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Electricity Thieves Face 30 Years In Jail

4 years agoFri, 30 Aug 2019 13:11:28 GMT
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Electricity Thieves Face 30 Years In Jail

The country’s power utility, ZESA, is saddled with a plethora of challenges which have pushed it to the edge of a precipice.

According to reports, ZESA is on the brink of collapse as it grapples with several problems which include rampant power theft, non-payment of electricity bills, vandalisation of infrastructure.

Energy and Power Development Minister, Fortune Chasi revealed that he recently commissioned the compilation of a report on the state of affairs at ZESA.

The company is reported to have a funding gap that could rise to ZW$2,8 million by the end of the year if the government does not approve its requests for higher tariffs.

In an interview with The Independent, Chasi said that his Ministry will push for deterrent penalties for people who vandalise ZESA infrastructure. He said:

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We have cases where some of the Zesa sub-stations are not linked to the national grid and yet the power goes to clients. This can only imply that there is a lot of power being lost.

We are currently undertaking thorough investigations on this matter to try and establish the extent of the problem but it appears to be rampant.

So this report will guide us in terms of trying to save Zesa and map the way forward in terms of curbing these massive power thefts.

We have also established rampant cases of illegal connections. The result of this has been that commercial loss of power in Zimbabwe has gone beyond the internationally agreed limit because the losses are quite significant.

We have also faced serious problems regarding the vandalisation of power infrastructure and theft of electricity transformers and cables.

So when I take the report to Cabinet next week, I am going to propose that as a country, we should tighten the law to, for instance, introduce a mandatory 30-year sentence for those convicted by the courts for committing these sorts of offences.

More: The Independent

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