- ZESA suffers incessant electrical vandalisation
- There has been an increase in the illegal copper sales
- Electrical cables made of copper are increasingly being stolen
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has decried an increase in the vandalisation of electrical installations in several suburbs. The vandalisation of equipment has increased with electric cables, particularly copper armoured cables, being targeted. The rising cost of copper and the poor supply in the country has resulted in the illegal sale of copper cables.
ZESA has estimated losses of at least $100 million annually to theft and vandalism. The syndicate involved in the theft and sale of these cables are believed to be former or aggrieved staff of ZESA. In addition, residents allege that individuals posing as ZESA officials have carried out these acts of vandalism. ”Our power cable was stolen some three weeks back. Initially, a team of ZESA officials visited our area around mid-morning. That very same day, around midnight, we lost power. I thought it was an ordinary fault or load-shedding only to find out in the morning that our main cable (armoured cable) had been stolen,” said a resident, Tinashe Mukaira.
Several towns have fallen victim to these acts of vandalism, with residents forced to make contributions to meet the replacement costs of the stolen property. The continuous vandalisation has forced the ZESA to seek stiffer penalties for vandalism through legislation. In response, the Parliament has approved a 30-year jail term for power infrastructure vandals.