Chapter 9
KRM 110
Property Crimes
● Costs the South African economy between R5 billion and R7 billion.
● Consequences of property crime:
○ Loss of income.
○ Disruption of services.
○ Labour costs to repair affected networks and implementation of security
measures.
● Sources for stealing cable and aluminium:
○ Overhead power lines, underground power and communication cables &
copper earth cables.
○ Power substations.
○ Signal cables.
○ Non-ferrous metal in railway carriages from doors, basins and window
frames.
Copper Cable and aluminium theft
● Opportunistic thieves:
○ Steal small pieces of cable.
○ Addicted to drugs and steals to support the habit.
○ Kamikazes.
○ They lose regard for their own lives and are willing to cut electric cables
without any concern about being electrocuted.
○ Unemployed.
1
, ○ Involved in collecting scrap metal for subsistence purposes.
○ Repeat offenders.
○ Likely to be illegal immigrants, who after being caught, are deported to their
countries of origin.
● Organised criminal group:
○ Well-equipped with industrial cutting tools, trucks, pulleys.
○ Organise themselves as either metal spotters, cutters or transporters.
○ Informal training centre.
○ Steal long sections of cable and first cut off the electricity.
● Bucket shops: Unregistered scrap dealer who trades in stolen metal.
● Cables are not only sold to scrap metal dealers but there is an emerging trend of
copper melting plants in remote rural areas.
○ The cables are melted into ingots before they are shipped overseas.
○ The stolen copper is trafficked to China and India for the manufacturing of
electronic components.
● Cable thieves:
○ Work at night.
○ Prefer remote areas as there may not be cable alarms to alert the
authorities.
○ They work with military style precision.
○ They do not work when it rains for fear of being electrocuted.
● The role-players in copper cable:
○ Level 1: Cutters/thieves.
○ Level 2: Bucket shops.
○ Level 3: Recruiters/facilitators/distributors.
○ Level 4: Exporters/scrap metal dealers receiving stolen copper.
○ Level 5: Transnational facilitators.
2
, ● Contributing factors to the theft of non-ferrous metals:
○ Illegal immigrants in South Africa desperate for work.
○ Increased unemployment.
○ Involvement of organised crime syndicates.
○ Demand for copper and aluminium.
○ Limited control over the export of metals to other countries.
○ Availability of scrap metal dealers who knowingly buy stolen copper.
○ The light sentences for this type of crime imposed by the criminal justice
system (CJS).
Commercial Crimes
● Includes all types of fraud, forgery, misappropriation and embezzlement.
● Fraudulent investment schemes promise investors that they will receive high
returns on their investments much higher returns than conventional institutions
such as banks would pay.
Ponzi Schemes
● It is also known as money multiplication schemes.
● Investors are led to believe that should they invest capital in the scheme, they will
enjoy higher than normal rate of return and at a later stage will receive a lump-sum
payment.
● The “returns” paid to the investors are made using their own capital investment.
3
KRM 110
Property Crimes
● Costs the South African economy between R5 billion and R7 billion.
● Consequences of property crime:
○ Loss of income.
○ Disruption of services.
○ Labour costs to repair affected networks and implementation of security
measures.
● Sources for stealing cable and aluminium:
○ Overhead power lines, underground power and communication cables &
copper earth cables.
○ Power substations.
○ Signal cables.
○ Non-ferrous metal in railway carriages from doors, basins and window
frames.
Copper Cable and aluminium theft
● Opportunistic thieves:
○ Steal small pieces of cable.
○ Addicted to drugs and steals to support the habit.
○ Kamikazes.
○ They lose regard for their own lives and are willing to cut electric cables
without any concern about being electrocuted.
○ Unemployed.
1
, ○ Involved in collecting scrap metal for subsistence purposes.
○ Repeat offenders.
○ Likely to be illegal immigrants, who after being caught, are deported to their
countries of origin.
● Organised criminal group:
○ Well-equipped with industrial cutting tools, trucks, pulleys.
○ Organise themselves as either metal spotters, cutters or transporters.
○ Informal training centre.
○ Steal long sections of cable and first cut off the electricity.
● Bucket shops: Unregistered scrap dealer who trades in stolen metal.
● Cables are not only sold to scrap metal dealers but there is an emerging trend of
copper melting plants in remote rural areas.
○ The cables are melted into ingots before they are shipped overseas.
○ The stolen copper is trafficked to China and India for the manufacturing of
electronic components.
● Cable thieves:
○ Work at night.
○ Prefer remote areas as there may not be cable alarms to alert the
authorities.
○ They work with military style precision.
○ They do not work when it rains for fear of being electrocuted.
● The role-players in copper cable:
○ Level 1: Cutters/thieves.
○ Level 2: Bucket shops.
○ Level 3: Recruiters/facilitators/distributors.
○ Level 4: Exporters/scrap metal dealers receiving stolen copper.
○ Level 5: Transnational facilitators.
2
, ● Contributing factors to the theft of non-ferrous metals:
○ Illegal immigrants in South Africa desperate for work.
○ Increased unemployment.
○ Involvement of organised crime syndicates.
○ Demand for copper and aluminium.
○ Limited control over the export of metals to other countries.
○ Availability of scrap metal dealers who knowingly buy stolen copper.
○ The light sentences for this type of crime imposed by the criminal justice
system (CJS).
Commercial Crimes
● Includes all types of fraud, forgery, misappropriation and embezzlement.
● Fraudulent investment schemes promise investors that they will receive high
returns on their investments much higher returns than conventional institutions
such as banks would pay.
Ponzi Schemes
● It is also known as money multiplication schemes.
● Investors are led to believe that should they invest capital in the scheme, they will
enjoy higher than normal rate of return and at a later stage will receive a lump-sum
payment.
● The “returns” paid to the investors are made using their own capital investment.
3
