In a copper cable theft crackdown, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on Tuesday arrested six individuals across the country for the unlawful possession and theft of ZESA copper cables.

The arrests show a stern warning to syndicates preying on critical national infrastructure, a crime that continues to cripple power supply and cost the national utility millions.

The first major breakthrough occurred at the 73 km peg along the Murewa-Madicheche Road, where police manning a roadblock intercepted a Toyota Dyna vehicle and Johanne Kaswove, Godknows Kutama, and Ernest Sau who had sacks containing a substantial quantity of armoured copper cables.

The cables were identified as having been stolen from three different ZESA transformers in the Mutawatawa area.

A search of the vehicle also recovered tools commonly used for vandalism, including a 24-inch bolt cutter, a hacksaw, an eight-inch shifting spanner, a 160mm side cutter, two screwdrivers, and an electronic scale.

In a Bulawayo crackdown, three were apprehended in separate incidents.

The police has also arrested another duo in Cowdray Park.
Thuthukani Ndlovu (27) and Melulekh Nkiwane (24).

The duo was arrested for allegedly vandalizing a ZESA transformer and stealing copper cables in the Cowdray Park suburb.

The police successfully recovered 30m of four-core transformer copper cables.

ZRP Pumula arrested Ofen Tamuka (21) the suspect for the theft of ZESA copper cables and recovered three x 30m copper cables, a bolt cutter, and a scale.