AFTER a disastrous first quarter of 2025, with import volumes soaring and domestic production plummeting, local cable manufacturer South Ocean Electric Wire (SOEW), a subsidiary of South Ocean Holdings, is sounding the alarm.
The company says data from January to April 2025 reveals a staggering influx of imports. Rounded off Commodity Trade Observer statistics show low-voltage cable imports surged to 5.8 million units, up from 4.9 million in 2024. Medium/high-voltage imports hit 3.1 million units, from 1.4 million. The volume of overhead conductor cables dropped to 400,000 units (from 600,000 the previous year. Optical fibre imports increased to 900,000 units, from 800,000. SOEW says prices plummeted, with China and Zambia ‘dumping’ cables at low rates, such as R73.48 and R64.83 per unit for low voltage.
“This mirrors the unethical tactics seen in the local tyre industry, prompting urgent calls for SARS to impose anti-dumping duties, as it did on tyres from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on 3 June 2025,” says SOEW COO Tertius Ness.
Ness warns, “Q1 2025 was a disaster for local manufacturers with volumes evaporating as imports poured in. Q2 continues this trend, forcing most firms onto short time. The future of our industry hangs by a thread, and as a result, jobs as well.”
He says that South Africa’s cable industry boasts ample capacity to meet local demand, but this import surge, driven by prices as low as R40.76 per unit for Chinese low-voltage cables, undercut quality and safety. “Substandard cables, failing standards like SANS IEC 62930, have already sparked fires, including a 2023 Cape Town blaze and a 2024 Durban explosion, echoing concerns raised in SOEW’s previous media statements on solar cable risks,” according to a SOEW media statement.
Ness notes that the statistics paint a grim picture: low-voltage imports from China alone reached 1,769,802 units, while Zambia contributed 283,711 units, both at prices worthy of investigation. “Medium/high-voltage imports from China soared to 2,255,091 units at R74.15, and overhead conductor cables were almost entirely Chinese at 438,413 units for R44.67.
“Optical fibre imports still saw China dominate under tariff 9001.10. These low-cost imports, often bypassing thermal endurance and UV resistance tests, degrade rapidly, risking arcing and efficiency losses. These are threats SOEW has long highlighted. The economic toll is severe, with local manufacturers like SOEW, producing high-quality tinned copper cables, losing ground to price-driven imports that can jeopardise numerous projects, including solar projects.” He says that this unethical behaviour not only endangers cable safety but also sabotages South Africa’s economy, slashing both jobs and tax revenue. “We urge authorities to act swiftly, mirroring the tyre import crackdown, to investigate dumping and protect local industry. Failure to act risks irreparable damage, as illicit trade flagged across all cable types undermines a sector capable of self-sufficiency
