Vodacom Central Region bolsters its defenses to curb rising battery theft and vandalism at base station sites

BLOEMFONTEIN – Festive season time is usually accompanied by a significant rise in criminal activities, including a surge in hijackings, home invasions, ATM fraud, mall robberies and battery theft and base station vandalism.  Vodacom Central Region is intensifying its efforts to tackle the rampant issue of base station battery theft and vandalism. The region reports an average of between 25 and 28 incidents of vandalism and battery theft per month, with scores of batteries (123 batteries stolen in eight months) stolen at the region’s base stations monthly.

“Our base stations are still vulnerable to theft and vandalism as criminal syndicates find new ways to commit this illicit activity. What we are seeing now are criminal syndicates, even after stealing batteries and other items, they ransack base station sites to a point of destruction. These illegal operations interrupt network services, which frequently causes users to experience outages. The repercussions extend beyond the price of infrastructure restoration and repair. Their effects are profound for communities that rely on connectivity as a lifeline,” says Evah Mthimunye, Managing Executive of Vodacom Central Region.

For many communities, especially those in remote areas, cellular base stations serve as the primary form of connectivity. When these sites fall victim to vandalism and theft, thousands of residents are left without crucial communication services. Each incident can result in the network in that area being down for days and can severely affect businesses as well as anyone relying on the internet to study, let alone those needing to contact loved ones or make a call in an emergency.

Restoring connectivity incurs further downtime and costs, between R38 000 and R100 000 per site, depending on the extent of the damage and the location. To date, the region has experienced hard losses of over R4 million from site vandalism and theft and this figure excludes repairs and traveling.

The crime has gotten so serious that criminals are now targeting generators, batteries, cables and diesel at these sites, exacerbating the situation, adds Mthimunye.

In addressing these challenges, Vodacom Central Region has increased security measures by installing CCTV cameras to monitor base station sites and capture suspicious activities and deploying armed response in the event of an intrusion. High-quality hardened security cabinets are being utilised to safeguard essential infrastructure, such as batteries, with steel-clad containers equipped with alarms to deter unauthorised access. The region has partnered police, communities, farm watches and the SANDF to protect our sites and become our first line of defense.

As a result of collaborative efforts with law enforcement agencies, there have been some successful prosecutions in the region. In May 2022, three accused were found guilty of damage to essential infrastructure and theft of Vodacom batteries at Boschrand, Winburg. They were sentenced to 15 years on each count, serving a total of 30 years of imprisonment. Last November, an accused was found guilty of theft from infrastructure for stealing a generator near Schoeman Park Golf Course in Bloemfontein the previous year, causing damage amounting to R800 000. They were sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. There are six cases in courts across the country.

“Vodacom Central Region recognises that community engagement is critical to our success in combating theft and vandalism. We are convinced that if all parties involved band together, this illegal action can be stopped and everyone will gain from continuous connectivity,” concludes Mthimunye.

Vodacom would like to appeal to citizens to report incidents of battery theft or site vandalism by calling its toll-free number: 082 241 9952 or SAPS on 10111.