Zimbabwean court has sentenced Rothman Changara, a 36-year-old unemployed man from Ruvimbo Phase 2 in Chinhoyi, to 10 years in prison for stealing and burning ZESA electrical cables.
The convict’s actions disrupted power supply and endangered critical infrastructure.
According to the state, the incident occurred on February 8, 2025, at around 03:00 hours in Cold Stream, Chinhoyi.
The complainant, a 53-year-old self-employed man, was awoken by the sound of something falling outside his house. Shortly after, the electricity went out.
When he stepped outside to investigate, he discovered that a 30-meter weather deck cable used to transmit power from a ZESA line to his meter box had been cut and stolen.
In a quick response, the complainant and a neighbor observed a distinct shoe print at the scene and decided to track it.
Their search led them to Gadzema Rank, where they noticed a large fire.
Upon approaching, they found the offender actively tending to the flames, which were being used to burn the outer insulation of electricity cables, a common method used to extract copper for resale.
When questioned, the offender failed to give a satisfactory explanation for the origin of the cables.
The shoe print at the fire site matched the one from the crime scene, linking him directly to the theft.
He was arrested on the spot, and the burnt copper wires were seized as evidence.
The wires, weighing approximately 5kg, were weighed at Zimpost and matched the description and value of the stolen cable.
The court found that he acted unlawfully and intentionally caused damage to ZESA infrastructure.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
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