Zambia: Southern Senior Regional Manager of Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation has expressed concern on power theft in the region. Given Monde has expressed that theft of power through meter bypass is a serious cause of concern for ZESCO.
He added that this is a major operational challenge for the company as the theft of power is leading to loss of revenue for the company. He expressed his concern on the issue while talking to the media.
Monde says that there are too many illegal extensions in some communities of the Southern Province. The situation can lead to deterioration of the network strength, which in turn can cause losses to the utility.
The electricity corporation of the country is a government owned entity and has been providing supply to the communities. However, the people who resort to power theft not only cause the company financial concerns but also damage the government and ZESCO-owned infrastructure.
The life expectancy of the power grid cann suffer irreversible damage, leading to large scale power failure. Another issue that the company is struggling with is that of vandalism. ZESCO Senior Regional Manager, Given Monde said that incidents of vandalism has also increased.
The Mazabuka District is also not spared by the culprits as vandals steal copper wires from the transformers. The wiring can cost upwards of thousands of Kwachas which are difficult to replace on short notice.
Further the power utility has also marked an increase in the encroachment which results in endangering lives of citizens. The concerns raised by the ZESCO official were also addressed by the members of the community.
Noel Mulenga, a Monze based Artist has appealed to the public to not engage in activities like theft and destroying of public property. The people have supported the electricity corporation and pledged to work out a solution.
Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) is currently taking up an eight-hour load-shedding initiative. The initiative aims to utilize the limited power resources available to the country judiciously.
The energy shortage and loadshedding has left many communities and small and medium sized enterprises struggling with lack of power. Adding to this situation, actions like power theft and vandalism can make matters worse for the community.