By Ireen Mulenga
ZESCO says they have recorded 721 cases of vandalism and lost a total of K7, 831,497.28 from the first to the third quarter of 2021.
Zesco Public Relations Manager Hazel Zulu said the most vandalized items included both overhead, underground cables as well as ground and pole mounted transformers.
Ms Zulu said the Corporation is dismayed by the persistent loss of vital installations to vandalism as this is not only a setback to ZESCO operations but also amounts to economic sabotage as electricity is a key driver of economic development.
She said electrical equipment and infrastructure cost colossal amounts of money and any acts of vandalism takes the effort of the Corporation and the country several steps backwards.
“We are pleased to assure the public that ZESCO is working tirelessly to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book. In the period under review, the Corporation, working jointly with other law enforcement agencies, made 96 arrests which resulted in 24 convictions while 38 cases are still active in court.
Ms Zulu said that corporation will remain committed to ensuring that they make it easy for people to live a better life as they continue to work vigorously to bring these vile acts to a halt.
She has called on the public to join the fight against vandalism and report any such acts to the police so that the institution continues to provide consistent and quality electricity to all its citizens.
