- ZETDC employee charged to court for illegally connecting consumers in Harare
A Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) employee has been charged to a Zimbabwe Regional Magistrate Court on illegally connecting several customers in Sandton Park, Harare, to the ZETDC network. Reward John Mugwara was also charged with concealing a transaction from a principal.
According to the Prosecutor, in 2016, ZETDC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gysite (Pvt) Limited to construct a substation and install a transmission line. Under the agreement, ZETDC would carry out a final inspection and create a connection point for the end-users. However, in November 2020, Mugwara approached residents in Sandton Phase 2, Westgate, presenting himself as a registered contractor with ZETDC; Mugwara stated that he could connect the customers to the ZETDC power line at an affordable charge. However, after receiving up to $3,574 from the consumers, Mugwara illegally erected six electricity poles without the knowledge of ZETDC and eventually failed to connect the consumers to electricity.
Mugwara was remanded in jail till October 27 with a bail option of $15,000.