Cable vandalism and theft have now reached alarming levels.
The distraction, disruptions and impacts on the economy are much bigger than we are told.
Sadly, this grave matter still does not receive the importance it deserves.
Affected companies are facing a real financial meltdown as a result of the theft.
There is no way these companies can cope.
A lot is expected of them, including investing large and unavailable sums on security.
Critical infrastructure like railways, telecommunications, water and power grid are the most affected.
So serious has cable vandalism become that it is now weighing down on the economy.
This theft which is now on steroids is creating huge disruptions.
The country or parts of it often go for extensive periods without power, water, internet or power because of cable vandalism as a result.
This calls for immediate replacements by affected companies.
To make replacements costs a lot of money.
Cable theft has over time become more organized and truly systemic.
Clearly there is money to be made from this racket.
To counter it, the state has to be more organized and systematic.
So far the criminals are winning the fight.
Very few of them are caught.
And when anyone is caught at all, it is the little guy down the food chain.
The real criminals who are people behind the organized rackets continue to push ahead unaffected.
This has to stop.
There is need for a review on how to stop these criminals.
Setting up ad-hoc committees that have no power leads us nowhere.
The first thing that we need to do is to appreciate the seriousness of the problem.
It is only when the leaders accept that this is a crisis that amounts to national security threat that more resources and manpower will be deployed to resolving it.
Once it has been accepted as a national security threat, the next thing would be to devise a strategy on how to fight the scourge.
That would go with assembling a team to coordinate the fight. As well as deploying resources.
To make an impact against this organized crime, there is going to be need for intelligence services.
Once again we are of a view that the security services should take a lead on issues of the economy and trade.
They should be ahead of criminals in so far as new trends in crime are going.
Having said so, it is our view that security and Intelligence services should up their game. Manpower deployed in partisan politics should get out of politics and concentrate on issues of the economy.
Today a lot of time is spent on running after people who are themselves not involved in criminality.
How can it be a crime to hold views different from those held by the president or the ruling elite surrounding him?
To defeat vandalism, there has to be coordination of different players.
It has to be all hands on the deck.
But there are players that should naturally lead the effort.
And like we say security services are part of it.
But they are distracted by side issues that should not concern them.
The trajectory that vandalism is talking leads us to remember just how helpless this country has between in the recent past in its fight against rhino poaching.
In the end, the country failed in its efforts against poachers and even had to relocate what few were left of those poachers.
When the state fails in its mandate to protect citizens, they end up taking the law in their own hands.
We are already the eyes of that with regard to cattle theft and rustling.
Cattle owners have given up on the state ever protecting them and their animals from thieves.
They are now taking the matter in their own hands.
Once again we are failing as a country to focus on our immediate security priorities.
