New fencing pipes curb theft

KAROO NEWS - To prevent fence line theft from the Camdeboo National Park, new preventative measures were set in place to combat these often occurring crimes.

The Camdeboo National Park has been targeted over many years, exacerbated by its proximity to the town of Graaff-Reinet, which it practically surrounds.

However, since the deployment of new pipes and droppers nearly a year ago, park management has already seen a marked decrease in losses.

As the park borders various communities, the traditional fencing is regularly targeted by locals for the construction of their own homes and boundary fences. The new 21km of fencing was put up in only the most high-risk areas of the park due to the pricey nature of the material compared to the traditional fencing.

The hollow pipes are light, yet strong. They cannot be used for construction though, as one is unable to drive nails into them. Additionally, the drilling of holes into the pipes to fasten wires weakens them and any tension in the wrong direction easily breaks the pipes.

The droppers are made of a fibre-steel composite. They are solid droppers with 15 to 20 steel wire core centres wrapped in a fiberglass material. Again, it is not possible to build with these as nails cannot be hammered into them and they cannot be cut.

If stolen, these materials are easily identifiable as belonging to the park, as management believes there are no other known fencing projects in the province currently making use of this technology.

During the initial construction of the fence line, four poles were stolen from the wet cement. However, all four were recovered. The suspect was arrested, who pleaded guilty to the charges. The man received a suspended sentence.

The new anti-theft fencing used by the Camdeboo National Park is proving successful.