ZESCO reports five vandalism incidents and twelve arrests across four provinces in the past 24 hours, with criminals now targeting critical community infrastructure:
Critical Incidents:
– Southern Province: K2,471 cable stolen from Manyonyo Primary School (Mazabuka), disrupting education
– Central Province: K2,703 worth of cables stolen from Kabwe homes and New Apostolic Church
– Lusaka: K42,706 transformer vandalized at Kasupe, while K112,430 PMT was saved at Barlastone
– Northwestern: Suspect arrested for K277,405 transformer theft in Solwezi, motorcycle recovered
Loadshedding Is Not An Excuse for Vandalism
While ZESCO manages scheduled loadshedding:
1. Vandalism creates unpredictable blackouts – Schools/clinics lose power unexpectedly
2. Diverts repair teams from maintenance to emergency fixes
Community Wins:
– 12 arrests (including 10 in Lusaka West sting operation)
– K277,405 transformer parts recovered in Solwezi
– K112,430 church PMT saved from theft
Human Impact:
– Pupils study in darkness after school cable theft
– Church services disrupted by power cuts
– Families pay for criminals’ actions through extended outages
Urgent Appeal:
✓ Protect our transformers – Report suspicious activity near electricity infrastructure
✓ Reject stolen copper – It fuels more vandalism
✓ Call 0978-783000 or 0952058888 (Rewards given for credible tips against vandalism)
Issued by
Corporate Affairs Department
