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Vimbai Chinembiri Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has lost material and equipment worth more than $3 million through theft of electricity copper cables and aluminium conductors.
Responding to written questions yesterday, Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said the development had resulted in the loss of electricity and hindered growth of the company.
“We lost more than $3 million from January 2013 to date due to theft and vandalism. Such cases of theft and vandalism retard network expansion as materials that were meant for network expansion end up being used for replacement purposes,” said Mr Gwasira.
“This has resulted in unplanned power outages and we sometimes fail to upgrade.
“Some unplanned power outages are also a result of theft and vandalism that causes prolonged electricity outages due to constraints relating to non-availability of replacement materials and equipment.”
He advised members of the public countrywide to report all power outages that occur for prolonged periods to their nearest Customer Service Centres as they would not always translate to load-shedding.
“Electricity transmission and distribution networks are prone to lightning strikes, trees falling on power lines and water seeping into cables, among other causes of interference with the smooth floor of electricity. We urge residents to report any fault,” said Mr Gwasira.
Some Bulawayo suburbs have been affected by the theft and vandalism of ZETDC property with some sections of Nketa 9 this week going for four days without electricity.
Online Reporter