Telkom claims that cable thieves have not had it all their own way in the past year, with 349 arrests being made nationally since 1 April 2003.
"These arrest figures include both the actual cable thieves and people found to be in possession of stolen property, such as scrap dealers," says Telkom media specialist, Ravin Maharaj.
The organisation is working with the police to try and track down the thieves who cut through four underground cables on Jan Smuts Avenue on Thursday night, stealing about 117m of cable.
The cable theft affected the area between Bompas Avenue, the William Nicol highway and Jan Smuts Avenue, impacting around 1 800 business and residential customers, and causing damage estimated at about R100 000.
Telkom has reported that services in the busy commercial areas of Craighall, Hyde Park and Dunkeld were restored on schedule, after the company`s technicians worked around the clock to sort out the problem.
"Our technicians were delayed by the fact that the cable is routed through an area which also accommodates other services, including gas reticulation," he says.
"Telkom has taken drastic steps to secure its network against organised cable and solar panel theft syndicates, including `alarming` cable routes in theft-prone areas and hiring private security companies to provide round-the-clock armed reaction and patrols."
He warns cable thieves that, should they be apprehended, they can face anywhere between two and seven years in prison, depending on the circumstances and the impact the theft has on customers.
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