Amended law bites hard on 3 offenders jailed for 10 years each for ESCOM transformer vandalism and theft

The convicts Charles and Patrick

* The jail term is deterrent enough considering that the offences were pre-meditated

* The act of vandalism has affected power supply to Nguludi Hospital and businesses

Maravi Express

Vandalism of an Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) transformer and theft of its underground cables have earned three men 10 years imprisonment each in Mulanje, courtesy of Electricity (Amendment) Act 2024.

The Mulanje Senior Resident Magistrates’ Court passed the sentence on Gift M’mangisa, Geoffrey Patrick and Afiki Charles yesterday, September 3, 2024.

Regional Prosecution Officer-South-East, Bartumeyo Adzaonenji, said Senior Resident Magistrate Glory Mwatiwamba jailed the men after they were convicted for the offences committed in Chiradzulu District in August 2024 and the case was eventually transferred to Mulanje.

“The jail term is deterrent enough considering that the offences were pre-meditated,” he said. “The act of vandalism has affected power supply to Nguludi Hospital and businesses.

“The vandalised transformer cables cannot be used again and this is a big loss for ESCOM,” Adzaonenji said.

He added that the court sentenced the three convicts to 27 months for conspiracy, 18 months for theft and 10 years for vandalism and they have since started serving their sentences, running concurrently at Mulanje Prison.

The convicts had pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit theft, theft and vandalism contrary to section 45(4)(b) of the Electricity Amendment Act of 2024 and being found in possession of the stolen equipment contrary to section 45(4)(a) of the same Act.

The Police arrested Charles and Patrick at Ntanyula Village in Chiradzulu on August 17, 2024 after finding them burning a cable to extract its copper wires.

M’mangisa fled from the scene and was eventually arrested in Limbe with pieces of copper.

The 20-year-old Patrick and Charles, (30) are reported to have traveled from their base in Blantyre City to link with the Chiradzulu-based accomplice M’mangisa, to commit the offences.

M’mangisa hails from Maloya Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Likoswe whereas Patrick and Charles are from Chagunda, T/A Changata and Mbalame Village, T/A Mpama in Thyolo District respectively.

ESCOM engaged the Judiciary and Malawi Police Service in sensitisation meetings in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Liwonde last month to orient them on the Electricity Amendment Act of 2024, that President Lazarus Chakwera assented to in May this year.

Vandalism has cost ESCOM K4 billion in the last two years.

Meanwhile, ESCOM has restored power it lost this morning from a system shutdown at 11h42 and by 12h29 it was restored after assuring customers to do so in the shortest time possible.—Content by ESCOM public relations office