Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
BULAWAYO residents have resorted to mobilising funds to replace stolen copper cables as Zesa is reportedly struggling to cope with vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
Sections of some suburbs have gone for days without electricity following theft of copper cables.
This comes as Zesa is losing US$2 million annually to theft and vandalism.
On Friday last week between midnight and 1AM, copper cable thieves struck in sections of Emakhandeni and Entumbane suburbs and cut electricity cables only to discover that the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has replaced copper cables with aluminum ones.
Yesterday both areas still had no power, as ZETDC had not replaced the vandalised cables.
Residents said they were in the dark about when power would be restored and decried the unending theft of electricity infrastructure.
Residents who spoke to Chronicle said the power cuts were not just costly, but compromised their health.
Ms Gugulethu Ncube from Emakhandeni said she normally doesn’t switch off her lights because she’s nursing an infant.
“At about midnight on Friday I just heard a sound of something dropping and shortly after that my lights went off and power was gone. In the morning we still didn’t have electricity and that’s when we discovered that some cables had been stolen,” said Ms Ncube.
“In August, another cable was stolen and residents resorted to buying the stolen cable as Zesa told us that there are so many residents with a similar problem and they didn’t have cables. So, we organised ourselves and contributed US$6 per household to buy the cable, then power was restored.”
A Chronicle news crew observed that while copper cables had been stolen, the thieves also cut aluminum cables before dumping them on site.
Ms Ncube said the theft of power cables was affecting their budgeting processes.
“We can’t afford to be buying relish every day, so we had bought meat in bulk, but it started decomposing in the fridge, worse still with these high temperatures. On a personal level, my mother is diabetic and we have injections that we store in the fridge, so we are forced to ask those not affected by power cuts to store her medication in their fridges,” she said.
The residents said copper cable theft was also affecting the education sector considering that learners are given virtual assignments and they struggle to charge gadgets to do their work.
Another resident, Mrs Joyce Moyo from Entumbane, said the power cable theft has resulted in her losing perishables that she sells from home.
She said the theft was worrying and suspected that this was being done by individuals with knowledge about electricity.
“It doesn’t make sense that copper cables continue to be stolen when electricity is so dangerous. Who is stealing them? We are told that those who steal these cables sell them in South Africa and Botswana.
People complain that the country is underdeveloped, but how is it going to develop if our own people are stealing the very infrastructure that is supposed to develop the country? Right now, we don’t have electricity and if you are found looking for firewood, you’ll be arrested. What must we do?” she said.
Mrs Moyo called on authorities to swiftly address the theft of electricity infrastructure, saying it comes with a lot of downstream challenges in the community.
A Sauerstown resident Ms Duduzile Sibanda also bemoaned the theft of power cables, leaving them in the dark for almost a week.
“I think the cables were stolen at about 2AM on Tuesday and Zesa came and covered with an elastic the remaining parts that were uncovered and hanging. We don’t even know when power will be restored, but as it stands, budgeting has become expensive as we have to live from hand to mouth. Everyday budgeting is increasingly becoming a problem, especially when you have to buy meat almost on a daily basis,” said Ms Sibanda.
No comment could be obtained from Zesa, as the power utility’s spokesperson Ms Prisca Utete requested that questions be put in writing.
She, however, had not responded to the questions by the end of day yesterday.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said they were receiving more reports of power cable theft lately.
He said they had also received reports from Nkulumane 12 and Burnside suburbs, among others. “We are recording at least three to four cases of theft of copper cables per week. And what we have observed is that most of the cases are occurring as we head towards the weekend.
The criminals are now stealing cables near residential areas, which was not happening previously. Any power cut, especially in the middle of the night, should cause people to take action. Members of the public should be alert and should not assume that every power cut is a result of scheduled electricity shedding,” said Insp Ncube. – @nqotshili
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