Police Arrest Copper Cable Theft Syndicate in Bulawayo

Police Arrest copper cable theft syndicate in Bulawayo

Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the theft of copper cables worth US$700 of value in Matsheumhlope area, Bulawayo.

The suspects Philani Nkala (21), Jeremiah Chitare (26), Ntokozo Nkomazana, (21) and Felistas Malambo Muchimba (23) were nabbed on Tuesday last week after police received a tip-off from the public.

Bulawayo Provincial Police spokesperson Inspector Abednico confirmed the arrest and also appealed to anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the remaining suspect, Cabangani Ndlovu, to contact the nearest police station.

“On the 2nd of November 2023, police received information to the effect that accused persons were terrorizing Matsheumhlope area by cutting ZETDC overhead Copper Cables. Acting upon the information given, the police officers proceeded to accused person Philani Nkala, a male adult aged 21 years of Matsheumhlope, Bulawayo where they conducted a search and managed to recover 11.5kgs of ZETDC overhead electricity copper cables under his bed stashed in a white sack, leading to his arrest,” said Inspector Ncube.

The Arrested

He added, “CID MFFU Bulawayo further interviewed the accused person who implicated his accomplices Jeremiah Chitare, a male adult aged 26 years of Matsheumhlope, Bulawayo and Ntokozo Nkomazana, a male adult aged 21 years of Matsheumhlope and they were subsequently arrested.”

Chitare and Nkomazana were also arrested and police recovered 17.5kg of burnt armoured cables, 3.5kg of copper windings and 2.5kg of Tel-One drop from Muchimba’s house. She was also arrested and her husband, Cabangani Ndlovu, who is the buyer of the copper cables, is still at large.

Copper cable theft is a serious problem in Bulawayo and other parts of the country. It causes power outages, disrupts communication and damages infrastructure.

ZETDC Loses

According to ZETDC, the power utility loses an estimated US$20 million annually due to vandalism and power cable thefts. Between January and June this year, the company recorded 777 cases of vandalism and theft of its infrastructure valued at US$1 million.

Bulawayo has of late been hit by a series of power outages mostly due to copper cables theft, with several suburbs such as Hillside, Burnside and Killarney being the worst affected.

Police have been cracking down on the copper cable theft syndicates and have arrested several suspects in the past few months.

Inspector Ncube also revealed that last week, police accounted for nine copper cable thieves who were a two group syndicate.

In light of this incident, Inspector commended the community of Matsheumhlope and Bulawayo at large for working hand in glove with the police to fight the scourge of copper cable theft.

War on Copper Cable Thieves

“Police and the Bulawayo community have declared total war on copper cable theft criminals. Following a continued spate of theft of copper cables, police and the community have come up with a new strategy to flush out the criminals, the strategy is however not for general public consumption,” he said.

The police spokesperson warned the public against engaging in copper cable theft, saying, “Those people who vandalise ZEDTC cables, those who think of doing so and those who are buyers should seriously consider trying other legal business avenues as the long arm of the law is now hovering over their heads.”

Lastly, he appreciated the community of Matsheamhlophe and Bulawayo at large for working hand in glove with them.