MTN South Africa has announced a strategic partnership with the Eastern Cape Provincial Police Board and the Eastern Cape Community Police Forum (CPF) to protect its critical network infrastructure.
This, after the mobile operator recorded 71 vandalism incidents over the past six months.
According to a statement, the initiative forms part of MTN’s strategy to combat vandalism and theft of network batteries and cables at MTN base transceiver stations within communities in the region.
In 2022, Cell C, Vodacom, MTN SA, Telkom and Liquid Intelligent Technologies created the Communication Risk Information Centre (COMRiC), a non-profit organisation that seeks to better protect the telecoms companies’ network investments.
The unveiling of COMRiC came on the back of increasing cases of telecoms infrastructure vandalism, resulting in communications disruption and high replacement costs.
“These criminal activities not only disrupt the communities we proudly serve, but also deny them vital access to connectivity, impacting their work, their safety and their ability to stay connected with loved ones,” says Charles Molapisi, CEO of MTN SA.
“This has profound and lasting consequences on their lives and livelihoods. By standing united with law enforcement in this region, we are not merely protecting our network − we are safeguarding the well-being of our communities and investing in the future of our nation.”
According to MTN SA, the partnership focuses on strengthening collaboration between MTN, the Eastern Cape SAPS and the CPF in high-risk areas such as Mthatha and Queenstown.
SAPS and the CPF in the Eastern Cape will deploy law enforcement personnel and community patrollers to monitor and respond to security breaches at MTN network base stations in the affected communities.
The pilot initiative, launched in Gauteng in 2023 with the Gauteng Provincial Community Police Board, demonstrated measurable success, with a 35% reduction in related crime and asset losses in the region.
Continuing this momentum in the Eastern Cape will enhance crime-fighting efforts, particularly with the strategic support of the SAPS Critical Infrastructure Task Team, according to the telco.
MTN says it will provide the Mthatha SAPS Joint Operations Centre with laptops, computers, printers, furniture, power supply units and internet connectivity to support its operational needs.
In addition, the CPF patrollers will receive essential equipment, including uniforms, panic buttons and two-way radios, ensuring they are well-equipped to enhance community safety.
As part of the memorandum of understanding, MTN will share crime intelligence, technological advancements and crime pattern analysis with SAPS and CPF, to enhance the response efforts.
Lieutenant colonel Siphokazi Mawisa from SAPS comments: “This partnership is anticipated to significantly reduce crime that targets mobile network infrastructure, while prioritising the development of safer communities and strengthening relationships between law enforcement agencies and corporate stakeholders.”
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