Vanderbijlpark scrapyard hides biggest illegal copper haul in South Africa

Police recovered an estimated nine tons of stolen copper cable in Vanderbijlpark this week in what is believed to be the single biggest strike of its kind against illegal copper merchants to date in South Africa.

Police could not immediately confirm the exact weight of the recovered metal as it was still being weighed.

A 43-year-old manager was arrested during the operation and the scrapyard shut down.

If the nine-ton haul is confirmed, it would be record-breaking in terms of seized illegal copper in one operation in South Africa, said security analysts.

The massive haul of shredded copper is from municipal infrastructure – being continuously plundered by cable thieves – and some of South Africa’s foremost corporations, such as ArcelorMittal, Eskom and Telkom.

Copper cable theft from Eskom especially has paralyzed the country economically and created an ongoing crisis for government and business countrywide.

The Vaal has in recent years emerged as the nexus of the illegal copper trade regarding theft, warehousing and distribution of the sought-after metal.

Its ultimate destination is China, which is sucking up the metal from all parts of the globe, say intelligence experts.

Bags full of illegal copper were found at the scrapyard.

The illegal copper trade has also become intertwined at many levels with the illegal gold or artisanal mining industry linked to zama zamas, due to the Vaal region being central and having access to transport networks.

The scrapyard has not been named by police. The manager is expected to appear in court soon. Shredded copper in bags were found on the premises.

The operation was carried out by a number of police units, including the newly established Essential Infrastructure Task Team based in Vaal.

The value of the recovered copper is estimated at R1.3 million on the black market – only a fraction of what it will cost to be replace.

That can run close to R100 million – all costs included, said analysts.