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Peter Matika, [email protected]

TWO suspects from Bulawayo, one of them a teenager aged 17 years, appeared in court yesterday facing charges of theft of 759,5kg of copper cables valued at US$ 15 190.

Ishmael Mpala (27) of Emakhandeni suburb and the teenager from Lobengula West, were nabbed in Nyamandlovu in Umguza District, Matabeleland North Province on 2 September.

Initially, they appeared at the Tsholotsho magistrates’ court before they were transferred to Bulawayo yesterday to stand trial on 11 October.

They are being charged with contravening section 60A (3b) of the Electricity Act, Chapter 13:19, (Possession or immediate control or upon any land or upon or in any premises, any material used in connection with the generation transmission, distribution or supply of electricity that is not being used in connection with any electricity service lawfully provided to them)

The two were caught while stealing copper cables from a pit in Nyamandlovu following a tip-off by community members.

“The accused persons ran away after they saw the police approaching them and left behind the electricity copper cables and a green trailer. The police tried to chase the accused persons but failed to apprehend them,” read the court papers.

It was stated that the accused dropped a black Itel P40 lite cellphone covered with a blue pouch with an Econet sim card. Police recovered burnt armoured copper cables of various sizes, base bars and transformer windings and the green trailer, including the cell phone.

“On 27 August, police detectives received information about the whereabouts of the accused persons. Reacting to the tip-off, detectives managed to arrest the teenager at a service station in Mpopoma suburb,” read court papers.

He then implicated Mpala leading to his arrest at his place of residence.

The teenager was, however, remanded out of custody, under the care of his mother, while Mpala is in custody.

Several people have been arrested and convicted for vandalising and stealing copper cables.

The latest arrest comes as the power utility, Zesa, has stepped up its fight against vandalism and theft across the country. The power utility is also in the process of replacing copper cables with aluminium.

Last year alone, Zesa recorded 1 569 cases of vandalism and theft, with copper specifically targeted in 1 127 of those cases.

According to Zesa Holdings, last year, 172 offenders were arrested and 33 cases secured convictions. The scrap metal industry has been identified as a niche market for stolen copper cables in the country. According to a study by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime between 2009 and 2018, recycled copper accounted for 32 percent of all copper used worldwide.

In 2022, the Government amended the Copper Control Amendment Act, which raised the minimum sentence for illegal possession of copper cables from two years to 10 years. The Act made it mandatory for all copper dealers to have certificates of origin for the metal in their possession.

The Act says that any person who unlawfully or intentionally deals in or possesses copper without a certificate of origin shall be guilty of an offence, and if there are no special circumstances peculiar to the case, be liable to imprisonment for a period not less than 10 years without the option of a fine. The Act also guards against vandalism of any item or essential infrastructure through theft of copper cables.