Transnet said authorities needed to step up security to keep rail traffic flowing smoothly, and also ensure that more suspected thieves are convicted in court.
Cable theft is “one of our biggest challenges” and “significantly impacted operations”, leading to reduced exports of coal and other commodities, the firm’s head Portia Derby told AFP.
The pillaging of electricity and railway cables for copper has long been a problem in South Africa, with authorities blaming the thieves for worsening the country’s power crisis and disrupting transport.
To curb the practice, which the affected companies say is costing the country nearly 50 billion rand ($2.8 billion) a year, the government late last year banned exports of scrap metal.
But Derby told a panel discussion in Johannesburg that the export ban does not appear to have deterred the thieves.
More than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) of cable were stolen from the company in 4,826 incidents last year, she said.
Meanwhile only about four percent of those arrested over the thefts are convicted in court.
“If we can up the conviction rate, we would do much better,” Derby said.
Transnet is the logistical backbone of Africa’s most advanced economy, operating the country’s rail freight network and all of its ports.
Derby added that the company is considering switching to diesel-powered locomotives to avoid trains getting stuck when electric cables go missing.
“The only way to have a reliable railway system is to enhance the train security on one hand, but also to make sure they’re actually running,” she said.