Copper thieves are crippling phone network

A RECENT increase in the price of copper has had a severe effect on Telecom Namibia and its customers, as thieves steal to cash in on the market change.

A number of rural settlements in the Otjozondjupa Region lost their phone services this week after thieves nabbed some three kilometres of copper wire from the Telecom network, while yet another copper theft on the Wilhelmstal route was reported Wednesday night. Residents of the old mining village of Berg Aukas, some 22 km north of Grootfontein, could make no phone calls Monday evening after criminals stole 500 metres of copper wire from the network in the area.On the same evening, thieves cut and hauled away some 2,5 km of copper wire, resulting in a similar outage for 16 subscribers and public phone users in the Okotjituuo rural settlements of the Otjozondjupa Region.Oiva Angula, senior manager of corporate communications at Telecom, said yesterday that their personnel, assisted by the Grootfontein Police, were able to recover some 675 kg of the stolen copper wire that was hidden under bushes, ready to be transported for sale as scrap metal.Of these, approximately 584 kg of copper wire was found at Okotjituuo, and some 88 kg of copper wire at Berg Aukas.On Wednesday night, thieves again targeted the route between Okahandja and Wilhelmstal, but all the stolen copper wire was found hidden nearby in the bush.Early in January, 23 poles of copper wire were stolen on the Wilhelmstal SOR-18 route.”This is after another 10-km stretch of copper wire was looted from the network in the same area during the weekend of the September 15 to 17 last year,” Angula said.Judging from statistics, the theft of copper wire in the Dordabis area was getting “pretty serious”, he said.”In the last year, it has gotten pretty bad, with at least 10 different thefts reported to the Police at both Dordabis and the Hosea Kutako International Airport since February 2006.”He said the areas most affected by copper wire theft were Otjinene, Otjiwa, Summerdown, Rehoboth, Dordabis, Ovitoto/ Gross Barmen, Usakos, Omaruru, Karibib, Tsaobis, Wilhelmstal, Hochfeld, Okondjatu, Ondjona and Otjosondu.In January this year, 2.5 km of copper wire was stolen some four kilometres from Otavi on the Otjiwarongo road, a month after another 1,2 km of copper wire was stolen in the same area.Some 2,1 km of copper wire was stolen near Rehoboth in January, while another copper wire theft was recorded at Kombat during the same period.The Okahandja area also recorded two cases of copper wire pilfering in December 2006 and one in January this year.Angula said the open wire network in the Otjiwarongo district was a regular targets for criminals.He said recently 12 cases were reported to the local Police.In the Usakos area, the line connecting customers at the Spitzkoppe and surrounding areas was cut by thieves in December 2006.Since October 2006, Angula said, thieves have stolen copper wire and telephone poles between Ondangwa and Oshivelo on two occasions, affecting 35 subscribers whose services cannot be restored due to the non-availability of stock on the market.In the Okavango Region, criminals continue to cut and steal the remainder of the copper wire infrastructure there.”They are nowadays constantly targeting the underground and overhead routes in the areas of Sauyema, Safari, Tutungeni, Kayirayira and Rundu town itself,” Angula said.He said the theft of copper wire from the Telecom network was widespread in Namibia as thieves try to cash in on the relatively high price of copper, which has more than doubled in the past year.”The thieves know exactly where they can sell it; they know exactly how much they can get for it and no dealer asks them for their ID or where they got the stuff from,” he said.He urged all scrap metal recyclers in the country not to accept the stolen copper wire.”If we can cut off where the thieves are cashing it in, then hopefully they will desist from their criminal actions of sabotaging important national infrastructures, specifically the Telecom Namibia network,” Angula said.He called on the public to be Telecom’s “eyes and ears”.”Anyone seen working on Telecom wires not wearing a company uniform or driving a Telecom vehicle should raise suspicion.Anyone finding a manhole left open is advised to report it to Telecom Namibia or the nearest Police station,” he said.Residents of the old mining village of Berg Aukas, some 22 km north of Grootfontein, could make no phone calls Monday evening after criminals stole 500 metres of copper wire from the network in the area.On the same evening, thieves cut and hauled away some 2,5 km of copper wire, resulting in a similar outage for 16 subscribers and public phone users in the Okotjituuo rural settlements of the Otjozondjupa Region.Oiva Angula, senior manager of corporate communications at Telecom, said yesterday that their personnel, assisted by the Grootfontein Police, were able to recover some 675 kg of the stolen copper wire that was hidden under bushes, ready to be transported for sale as scrap metal.Of these, approximately 584 kg of copper wire was found at Okotjituuo, and some 88 kg of copper wire at Berg Aukas.On Wednesday night, thieves again targeted the route between Okahandja and Wilhelmstal, but all the stolen copper wire was found hidden nearby in the bush.Early in January, 23 poles of copper wire were stolen on the Wilhelmstal SOR-18 route.”This is after another 10-km stretch of copper wire was looted from the network in the same area during the weekend of the September 15 to 17 last year,” Angula said.Judging from statistics, the theft of copper wire in the Dordabis area was getting “pretty serious”, he said.”In the last year, it has gotten pretty bad, with at least 10 different thefts reported to the Police at both Dordabis and the Hosea Kutako International Airport since February 2006.”He said the areas most affected by copper wire theft were Otjinene, Otjiwa, Summerdown, Rehoboth, Dordabis, Ovitoto/ Gross Barmen, Usakos, Omaruru, Karibib, Tsaobis, Wilhelmstal, Hochfeld, Okondjatu, Ondjona and Otjosondu.In January this year, 2.5 km of copper wire was stolen some four kilometres from Otavi on the Otjiwarongo road, a month after another 1,2 km of copper wire was stolen in the same area.Some 2,1 km of copper wire was stolen near Rehoboth in January, while another copper wire theft was recorded at Kombat during the same period.The Okahandja area also recorded two cases of copper wire pilfering in December 2006 and one in January this year.Angula said the open wire network in the Otjiwarongo district was a regular targets for criminals.He said recently 12 cases were reported to the local Police.In the Usakos area, the line connecting customers at the Spitzkoppe and surrounding areas was cut by thieves in December 2006.Since October 2006, Angula said, thieves have stolen copper wire and telephone poles between Ondangwa and Oshivelo on two occasions, affecting 35 subscribers whose services cannot be restored due to the non-availability of stock on the market.In the Okavango Region, criminals continue to cut and steal the remainder of the copper wire infrastructure there.”They are nowadays constantly targeting the underground and overhead routes in the areas of Sauyema, Safari, Tutungeni, Kayirayira and Rundu town itself,” Angula said.He said the theft of copper wire from the Telecom network was widespread in Namibia as thieves try to cash in on the relatively high price of copper, which has more than doubled in the past year.”The thieves know exactly where they can sell it; they know exactly how much they can get for it and no dealer asks them for their ID or where they got the stuff from,” he said.He urged all scrap metal recyclers in the country not to accept the stolen copper wire.”If we can cut off where the thieves are cashing it in, then hopefully they will desist from their criminal actions of sabotaging important national infrastructures, specifically the Telecom Namibia network,” Angula said.He called on the public to be Telecom’s “eyes and ears”.”Anyone seen working on Telecom wires not wearing a company unifo
rm or driving a Telecom vehicle should raise suspicion.Anyone finding a manhole left open is advised to report it to Telecom Namibia or the nearest Police station,” he said.