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Johannesburg - The Copper Theft Barometer (CTB) dropped to R12m in July from R12.2m in June, the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said on Thursday.
"This is the second monthly decrease since February, and hopefully reflects the strengthening of the downward trend that started in June 2014," it said in a statement.
The Copper Theft Volume Indicator dropped to 158 metric tonnes in July from 166 tons in June, and 214 tonness in May.
Sacci said South African exports of waste copper products dropped slightly to R261m in June from R273m in May 2014.
Sacci said a recent policy suggestion had been to ban copper waste exports to fight copper theft.
"Sacci believes this policy innovation is likely to be counterproductive as it could create a perverse incentive [to] mislabel exports," it said.
"It is also important to note that South Africa already has a system of export restrictions on waste metal in place."
The outlook for reductions in copper theft levels for 2014 was more positive than before, but remained a concern.
"Sacci is heartened to see more municipalities proactively setting up specialist units to combat copper theft and making use of various communication channels like social media to enlist the help of communities in this important endeavor."
