‘Vandalism has become a menace, and the utility is battling to keep up with the replacement of stolen power lines and transformers’

HARARE – Vandalism of electricity infrastructure continues to weigh down on the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) efforts to supply power to all consumers, the power utility said Tuesday.

ZETDC said it was struggling to replace stolen power lines and transformers with 1,569 vandalism incidents in 2023 alone.

“Vandalism has become a menace, and the utility is battling to keep up with the replacement of stolen power lines and transformers,” the company said in a statement.

It said of the 1,569 cases of vandalism and theft reported last year, police had made 172 arrests and 33 people were convicted.

“We urge all stakeholders to join forces to protect electrical infrastructure,” ZETDC said, while revealing that it lost US$750,000 worth of electricity infrastructure in 2023.

Thieves target transformers and copper power lines which have a ready market in South Africa.

Meanwhile, ZETDC said it was working to fix an electrical fault reported in Vumba area which has affected a hotel and leisure business in that location. Areas affected by this fault include Vumba, Burma Valley, Fern Valley, and Zimunya.

The company said the fault, reported in December, was caused by the theft of a 1.5km of 11kv line feeding the area. The problem was compounded by heavy rains which caused 12 poles to fall.

“Whilst we had initiated our normal procurement process and were ready to restore supplies, there was another case of vandalism of a transformer in Vumba which led to the arrest of two men from Odzi,” ZETDC said.

“The utility has managed to source the critical materials to re-power the affected areas,” said ZETDC.

Source ZimLive