ZESA workers have a hand in the rampant vandalism and theft
of electricity infrastructure, which has cost the country millions of dollars
and led to disruption of efficient power transmission across the country,
President Mnangagwa said yesterday.
The power utility needs at least US$40 million to replace
more than 4 000 transformers, which have been vandalised across the country. It
has also lost up to 1 000km of power lines to cable thieves, according to
recent reports.
Responding to a question on the matter during a plenary
session at the on-going 2019 ZimTrade Annual Exporters’ Conference in Bulawayo,
the President said Government was disturbed by reports of power transmission
disruptions linked to vandalism of electricity infrastructure and the attendant
negative impact on ordinary people and business operations.
“We are convinced that those who steal transformers either
work for Zesa or are related to Zesa workers because you need some degree of
information and technology to steal these transformers, and you must know that
there is some danger involved,” said President Mnangagwa.
“Transformers are being stolen countrywide and we need to
find a way to stop this stealing.”
President Mnangagwa said Government has come up with
propositions on how to tackle the issue of transformers at two levels.
First, he said the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier
Services has been tasked to develop applications or technology to protect the
transformers. This includes exploring avenues of using technology devices such
as drones to monitor electricity infrastructure.
The President said research was also being done on the
usage of modern transformers in advanced economies that cannot be vandalised,
which could be embraced locally.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa said there was a need to
amend the laws and come up with deterrent sentences against those who vandalise
electricity infrastructure.
He challenged Zesa to explain public concerns over delays
in repair of transformers that would be taken away from communities for repair
and maintenance but take longer to be reinstalled. President Mnangagwa said he
will be officiating at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) graduation
today where he has been briefed that the university will showcase a new
transformer model that he hoped would assist the country in view of the
vandalism problem.
Zesa has been experiencing increased incidents of
vandalism, some of which had claimed lives as thieves attempt to drain
transformer oil or cut copper cable conductors. The trend has further crippled
Zesa operations at a time the country has suffered reduced power generation
capacity at the Kariba Hydro-plant linked to drought and ageing infrastructure
at the main thermal stations.
Recently, Cabinet also expressed concern over vandalism of
Zesa infrastructure and put into spotlight the effectiveness of the 10-year
mandatory sentence for those convicted with some stakeholders suggesting a
20-year sentence.
It is believed that those vandalising Zesa infrastructure
are finding a ready market locally and outside the country for transformer oil
and copper cables sold as scrap.
The copper cables are being smuggled mainly to South Africa
where there is a ready market for them hence vandals are even risking their
lives to cut the cables.
Many cases of vandals being electrocuted while cutting live
wires have been reported but this has not deterred the vandals. Chronicle
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