Online Reporter
Zesa Holdings has bemoaned the increasing cases of vandalism and theft of its infrastructure which it says is resulting in thousands of households and businesses going for months without electricity.
The power utility said the vandalism and theft of its infrastructure is also costing it millions of dollars annually hence the need to step up the fight against vandalism.
Zesa Holdings raised the alarm during the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) saying it is losing more than US$5 million annually due to infrastructure damage and an additional US$1,5 million per month in potential revenue.
The power utility said replacing vandalised transformers alone requires about US$13 million. Zesa Holdings which has called for a multi- pronged response to increased cases of vandalism and theft of its infrastructure, recently launched an awareness campaign, “Stop vandalism: Lets Protect Our Infrastructure” in which it urged communities to join in the fight against vandalism.
The power utility said the audacity and sophistication of the criminals involved in the vandalism of its infrastructure was very worrying. “Despite the stiff penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment for such offences, the acts of vandalism persist,” said Zesa.
Recently a notorious copper cable thief, Tapfumanei Muzarabani (48) who stole copper wires valued at US$141 000 was sentenced to 31 years imprisonment. Muzarabani who was arrested following an intensive two-week police operation in Bulawayo, was convicted of four counts of copper theft. He was sentenced to 10 years for each of the three major counts and one year for the fourth count.
Muzarabani will, however, serve an effective eleven years imprisonment after the court ordered the three major counts to run concurrently.
What is disturbing is that such stiff penalties seem not to be deterrent enough hence the need to find new ways of fighting vandalism.
Institutions like Zesa Holdings and TelOne should seriously consider using drones to monitor and protect infrastructure like what the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is already doing.
According to technology expert Ms Jacqueline Ntaka, drones surveillance enables institutions to cover large areas with minimal human intervention. She says drones provide a bird’s eye view allowing for comprehensive monitoring of large areas that are difficult to patrol on foot.
“Equipped with high resolution cameras and live feed capabilities, drones can transmit real-time footage to security personnel, enabling immediate response to suspicious activities,” she said.
