Fabian Mudhegu- Reporter
The perennial problem of copper cables continues to bog several entities who use the mineral for the providence of services to the populace.
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), landline telephone operator, TelOne, National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC), are worst affected since some of their service production uses copper.
Copper is a chalcopyrite mineral which has a ready market locally and across borders. Copper is used for making jewellery, tools, pipes, doors, roofs and many other things.
TelOne, the fixed network operator used overhead and underground copper cables for telephony transmission, it is the same with NRZ, whose signals are transmitted through copper cables. BCC has a radio department that uses copper cables for transmission.
On Friday, the four affected entities in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) took to the streets of Bulawayo on a roadshow on an awareness campaign against vandalism to copper cables.
The theme of the roadshow was “No To Vandalism”.
The roadshow started from the ZRP Press and Liaison offices at Ross Camp into 6th avenue extension and had a brief stop at Renkini long distance bus terminuses. At this stop the message was to discourage vandalism of copper cables as they affect service providence.
A representetive from a subsidairy of ZESA, Lloyd Jaji who is the Acting General Manager at Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC), said since 2021 the department faced losses of copper cables worth US$20 million.
“I think in the last three years we lost anything up to US$20 Million so this is a big challenge to us,” Said Mujaji
A Bulawayo resident who followed the events of the roadshow, Bongokuhle Moyo said businessmen, and general citizenry deserve better supply if electricity tokens and or bills they pay for as such urges the authorities to act wisely.
“The theft of copper cables is not only a criminal act but also a significant inconvenience for those who pay their electricity bills. It disrupts power supply, causing inconveniences and financial losses to both individuals and businesses.
A strong response is needed from authorities to curb this problem and protect the interests of law-abiding citizens. Efforts should be made to raise awareness, implement stricter security measures, and ensure severe consequences for those involved in this illegal activity.” Said Moyo
Bulawayo is the heaviest city that suffers heavy loses of copper cables. It is due to its proximity to South Africa where it has a ready market.
During the roadshow some residents are backing the idea of replacing copper with aluminium cables. To this Mujaji responded saying,
“That process is ongoing but obviously it will take some time for us to replace all the copper with aluminium, so, in the mean time there will be vandalising so what we are saying is, this program is running in parallel to the target removal that is already underway.” Said Mujaji
The ZRP Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube urged everyone to work hand in hand with the authorities for the provision of any information of cases of vandalism.
“Our word is one. No To Vandalism, No to theft of copper cables and we are urging members of the public to come up with information that can assist the police and all other stake holders in apprehending these criminals.”
He added that those destroying the City are people from within Bulawayo.
“We have also realized that those criminals are not from anywhere else other than Bulawayo because in our arrest we are a getting some suspects from Nkulumani, Emganwini, Pumula South, Embundane, Cowdry Park, Northend and Mzilikazi and many other areas that are Bulawayo
Those people are not invisible they stay within our communities. Once we practice good neighbor watch systems we can be able to expose those criminals” He said
Fortune Sibanda, a Nketa resident had this opinion to share,
“Copper cable theft is a pervasive problem with far-reaching consequences. It disrupts critical infrastructure, such as telecommunications and power systems, leading to service outages and financial losses. It also poses significant safety risks, as thieves often resort to dangerous methods to obtain copper,” Said Sibanda
Youths from within the City responded positively to No to Vandalism Campaign through informative poems, dramas and dances in support of the agenda.
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