News / National
Power outages hit Mkoba
21 Jun 2024 at 11:16hrs | Views
Several homes in Gweru's Mkoba suburb, including Mkoba Teachers' College, experienced power outages after suspected thieves stole copper cables. The affected areas include Mkoba 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13. Copper cable theft has been a recurring issue, leading to frequent power outages.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) is working to replace the stolen copper cables with aluminium ones. Engineer Wonder Mangwanda, Acting ZETDC Southern Region General Manager, confirmed the theft and mentioned that they are sourcing replacement cables. The theft occurred during load shedding, with residents suspecting that thieves took advantage of the power cuts.
Last week, a major theft occurred when the landing span of three feeders from the Mkoba substation was vandalized, affecting 70% of Mkoba suburbs. Copper conductors worth US$4,320 were stolen, and a police report was filed.
From January to March, the region lost infrastructure worth US$22,500 due to vandalism and theft, leading to prolonged power outages. Gweru and Kwekwe each reported 14 cases of infrastructure vandalism, while Zvishavane, Mvuma, and Chivhu reported fewer cases. Last year, 156 cases of vandalism of ZETDC property, worth US$279,000, were recorded.
Eng Mangwanda highlighted that the vandalism has hampered new projects, as funds are diverted to replace vandalized equipment. This has led to unplanned outages and increased faults, which some clients mistakenly perceive as load shedding. To curb the theft, ZETDC is seeking to increase the sentence for those convicted of stealing power cables and transformers from 10 years to 30 years. Additionally, ZETDC needs over US$14 million to procure intruder detection gadgets to address the issue.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) is working to replace the stolen copper cables with aluminium ones. Engineer Wonder Mangwanda, Acting ZETDC Southern Region General Manager, confirmed the theft and mentioned that they are sourcing replacement cables. The theft occurred during load shedding, with residents suspecting that thieves took advantage of the power cuts.
Last week, a major theft occurred when the landing span of three feeders from the Mkoba substation was vandalized, affecting 70% of Mkoba suburbs. Copper conductors worth US$4,320 were stolen, and a police report was filed.
From January to March, the region lost infrastructure worth US$22,500 due to vandalism and theft, leading to prolonged power outages. Gweru and Kwekwe each reported 14 cases of infrastructure vandalism, while Zvishavane, Mvuma, and Chivhu reported fewer cases. Last year, 156 cases of vandalism of ZETDC property, worth US$279,000, were recorded.
Eng Mangwanda highlighted that the vandalism has hampered new projects, as funds are diverted to replace vandalized equipment. This has led to unplanned outages and increased faults, which some clients mistakenly perceive as load shedding. To curb the theft, ZETDC is seeking to increase the sentence for those convicted of stealing power cables and transformers from 10 years to 30 years. Additionally, ZETDC needs over US$14 million to procure intruder detection gadgets to address the issue.
Source - The Chronicle
