Online Reporter
Lesley Chikudo, [email protected]
A Bulawayo scrap metal company has been taken to court for allegedly vandalising Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) pylons worth US$2 013.
Panellink Manufacturing Private Limited, based in the Kelvin West industrial area and represented by Providence Farai Gumbo, appeared before Western Commonage regional magistrate, Mrs
Sibongile Marondedze, who remanded the case to February 25.
According to the prosecution, presented by Mr Milton Moyo, the company was found in possession of 79 pieces of angle iron bars, each 1,6 metres long and engraved with ZETDC serial numbers.
“The accused then used two of the galvanised angle irons by welding them to a conveyor belt steel structure under construction at the company premises. The galvanised angle irons in the accused’s possession are part of the material imported by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company to construct electricity pylons.
“These pylons transmit high voltage power from the generation power plant into the national grid, sub-transmission network, and for wheeling power on the interconnected Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries,” Mr Moyo said.
He told the court that the offence was discovered on February 11 by a team of detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department, Mineral Flora and Fauna Unit, Harare and Bulawayo.
The team was deployed to tackle the vandalism of state utilities, including the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, National Railways of Zimbabwe, and TelOne.
“On that date, the team visited a site owned by Panellink Manufacturing Private Limited Company.
The detectives introduced themselves to the company executive officer and informed him of their mission,” said Mr Moyo.
“The team requested permission to conduct searches on the premises, and the chief executive officer consented. He then assigned a company representative to escort the detectives during the searches.”
He told the court that during the search, the detectives recovered two angle irons from a pile of scrap metal. Both galvanised angle irons had ZETDC serial numbers engraved on them.
“The team continued searching and recovered two more angle irons engraved with ZETDC numbers welded to a conveyor belt structure under construction at the company premises.
“They then made further searches and recovered 75 more angle irons, all engraved with ZETDC serial numbers, piled near a wall on the company premises,” Mr Moyo said.
The court heard that the recovered angle irons were taken to the police. The angle irons are currently held at CID MFFU Bulawayo as exhibits.
The recovered angle irons totalled 79 and are valued at US$2 013.
