Armed ZESA employees stealing electric cables and components

By Tererai Karimakwenda

28 July 2006

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has been under siege for years now losing electric cables, transformers and other valuable components due to theft. It has long been suspected that much of the loss was due to insiders who know the location of key equipment and have access to security information. And now our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa reports that armed gangs of ZESA employees have been seen at night by residents in and around Harare stealing from their own employer. Muchemwa spoke with people in several locations who actually witnessed the night time thefts.

One woman near Murombedzi Road outside Harare said the thieves she saw one night arrived in a ZESA truck and were in their ZESA uniforms. Choosing to remain anonymous for her safety the woman said the group fired a couple of shots into the air to scare residents. They then proceeded to cut cables and unscrew transformers at the local plant near her house. Muchemwa said the woman witnessed the whole thing but was too afraid to report it to the police. She told him she feared the police may be involved in this profitable business and would victimise her instead.

The theft of electric cables is a problem countrywide because copper is easy to melt and easier to sell. Muchemwa said theft has largely contributed to the load-shedding of power by ZESA. But when the utility company cuts electricity without warning, its own equipment and electric household products are being damaged. Muchemwa explained that any electric unit that uses what is known as a single phase electric current can easily burn out when power is restored. This is because the initial surge when power returns has a high voltage.

Muchemwa also said the town of Bindura has been without water in many parts for several days now. Bindura council officials appeared on state television this week complaining that 2 water pumps had been damaged by ZESA’a power load shedding this week. This was the second time since last month that pumps had been damaged in the town. Muchemwa said The Reserve Bank bailed them out the first time by providing Z$ 13.5 billion for replacement parts. Now Bindura officials will have to go back for more if they want to restore normal water service to the town.