CABLES & CABLE ACCESSORIES
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Cable theft in South Africa: causes, impact, and solutions
Electrical earth connections through cable glands
• Power outages: Theft of electricity cables causes frequent blackouts,
impacting homes, businesses, hospitals, and schools. These
outages disrupt economic activity and jeopardise essential services. • Transport disruption: The railway sector, especially PRASA and Transnet, faces theft of signalling and power cables. This causes trains to be delayed or cancelled, affecting commuters and freight logistics. • Telecommunications disruption: Stolen telecom cables lead to connectivity outages, impacting both urban and rural areas and hindering emergency response efforts. • Economic Costs: The financial burden is enormous, with billions of rands spent yearly on repairs, replacements, and security measures. The indirect costs, such as lost productivity and investor confidence, further weaken the economy. Possible solutions Addressing cable theft in South Africa requires a multi-pronged approach: 1. Strengthening law enforcement • Establish specialised police units dedicated to investigating and preventing cable theft. • Increase patrols and surveillance in hotspot areas, using technology such as drones and CCTV. • Impose harsher penalties for offenders and ensure swift prosecution. 2. Regulating the scrap metal industry • Enforce strict licensing and record- keeping for scrap metal dealers. • Mandate proof of origin for all copper sales to deter the trade in stolen goods. • Conduct regular audits and impose heavy fines for non-compliance. 3. Community engagement and awareness Launch educational campaigns to highlight the societal impact of cable theft. • Encourage communities to report suspicious activities. • Offer rewards or incentives for information leading to arrests. 4. Technological innovations • Replace copper cables with less valuable alternatives, such as aluminium or fibre optic cables, where feasible. • Implement cable-marking and tracking systems to trace stolen materials. • Use tamper-proof infrastructure and smart sensors to detect theft attempts in real time. 5. Addressing socio-economic factors • Create job opportunities and skills development programs in high-risk areas to reduce the incentive for cable theft. • Support community upliftment initiatives that provide alternatives to criminal activity. Conclusion Cable theft hampers South Africa’s progress and security. Consistent, coordinated efforts among government, law enforcement, industry, and communities are vital to safeguard infrastructure and ensure a safer future.
CCG Integral Earth Gland
Cable Glands bonded at both ends
C able theft disrupts essential services, undermining possible solutions. The scale and causes of cable theft Cable theft mainly targets copper cables used for electricity supply, telecommunications, and railway signalling. The high global demand for copper and rising black-market prices make these cables attractive for criminal gangs and opportunistic thieves. South Africa’s widespread unemployment, poverty, and limited law enforcement resources further worsen the issue, creating an environment where such crimes are both tempting and profitable. South Africa’s infrastructure, economy, and daily life. This article explores its root causes, extensive impacts, and Organised crime groups are frequently involved, employing sophisticated methods to extract and transport stolen cables. The presence of unscrupulous scrap dealers, who purchase stolen copper with minimal scrutiny, sustains this cycle. Efforts to regulate the scrap metal industry have achieved limited success due to corruption and enforcement loopholes.
Cable Glands bonded at one end
electromagnetic interference (EMI), they are connected to cables that could form part of an installation that could emit or be susceptible to electromagnetic interference. It is essential that the connection between the cable gland and the cable screen maintains the cable’s screening protection. This is achieved by ensuring a proper connection to earth and preventing gaps in the screening provided by the gland itself. Independent tests according to EN 55011 and EN 55022 EMC standards for class B radiation emissions demonstrate the typical difference in electromagnetic emissions from a cable when the screen is connected to earth versus when it is not. (The red line is regarded as the ‘pass’ mark.) The graph above shows the result when the cable screen is NOT connected to earth within the cable gland, allowing the cable to act as an aerial and transmit radiation. Note that at most frequencies, the electromagnetic radiation level exceeds acceptable limits. The second graph shows the same installation, but this time the cable screen is correctly connected to earth through the cable gland. Note that at all tested frequencies, the electromagnetic radiation level is well below acceptable limits. This clearly demonstrates the importance of correctly earthing the cable armour or screen within the cable gland.
When to isolate a cable gland Whilst the correct connection of a cable gland (and hence the cable armour) to earth is important, there is one common installation that requires a gland to be isolated from earth: when it carries a single-core power cable as part of a multi-phase installation. Eddy currents are created in the armour of energised single-core power cables and become significant if the cable is carrying a high current (typically > 200A). If more than one phase of an electrical power system is connected to a metal enclosure (or a metal gland plate) and each phase is supplied through a single-core cable, then eddy currents will flow through the armour of the cables, the cable glands and the enclosure or gland plate. These induced currents can be large enough to generate significant heat, potentially melting the cable in extreme cases. The solution is to earth the cable glands/cable armour at one end of the cable and to isolate them at the other end. This can be achieved with a dedicated insulated gland or a standard gland in conjunction with an insulated adaptor. This will retain the electrical integrity of the installation and prevent the dangerous circulation of eddy currents with the associated heat generation.
The impact of cable theft The consequences of cable theft are severe and multi-layered:
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SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS
APRIL 2026
APRIL 2026
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