable and Locomotive Battery Theft Cause Serious Disruptions to Spoornet Service
Cable and locomotive battery theft in the East of Johannesburg region in the past few weeks has been seriously disrupting Spoornet's traffic flow. The disruption has been on trains out and into Johannesburg particularly on the Natal corridor and Cape corridor. The commodities that get delayed or affected vary from cement, coal, iron ore, cars, container traffic and also passenger trains.
The theft of overhead cables on the rail line has reached unprecedented levels. During the month of May alone, cable and battery theft has impacted on 494 Spoornet trains, which caused serious delays. Of this number, 94 trains were cancelled. The remaining 400 trains had to be re-planned and this resulted in serious inconveniences being experienced by Spoornet customers. These incidents have caused Spoornet in excess of R140 million in lost revenue and opportunity cost.
This hurts not only Spoornet and its customers but also South Africa as a whole, because when consignments fail to reach their international destinations on time the country's reputation suffers because overseas markets view us as unreliable and inefficient.
Spoornet rails key commodities such as coal, which is required for production processes in factories across the country as well as to power stations. With in mind, clearly Spoornet cannot afford any disruption of its service, however small.
The consequence of cable and locomotive battery theft is not limited to financial losses but can also result in human disaster and tragedy as witnessed in the recent burning of passenger coaches. These were all the result of cable theft.
Cable thefts also often lead to the destruction of Spoornet assets such as locomotives and wagons and can cost the company millions of rands in repairs and replacement.
Spoornet is faced with the challenge of having to secure some 23 000 km of rail track with limited security resources. Nonetheless hot-spots have been identified, several syndicates arrested and innovative technology applied, such as replacing the overhead copper wire cables with tiger wire which doesn't have a high resale value. Spoornet is also working closely with the criminal justice system and the South African Police Services to ensure that the full might of the law is applied to those found guilty. This is viewed as sabotage and stringent imprisonment sentences are expected to be meted out to the criminals.
Spoornet appeals to the public to assist in the fight against crime. The public can convey information through Spoornet's toll-free number- 0800 117 997 and rewards of up to R25 000 will be paid to individuals who provide positive information that leads to the recovery of Spoornet property and/or the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of crime against Spoornet.
For further enquiries, contact:
Molatwane Likhethe
Spoornet's Spokesperson
083 300 9586.
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