Beefed Up Security to Prevent Theft of Metal Infrastructure
The government has decided to increase the overall budget allocation for Prasa to R13.5bn in 20224-’25, compared with R12.6bn in 2022-’23.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The South African government announced that it will boost security to protect critical metal infrastructure from thefts.
During the budget vote speech in Parliament, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said that implementation of security mechanisms will be given top priority. For instance, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has already hired additional security personnel to guard its network. Additionally, the agency is currently building walls in certain sections of the rail network and fencing in some other sections.
The scrap metal thieves have been targeting infrastructure items including railway lines, electricity pylons and road barriers, which are either sold to domestic scrap yards or exported to overseas markets as scrap. The rising theft incidents are partly driven by surging global demand for copper scrap due to tight supplies and low inventories, which in turn have driven their prices to record highs.
The government has decided to increase the overall budget allocation for Prasa to R13.5bn in 20224-’25, compared with R12.6bn in 2022-’23. However, Mbulala did not specify how much would be spent on boosting security to curb railway infrastructure thefts.
Meantime, the Minister reiterated his call for a ban on scrap metal exports, which according to him acts as an incentive for scrap metal thieves.
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Scrap Metal Prices
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Alternator | 0.32 | $US/Lb |
#1 Copper Bare Bright | 3.75 | $US/Lb |
Aluminum Scrap | ||
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6061 Extrusions | 0.64 | $US/Lb |
Steel Scrap | ||
#1 Bundle | 460.00 | $US/MT |
#1 Busheling | 480.00 | $US/MT |
Electronics Scrap |