News / Local
Cable theft triggers 14-day power blackout
03 Dec 2021 at 05:31hrs | Views
RESIDENTS of Tshabalala suburb in Bulawayo have spent two weeks without electricity after cables were stolen.
Several suburbs in Bulawayo have of late experienced electricity blackouts due to cable theft.
Tshabalala residents allege that they spotted a Zimbabwe Electricity, Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC)-branded vehicle in the area during the night, before electricity went off.
They suspect that ZETDC employees were responsible for the cable theft.
"It was in the middle of the night, and I was on my way home when I approached a precast wall near my place.
"I heard some strange noise and I flashed my torch to see what was happening," Danisa Ndlovu a Tshabalala resident told Southern Eye.
"I saw people cutting cables. I stood there for a while and when they saw me they ran away leaving the cables."
Ndlovu said the suspects jumped into a ZETDC vehicle and drove off.
"We have spent more than a week now without power and the cables are still lying there," said another resident, Nomusa Sibanda.
"This is posing a danger to our kids who like playing around that area. We are not sure whether the cables are live or not. Children like to experiment a lot," Sibanda said.
Zesa Southern Region manager Lovemore Chinaka said: "I do not have a report implicating ZETDC workers on the matter.
"I actually wasn't aware that Tshabalala residents have no power.
"I will find out about what is happening in that area."
Several suburbs in Bulawayo have of late experienced electricity blackouts due to cable theft.
Tshabalala residents allege that they spotted a Zimbabwe Electricity, Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC)-branded vehicle in the area during the night, before electricity went off.
They suspect that ZETDC employees were responsible for the cable theft.
"It was in the middle of the night, and I was on my way home when I approached a precast wall near my place.
"I heard some strange noise and I flashed my torch to see what was happening," Danisa Ndlovu a Tshabalala resident told Southern Eye.
"I saw people cutting cables. I stood there for a while and when they saw me they ran away leaving the cables."
Ndlovu said the suspects jumped into a ZETDC vehicle and drove off.
"We have spent more than a week now without power and the cables are still lying there," said another resident, Nomusa Sibanda.
"This is posing a danger to our kids who like playing around that area. We are not sure whether the cables are live or not. Children like to experiment a lot," Sibanda said.
Zesa Southern Region manager Lovemore Chinaka said: "I do not have a report implicating ZETDC workers on the matter.
"I actually wasn't aware that Tshabalala residents have no power.
"I will find out about what is happening in that area."
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
