Anonymous24 days ago
A South African homeowner's viral discovery that her entire front gate had been stolen overnight has become a symbol of a broader crisis: metal theft that costs the country an estimated R47 billion annually. Fueled by mass unemployment exceeding 32%, a thriving black market for scrap metal, and sophisticated criminal syndicates, the theft of gates, gate motors, fencing, and copper infrastructure has created a parallel economy in which citizens spend R45 billion a year on private security — more than most nations spend on their entire police forces.