Tinkering with traffic lights in South Africa

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Sim cards embedded in traffic lights are the latest items of theft in Johannesburg (Photo: JeLuF)

The new hi-tech traffic lights in Johannesburg are remotely controlled from one location and provide a big boost to those fighting traffic jams. But they are also a magnet for thieves. Sheldon Morais of Johannesburg’s 702 Talk Radio tells anchor Lisa Mullins why.
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LISA MULLINS: In South Africa, as in many places, technology is being used to avoid traffic jams. The city of Johannesburg has some 600 high tech traffic lights. They’re equipped with technology to monitor traffic and send data back to the city’s traffic agency. There is a problem, though: the lights use SIM cards, the thumbnail-sized smart cards, the kind used in cell phones, to communicate with headquarters, and those SIM cards are being stolen by enterprising thieves. Sheldon Morais is the acting editor of 702 Talk Radio, that’s a Jo-burg station that’s been investigating the thefts. Sheldon, how do these little SIM cards embedded in the traffic lights work?

SHELDON MORAIS: Well, they basically work remotely, Lisa. So, you can control your traffic lights from a central office far away from the traffic lights themselves. You can switch them on, you can change them for peak hour traffic, you can then change the synchronization for times when the roads aren’t being used as much.

MULLINS: So then you can see why they’re attractive for those controlling traffic jams, you can see why they’re attractive for motorists, but why are they attractive to thieves?

MORAIS: Well, they’re attractive to thieves in the sense that they’re loosely termed “ghost cards”. They’re sim cards that don’t have any monetary limit on them. There is no cap, there is no limit, there is no bill being sent to a user. The bill then goes to the city, which means the taxpayer pays for this. They are able to call overseas, they are able to call friends and family locally or whoever they need to speak to because the city ultimately has to cover those bills.

MULLINS: Sheldon, do they think that the SIM cards are being stolen in kind of random acts of thievery or do they think that there’s something more organized about the thefts?

MORAIS: Well, what we understand is that there is some kind of syndicate working, so it is a lot more organized. It’s not just your man on the street going to the traffic light and then taking these SIM cards out. So, it was people who knew about the SIM cards, knew what they were able to do, that you could take them out of the traffic light, that you could slip it into your cell phone and then from there you are able to make calls, you’re able to access the internet, access data, do whatever you want to.

MULLINS: I wonder, Sheldon, if people who are caught in this massive traffic realize what’s going on.

MORAIS: No, I don’t think most people do. On a personal note, when I first heard about this, I almost took it as somewhat of an urban legend. And then we got a bit more information and another tip off a few weeks later. We were then able to look into it and then contact a few other sources. And that’s when it came to light that actually it is true. This is what is happening.

MULLINS: Alright, Sheldon Morais of Johannesburg’s 702 Talk Radio. He’s been looking into the havoc caused by the theft of SIM Cards from high-tech traffic lights in the city. Nice to talk to you Sheldon. Thank you.

MORAIS: Thank you.

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