ZETDC Acting Managing Director, Howard Choga has said they are yet to deploy thousands of loss control forces to guard against power infrastructure vandalism.
This was after a company subsidiary ZENT, manufactured 281 transformers and 288 transformers were stolen in the same year in 2021 and vandalism has caused a lot of power cuts in most of the areas in Bulawayo.
Engineer Choga said this at the the stakeholder engagement meeting in Bulawayo on the 16th February 2023 while addressing stakeholders who included The Mayor of the City of Bulawayo, residents, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) and the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU).
“We have combined loss control forces who are yet to be deployed and these forces will guard against vandalism of infrastructure,” said Engineer Choga.
Zesa General Manager in the Loss Control Department, Festo Madembo pleaded with the community to work and collaborate with ZRP, Zesa loss control and Prosecution to combat the scourge of theft and vandalism.
He added that the duty of protecting national infrastructure does not rest on ZRP and Zesa loss control alone but its its everyone’s responsibility.
In response to Madembo’s address, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) chairperson, Ambrose Sibindi called on ZETDC to issue a clear and transparent load-shedding schedule specific to individual areas to avoid too much vandalism.
Sibindi said that is when most of the vandalism happens and Copper cable thieves take advantage and pounce when power is disconnected.
In 2021, the power utility recorded 1 237 cases of vandalism and theft of copper cables costing them thousands of dollars which could have been used for development purposes.
In 2022, the government proposed the Electricity Amendment Bill which is stiffer as a penalt for people who vandalise electricity infrastructure
