MBABANE – Some Members of Parliament say there are mafias and cabals behind the theft of copper in the country.
Prior to the passing of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Bill 2025, Bill No.16 of 2025 in Parliament on Monday, Deputy Speaker in the House of Assembly, Mhlangatane MP Madala Mhlanga believes that there are bigwigs in the country, who are actually running the show behind the scenes, in terms of the copper theft.
He said this has a lot to do with the high unemployment rate in the country, which has seen some mafias funding the criminals on the ground to steal copper and report to them, for certain benefits. Mhlanga wanted to know if a benchmarking exercise was conducted on the Bill because, to his knowledge, there were cabals in the neighbouring countries, ‘big people behind the theft of copper’.
He said these mafias are the ones who fund the criminals on the ground, who actually carry out the theft and report to the cabal. “A benchmarking exercise would have been helpful in determining how the neighbouring countries have dealt with this and it would have informed whether the same traits are obtaining in the country,” he said.
Dvokodvweni MP Sifiso Shabalala said the situation is so dire that even young children are introduced to the syndicate of copper theft, while the main beneficiaries from the crime watch from a distance.
Madlangampisi MP Allen Vilane echoed his colleagues on the belief that there are mafias behind the theft of copper. He even suggested that copper theft convicts should not be given the option of a fine to deter would-be offenders.
The objective of the Bill, tabled by the Minister for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya, is to protect and safeguard critical infrastructure against the threat of vandalism, sabotage, damage, theft, unlawful destruction and unlawful possession. It is also aimed at empowering the substantive minister to designate infrastructure as critical.
The Bill also seeks to criminalise attacks on critical infrastructure and provide for incidental matters. It reflects that tampering with, damaging or stealing critical infrastructure will soon attract fines amounting to E5 million.
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