Zimpapers Logo

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
CABINET has approved a 30-year mandatory jail sentence for those who steal or vandalise power infrastructure.

Parastatals such as the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) have been losing millions of dollars each year to copper cable thieves.

The parastatal and law enforcement agents have been lobbying Government to review upwards the 10-year mandatory sentence for copper cable thieves and electricity vandals.

They argued that copper cable thieves were economic saboteurs as theft of electricity infrastructure had ripple effects on the economy.

The rampant theft of copper cables has seen Zesa replacing copper cables with aluminum.

Zesa recently said it requires more than US$14 million to procure intruder detection gadgets to fight the scourge that continues to bleed the power utility.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, briefing the media on Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting said Government is set to amend a law governing handling of copper in the country.

“Cabinet considered and approved the Copper Control Amendment Bill, which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (Ziyambi Ziyambi), as Chairman of Cabinet Committee on Legislation. Cabinet was informed that the Bill seeks to provide for the offence of vandalism of utilities through the theft of copper which is then sold on the black market,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

She said the new Bill makes it illegal for any person to possess copper without a certificate of origin for that copper.

“In order to curb theft of copper, the police will require anyone found in possession of copper to provide the names and addresses of both the seller and the purchaser, description and quantity of the copper and the reasons for disposal. Convicted copper thieves will now be liable to imprisonment for a period of not less than 30 years without the option of a fine. In addition, any vehicle or device used to illegally transport copper will now be forfeited to the State,” she said. — -@nqotshili