ZESCO Limited says it is shifting from using copper electricity service cables to aluminum cables due to increased acts of vandalism and theft on its infrastructure.
Speaking during an anti-vandalism community sensitisation meeting in Mufulira yuesterday, ZESCO Head of Security, Hamulundo Kapika said the delay in reconnecting clients whose service cables have been stolen is because the company wants to switch from using copper to aluminum cables.
Mr. Kapika was responding to residents of Mufulira who complained that they have stayed for up to 10 months without electricity, after their service cables were vandalized and stolen.
“We have realized that these acts of vandalism will not stop unless we stop using copper cables, so we are switching to aluminum and this is what has caused delay in reconnecting our clients,” he said.
Mr. Kapika said continuous acts of vandalism are preventing the company from fulfilling its mandate to provide safe, adequate, and reliable electricity country wide.
He said despite the company’s commitment to increase access to electricity by clearing the backlog of new installations, the efforts keep being frustrated by acts of vandalism.
Mr. Kapika noted that in 2021, ZESCO lost a total of nine billion Kwacha due to vandalism, adding that this has made it difficult for ZESCO to connect new customers.
“Vandalism does not only have a direct cost on the company but it also has a lasting social and economic impact on the country,” he said.
Mr. Kapika warned that according to the law, vandalism of ZESCO property carries a minimum sentence if 10 years imprisonment.
And when responding to complaints by residents, that some ZESCO employees are involved in the acts of vandalism, and are using the cables to privately connect clients at a fee, Mr.Kapika urged members of the public to report such officers, saying ZESCO will not tolerate such acts of corruption.
“Report those people to us and we will deal with them,” he said.
And Mufulira District Commissioner, Saboi Kabika urged members of the community to corporate with ZESCO and the Zambia Police Service in order to eradicate vandalism.
“The people behind these acts come from the community so please do not protect them, you need to report them to the police,”Ms. Kabika said.
And some residents accused ZESCO employees of being behind the acts of vandalizing electricity service cables.
The residents alleged that when they report to ZESCO that their service cables have been stolen, they are told that it is not known when they can be reconnected as there are no cables in stock.
The residents alleged that they are secretly approached by ZESCO employees who claim that they have cables and offer to come and secretly reconnect them at a fee.
Talking as tho he is speaking sense – isnt Alluminium the stuff that we used to steal when we were young to go sell to people that make pots?
What is most annoying is that we are a copper and we don’t manufacture any of these cables locally.
Aluminiun has a ready market in Zambia……..So it will also be stolen.
WE ARE A NATION OF THIEVES
THANK PF FOR ENCOURAGING IT
WITH THEM IN POWER IT WAS FOLLOW OUR LEADER
Yonse nima sample boi just look for ways on how you can secure these substations… – you are failing to spend for security because thats the money you are stealing .and also just how much did you lose in profits keeping homes without electricity for 10 months?? Poor management to say the least.
And nobody is mentioning the police? Normally you call the police when something gets stolen? Get SOLAR, you really don’t want to have to wait on Zesco to get connected!