Some residents in Bulawayo’s Tshabalala suburb have gone for a week without electricity following the theft of copper cables.
The residents said they intercepted the daring thieves while in the process of cutting the cables and they fled in panic, leaving the cables lying on the ground before they hopped into a ZESA branded vehicle and sped off.
A witness, Bongani Dube, told CITE that the incident happened on November 23, 2021, around 2 am.
Dube said he was in the house studying when he heard a loud noise outside and went to investigate.
“Initially I thought maybe it was people trying to break into my car. I got a torch and went outside. I discovered they had actually stepped on my garage roof but it gave in because of their weight because the zinc is now very old,” narrated Dube.
“When I got outside I saw a man running on top of the precast wall. I rushed outside the gate and I saw him jump into a car with ZESA branding which was parked on the road. The car had no number plates.”
Dube said they made a report to the police but they were referred to ZESA.
“The police said this is a ZESA issue. We have been to the ZESA offices countless times but they haven’t come here. We fear for our safety. These cables have been lying here since then and we don’t know if they are live or not. We are also in the rainy season so we fear the worst. My neighbours are now using the back entrance because these cables are right on their gate,” he said.
ZETDC acting spokesperson Prisca Utete could not immediately comment on the issue but asked that the questions be emailed to her.
