President Chakwera boosts fight against vandalism of ESCOM infrastructure by assent to Electricity (Amendment) Act

* Fines increased for illegal connections and meter tampering to K100 million

* Whereas the maximum jail term for such offences is 10 years

* The Act covers offences committed by the on ESCOM members of staff, former  employees and the public

By Peter Kanjere, ESCOM PRO

The legal battle against theft, tampering, and vandalism of the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) Limited infrastructure has received a big push following President Lazarus Chakwera’s assenting to the Electricity (Amendment) Act.

The revised Act, which the State President assented to alongside 11 other bills, has fines increased for illegal connections and meter tampering to K100 million whereas the maximum jail term for such offences is 10 years.

The Act covers offences on ESCOM infrastructure committed by the Corporation’s members of staff, former  employees and the public.

A section of the revised Act says if a licensee’s employee or former employee is involved in illegal connection or meter tampering, the penalty to be meted out is MK150 million and 25 years’ imprisonment.

Section 45(4) provides a non-fineable penalty of 30 years for vandalism and possession of equipment stolen from a licensee.

Fines in the previous Electricity Act were as low as K5 million and jail terms of up to 10 years.

Reacting to the news, ESCOM’s chief public relations officer, Kitty Chingota said the President’s assenting to the Act is a giant step in the fight against theft, tampering, and vandalism of the Corporation’s infrastructure as the utility company is now registering vandalism cases every day.

Yesterday, a cable was vandalized around Wenela in Blantyre’s central business district (CBD), prompting Chingota to say: “This now paves the way for stiffer punishments.

“We urge other stakeholders, including the Judiciary and law enforcement agencies such as the Malawi Police Service, to play their part in ensuring that those convicted of vandalising our infrastructure receive corresponding justice,” she said.

Chingota said the power utility company has lost K2 billion in the last two years alone to vandalism of infrastructure such as transformers, tower members, poles, conductors and stay wires.

“The amount includes replacement costs and lost revenue,” she said, adding that the President’s action demonstrates the Government’s commitment to complement ESCOM’s efforts in eradicating theft and vandalism of the Corporation’s assets to increase electricity access currently at 12%.

ESCOM is a government-owned limited company whose mandate is to transmit, distribute, and supply electricity to the country. The company also owns a subsidiary called Optic Fibre Communications.

Soon after Parliament passed the amendment Bill in April Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola also emphasised that there was need for stiffer punishment for the vandals.

He said this when he graced an anti-vandalism campaign for ESCOM in Mangochi vandalism of ESCOM assets as tantamount to economic sabotage, saying the vice undermines the government’s efforts to ensure that the manufacturing industry has access to enough electricity to aid production.

Cases of vandalism of ESCOM equipment is on the rampant and just in November, two towers on Kapichira to Nchalo 132kv overhead line at Kasinthula in Chikwawa District were brought down — heavily compromising health service delivery in Lower Shire and putting lives at risk and bringing businesses to a halt.

The ESCOM towers feeds Nsanje and Chikwawa, and as they fell down, so did service delivery for health centres, fresh food grocery shops, welding centres, butcheries, hair salons and barbershops, among other businesses in Nsanje and Chikwawa.

Thus ESCOM losing millions of its revenue in repairing and replacing stolen equipment prompting the company to conduct anti-vandalism sensitization campaigns in the last two years, but the vice still persists largely due to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers who buy such vandalized ESCOM assets.

There are also calls to regulate the scrap metal business, which others are also advocating for amendment to its regulations to mete out stiff punishment to those who flout them.

Last year, ESCOM produced a report on the prevalence of vandalism cases in the Southern Region, indicating that MV conductors were the most targeted by vandals — with Thyolo, Blantyre, Zomba and Mulanje registered the most cases of vandalism.

The report showed that 41,355 MV conductor were vandalized in the region followed by HV conductor (12,875), 10,124 earth mat, 1,708 MV cable, 1,165 twin wire, 905 LV stay, 438 HV stay,  195 HV cable, 77 transformers, MV fuse units (57) and HV metering unit (four).

Thyolo topped the list of the districts in the region hit the hardest by vandalism after registering 34 transformer cases, followed by those of 5,500 MV conductor, 1,303 earth mats, 480 MV cable and 100 HV conductor. Some 20 HV cables were vandalized in Chikwawa during this period.—Report edited by Maravi Express