A collaborative effort between Bulawayo residents and the police resulted in the successful dismantlement of a notorious syndicate believed to be responsible for extensive copper cable thefts in the city.
The operation culminated in the recovery of over five
tonnes of stolen cables in Mahatshula suburb.
The four-member syndicate was apprehended on Saturday
afternoon by a CID Homicide team, following a meticulous two-week surveillance
operation.
Among those arrested
are a man and his wife, Tapfumaneyi Muzarabani and Tracy Ncube, alongside their
alleged accomplices, Alan Mudjiwa and Hebron Chiyangwa.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico
Ncube, credited the vigilant public for reporting the suspicious activities
that led to the surveillance and subsequent arrests.
“Bulawayo province has been battling a scourge of theft of copper cables and that led us to
engagie CID Homicide in apprehending the suspects. Detectives from CID received
information from members of the public leading to a raid at a house in
Mahatshula suburb. They were found with more than 5 tonnes of copper cables in
two separate rooms,” said Insp Ncube.
He said police believe that the couple residing there was
involved in the concealment of the stolen goods, which were allegedly destined
for sale to various purchasers.
“The owner of the house is a 64-year-old man who stays
elsewhere and is unaware that his house was being used as a storage facility
for stolen copper cables. We want to appreciate members of the public for
having trust in ZRP Bulawayo and we want to appreciate the police themselves,
especially CID Homicide in this case, who worked with dedication, diligence and
motivation in the follow up of this case,” said Insp Ncube.
Meanwhile, police on Wednesday apprehended a 36-year-old
man in Emganwini suburb found with 1,5 tonnes of copper cables.
The person, an agent for Harare-based Reczone Private
Limited, asserted that the cables were being stored on behalf of the company.
Insp Ncube reported that police were tipped off about the
suspect’s possession of the cables, which are believed to have been pilfered
from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company’s (ZETDC)
distribution network.
“On March 13, detectives received information that the
accused person had copper cables suspected to be stolen from ZETDC distribution
lines. The recovered copper cables are owned by ZETDC.
“Some are used in electricity distribution and some are
transformer coils and overhead copper distribution cables. Police gathered that
indeed the man is an agent of Reczone Pvt Ltd and that he operates in
Bulawayo’s Kelvin West Industrial area.
“On a date unknown, but in January 2024, he received
assorted copper cables packed in 34 50kg pockets. The copper cables included
transformer coils and overhead distribution cables. He stored the cables in one
of the company offices at 1634 Market Road Kelvin North, Bulawayo,” said Insp
Ncube.
He said police went to the premises where they requested to
conduct a search and managed to recover 1 380,5kgs of copper cables of which
571kgs were ZETDC transformer coils.
“ZETDC engineers, TelOne Zimbabwe and National Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) representatives were summoned to the Criminal Investigation
Department Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit Station to identify the recovered
copper cables. The ZETDC engineer identified 571kgs of transformer coils and
overhead distribution cables,” Inspector Ncube said.
He claimed to have acquired various copper cables from
multiple sources. Upon inspection, he presented a legitimate copper trading
licence, valid from February 19 of this year until February 18, 2025, issued to
his employer.
However, Insp Ncube highlighted a potential infringement of
Section 4(4) of the Copper Control Act, Chapter 14:06, which explicitly
prohibits the transfer or unauthorised use of such licences.
The incident underscores the ongoing concerns regarding the
loss of parastatal property to vandalism and theft.
In response to these challenges, Zesa spearheaded an
awareness campaign last month, in collaboration with the Bulawayo City Council,
police, ZETDC Loss Control, NRZ and TelOne.
The initiative was aimed at raising public consciousness
about the detrimental effects of service
infrastructure vandalism, particularly the theft of copper cables.
The consequences of these criminal activities have been
severe, including fatalities in hospitals, water supply disruptions and
extended power outages affecting numerous citizens. Chronicle
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