Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
CRIME doesn’t pay — and sometimes, it bites back with 11 000 volts!
An 18-year-old Epworth youth, Being Chamba, learned the hard way that electricity and theft don’t mix, after he was electrocuted mid-crime while trying to steal ZESA power cables in Cranborne, Harare!
The shocking incident occurred on 4 April 2025, when Chamba and his yet-to-be-caught crew broke into a ZESA sub-station under the cover of darkness. Their mission? To slice and swipe valuable armoured electricity cables — a booming black-market business.
But things took a fiery turn when Chamba, the alleged ringleader, made the fatal mistake of cutting into a live cable. BOOM! He was hit by a powerful electric shock that threw him to the ground and left him badly burned and unconscious.
Local residents stumbled upon the charred thief-in-crime and raised the alarm. Emergency services rushed him to hospital, where he is now under police guard — remanded in his hospital bed.
His partners in crime? Still on the run, but probably thinking twice before attempting another ZESA side hustle.
Chamba has since appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court and was charged with contravening the Electricity Act. His next court date depends on how soon his burns heal — but his criminal record is already scorched.
