Make stolen cable traceable — and theft prosecutable
Copper cable theft drains billions from Southern Africa’s economy every year and cripples the power, transport, water and communications networks communities depend on. CableID makes every protected cable permanently identifiable and its owner provable — turning anonymous scrap back into evidence.
Talk to us Search a cable ID →A multi-billion-rand problem
The scale of copper cable theft in South Africa, in public figures.
The impact goes far beyond money. Cable theft disrupts electricity supply, public transport, water and sanitation, telecommunications and healthcare — and, left unchecked, carries a real risk of civil unrest.
Why theft stays a low-risk crime
South Africa has strong laws. The Criminal Matters Amendment Act of 2018 treats copper cable theft as a serious offence carrying sentences of three to thirty years.
Yet once a cable is cut and carried away, it becomes anonymous metal. With no way to prove who it belongs to, there is no provable theft — recovered cable is evidence of possession, not of a crime, and cases collapse. That missing link — proof of ownership — is exactly what CableID restores.
How CableID closes the gap
Three integrated layers that keep a cable identifiable for life and make its owner provable in court.
1. Mark
Microscopic microdots, each carrying a unique code, are applied throughout the cable until it is saturated. They survive cutting, stripping, granulation, melting and fire — so the cable stays identifiable even after the most aggressive attempts to destroy it. The same marking works on copper and aluminium, insulated or bare, overhead or underground, installed or still in storage.
2. Register
Every marked cable is recorded in CableID’s blockchain-secured Critical Infrastructure Register: what it is, where it is and who owns it. Entries are time- and user-stamped and cannot be altered after the fact. Owner details are never published — an enquiry reaches only your nominated contacts.
3. Verify
When cable is recovered, anyone with a smartphone and a simple microscope can read its code and confirm ownership in seconds at cable-id.com — 24 hours a day, from anywhere. The registered owner is notified instantly, and the recovered cable becomes evidence in a prosecutable case.
Proven, tested and standards-compliant
Credibility built on a registered patent, a national standard and independent testing.
Patented
Protected by South African Patent No. 2016/03726 (CableID or its licensors), with further jurisdictions registered or in progress.
Standards-aligned
Compliant with SANS 1741:2018, the South African national standard for unique conductor and cable marking systems.
Independently tested
A third-party laboratory confirmed that microdot marking has no measurable effect on a cable’s electrical performance. Test reports are available on request.
Proven marking technology
Microdot identification has been mandatory on every new vehicle in South Africa since 2012; marked vehicles are recovered far more often than unmarked ones, and law-enforcement agencies already know the technology.
Built for the owners of critical infrastructure
CableID protects cable assets across the sectors most exposed to theft, throughout South Africa and Namibia.
Electricity distribution & utilities
Overhead and underground distribution networks, substations and reticulation.
Rail & transport
Traction, signalling and communications cabling across extensive rail corridors.
Telecommunications
Last-mile copper backbones and exchange infrastructure exposed to organised theft.
Water & sanitation
Pump-station and treatment-works cabling whose loss interrupts essential services.
Mining
Surface and underground operations with kilometres of high-value power cabling.
Private infrastructure owners
Industrial sites, developments and renewable plants protecting their own assets.
The result: theft that no longer pays
- Recovered cable stops being anonymous scrap and becomes evidence.
- ‘Possession of goods suspected stolen’ becomes a provable case of copper cable theft and infrastructure vandalism.
- Owners are notified the moment their cable is found, and can act immediately.
- As marked, registered cable becomes harder to sell and easier to prosecute, theft stops being a low-risk crime.
Frequently asked questions
Can stolen copper cable really be traced back to its owner?
Yes. Each protected cable carries thousands of microscopic microdots, every one marked with the same unique code. That code is registered to its owner, so a recovered cable can be matched to its rightful owner in seconds.
Does the marking survive melting, granulation or fire?
Yes. CableID’s patented marking is designed to remain readable even after cable is cut, stripped, granulated, melted into ingots or exposed to fire — the most common attempts to disguise stolen copper.
Does the marking affect the cable’s performance?
No. An independent laboratory confirmed no measurable effect on the cable’s electrical performance. Test reports are available on request.
What standards and patents back the technology?
The marking is protected by South African Patent No. 2016/03726 (CableID or its licensors) and complies with SANS 1741:2018, the South African national standard for unique conductor and cable marking systems.
How is ownership verified?
With nothing more than a smartphone and a pocket microscope: read the code, enter it at cable-id.com, and the register confirms whether it is registered and notifies the owner’s nominated contacts.
Is owner information published?
No. The register is private by design. Owner and contact details are never published; an enquiry simply routes to the owner’s nominated contacts.
Does CableID only work on copper?
No. The same microdot marking works on aluminium conductors too, and on insulated or bare, overhead or underground, installed or stored cable.
Protect your cable infrastructure
Talk to us about marking and registering your network — and making copper theft a crime that no longer pays.
Talk to us Search a cable ID →