Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) Southern Region is intensifying a project to replace copper cables, with less valuable aluminium wires in a bid to reduce cases of theft and vandalism, an official has said.
By Simon Phiri
The power utility believes the move will complement anti-vandalism operations it regularly carries out with the assistance of law enforcement agents.
ZETDC Southern Region has, since January this year, lost an aggregate of 19 950 metres of copper cables worth $150 960, with most cases being recorded in Zvishavane.
In an interview with Southern Eye yesterday, ZETDC Southern Region manager, King Dube, said the power utility was on high alert to avoid power interruption caused by theft and vandalism.
“As a region, we have intensified the replacement of copper with aluminium cables that are less prone to theft and we have occasionally held anti-vandalism joint operations with the State security forces. Such operations have yielded positive results in arresting offenders,” he said.
“Our internal loss control details usually patrol areas of high risk to deter would-be offenders. We are also grateful to the judiciary that has complimented our efforts through meting out deterrent sentences.”
Earlier this year, four men were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for cutting off ZETDC copper cables and pylons in the outskirts of Zvishavane, causing a blackout in the mining town for at least eight hours. The cables weighed 825,4kg and had a monetary value of $12 000.
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Dube further said the ZETDC Southern Region had also lost, to theft, transformer oil worth $1 440 during the period under review.
“During the same period, 750 litres of transformer oil, with a value of $1 440, was stolen in the region. In addition, 64 miniature circuit breaker (MCBs) valued at $7 000 were stolen mainly in Kwekwe district. The arrest of one Cuthbert Dube for theft of the MCBs saw cases decreasing. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment,” he said.
Last year during the same period, ZETDC network manager for Gweru district, Cousins Manase revealed that the parastatal lost more than 13 500 tonnes of copper wire in the southern part of the country to vandalism.
