South Africa is experiencing almost 200 instances of cable theft per day.

Although many cable thieves are apprehended, only 7% of offenders are prosecuted because of the difficulty of proving cable ownership. CableDNA - a South African company - has now unveiled a revolutionary cable identification method to overcome the cable identification problem.

Electrical distribution cables (even already installed cables) are infused with a fluid that contains unique microscopic identifiers that can withstand being burnt, being granulated and being melted into ingots.

This approach will make cables treated by CableDNA too risky to steal, buy or sell because effective prosecution of thieves and illegal copper dealers will be inevitable.

In addition, underground electrical cables older than 25 years develop small water-filled channels called “water trees” in the insulation which create a short circuit and cause cable failure. The fluid used by CableDNA to carry the unique identifiers repairs the water trees and restores cable insulation properties to new levels, thereby effectively doubling underground electrical cable life.

South Africa loses an estimated R10 billion per year loss in productivity as well as loss of lives and decreased service provision due to cable theft.

“This is a revolutionary step in the right direction”, an industry CEO said. “South Africa desperately needs solutions like this.”

CableDNA is an electrical cable theft prevention company based in South Africa.