- Zimbabwean government to amend Copper Control Act
- ZETDC has faced an increase in the number of copper thefts
- Amendment to stiffen penalties for illegal possession of copper
Zimbabwe moves to amend the Copper Control Act. The amendment will take into consideration stiffer penalties for the illegal possession of copper without a valid license. This move comes as the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) have been victims of increased theft of copper cables on the distribution network infrastructure. The ZETDC had to consider the replacement of copper cables with aluminium cables to reduce the cases of theft.
In the proposed amendment Bill, suspects found in possession of copper cables without the required certificate of origin will face a 10-year mandatory prison sentence without the option of a fine.”The Copper Control Act should be amended to make it mandatory for all copper dealers to have certificates of origins for all the copper in their possession and impose minimum mandatory penalties for offenders”, the Bill stated.