Vodacom Battles Rising Base Station Theft Across Eastern Cape and Central Region

Vodacom Eastern Cape has noticed an increase in the number of battery theft and vandalism on its base stations. As a result,  the region is taking significant steps to address the escalating issue of vandalism and battery theft at base station sites in the region. On average, 100 sites per month experience vandalism, while scores of batteries are stolen each month.

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.

– Evah Mthimunye, Managing Executive, Vodacom Central Region

As the holiday season draws near, we have seen a rise in vandalism and battery theft in the Eastern Cape region by criminal syndicates, which disrupts network services and causes periods of downtime for our customers. The cost of this criminal activity goes beyond the equipment, time and resources to restore and repair infrastructure. It can have a serious ripple effect on communities that rely on connectivity as a lifeline.

– Zakhele Jiyane, Managing Executive, Vodacom Eastern Cape region.

Cellular base stations are often the only form of connectivity available to many communities, especially those in remote areas. When incidents of vandalism and theft occur at these sites, they can leave thousands of residents cut off from communications. This can have a severe impact on both small businesses and individuals, especially in emergencies when a call makes the difference between life and death. Restoring connectivity after these criminal incidents can cause further downtime and costs the region more than R5 million a year, which could be invested in network upgrades and rural expansion.

To mitigate these challenges, Vodacom Eastern Cape has invested in robust security measures to protect base station sites and equipment. This includes deploying trained security personnel to safeguard sites actively and deter potential criminals. The region is also installing high-security battery cabinets and reinforcing and upgrading site containers to more hardened or vault-type containers to make it more difficult for criminals to access valuable equipment, such as generators. Where possible, copper cables are being replaced by aluminium, which is less attractive to thieves.