Chairperson, hon members, twice in one month the operation of the Gautrain was disrupted as a result of cable theft. The first cable theft caused a total of 54 trains to be cancelled. It took about seven hours to resolve the problem.
As this train is used largely by business people and airport passengers, it is no exaggeration to say that the loss of time is not only an inconvenience, but it is simply disastrous. At the very moment when everyone was extolling its virtues, the inability of the train to operate on two days in one week has robbed this service of all lustre. Commuter confidence which was building up was severely shaken.
If South Africa is to establish a modernised and viable public transport system, it has to recognise the importance of combating organised crime. This is a challenge greater than the threat of terrorism. Economic sabotage is costing the economy both directly and indirectly.
While the annual direct cost of copper cables is R10 billion, the indirect cost is much higher. With metal prices remaining high or going up, members of organised crime will continue to steal copper while the export market is available to them. Amendments to the International Trade Administration Act will have to be undertaken urgently with all role-players to criminalise trade in stolen copper and other metals. The fact that South Africa exports 350 000 tons of copper scraps per annum must indicate what large quantity of copper, which is stolen each year, gets exported without a problem. It is just too easy. Government has certainly not been on top of the problem. Although the Second-Hand Goods Act was promulgated in April 2009, draft regulations have yet to be formulated. This is indeed an indictment on government.
The announcement by the Minister of Public Enterprises to make cable theft a serious economic offence equivalent to economic sabotage is welcomed, provided that it is followed up with swift action. The Minister of Energy and the Minister of Transport reiterated the same stance. All of us, therefore, would like to know when this classification of cable theft as a serious economic offence will happen as there seems to be consensus within Cabinet regarding this.
For the Gautrain to succeed, it is essential that trains run on schedule. Many commuters have been testing the system during the month of August, and how they will react in future will depend entirely on the level of certainty that the Gautrain can generate.
We should bear in mind that a staggering R30 billion was poured into the Gautrain programme and that this massive expenditure cannot be made futile because government does not have the will to act.
Commentators are noting that the actual cost of lost copper is quite significant. In June this year, the copper theft barometer showed that R14,37 million of copper cable theft had taken place. This year R105,56 million's worth of copper cable was stolen. While this figure is worrying, the knock-on effect of the loss of service to the economy is even more considerable.
What is government doing about this? Apart from policing failures, has the government resorted to any technological solutions such as the use of infrared cameras and alarm systems? Have any arrests been made? Has any of the stolen copper been identified with any of the copper dealers? In the absence of stern government action, copper cables will continue to be stolen and services will continue to be disrupted.
The impact of the Gautrain service disruption due to cable theft has already been negatively felt. Two times in a month is two times too many. On a broader level, the availability of modernised public transport and commuter confidence has been sharply called into question. Everyone knows what the underlying problem is, and everyone in the country is now waiting to see how government is going to act to bring to an end the lucrative trade in stolen copper cables which are effectively sabotaging our stressed and struggling economy. Thank you. [Applause.]