Lives turned upside down by cellphone theft a stark indicator of SA’s public safety and policing gaps

After a robbery in August, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police arrested a suspect in possession of 153 stolen iPhones. Private security tracked the stolen phone to a flat, where a laptop used to unblock cellphones was also recovered. Police disrupted the activities of a syndicate responsible for hundreds of crimes, showing the value of public-private partnerships. 

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), an average of 189 cellphones are stolen daily in South Africa. Between April 2017 and March 2023, 412,998 mobiles were reported stolen to the SAPS. Police data suggests that only 29% of these were blacklisted with service providers. Gauteng province accounts for 29% of incidents, followed by Western Cape (26%), KwaZulu-Natal (20%) and Eastern Cape (7%). 

Cellphones can be snatched from hands, homes, offices, bags and tables. They are also stolen during violent incidents such as armed robberies or muggings. Stolen phones are often wiped clean of data and sold to unsuspecting buyers. 

In 2021 the South African Banking Risk Information Centre said phones were often stolen to access personal information and credentials, including victims’ “banking apps, delivery services and any other personal information that can be used for fraud, such as a copy of your ID, bank statements, proof of residence in addition to full access to your e-mail and SIM card”. 

Victims are especially vulnerable when their private passcodes are viewed or their phones are taken while unlocked. However, even bio-security measures such as fingerprint readers or facial recognition can be bypassed. To get a victim’s pin code, phishing scams send SMSs to emergency contacts easily accessible on a locked phone. 

Stolen mobiles often flow into the lucrative local second-hand phone market. Blacklisted devices or phones that cannot be unlocked usually end up in an overseas market for use or parts. 

South Africa isn’t unique when it comes to high rates of cellphone theft. The London Metropolitan Police recorded 90,864 phone thefts in 2022, almost 250 a day, in London alone — more than the recorded average for South Africa. While phones were also stolen through pickpocketing or snatching from bags or tables, nearly 70% of robberies in London targeted cellphones, often at knifepoint.

Spiralling crime

Lives turned upside down