* A joint patrol team comprising Police officers and community members intercepted a group of vandals in mid-operation at Nazinomwe Village
* The vandals had already disconnected high-voltage fuses of the area’s transformer and fled after the community patrol approached
By Duncan Mlanjira
A group of vandals were intercepted in mid-operation of vandalising a transformer for Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) by a volunteer community-led security patrol at Nazinomwe Village in Zomba, which was carried out joint with police officers.
The community-led volunteer patrol
ESCOM thus profoundly applauds the community’s spirit of ownership of public infrastructure describing it as “a bold and patriotic stand against electricity infrastructure vandalism”.
The power utility service provider reports on its social media platform that on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, the joint patrol team stumbled upon the vandals, “who had already disconnected the transformer’s high-voltage fuses and cut 1.5 metres of earth mat”.
“But the moment they spotted the community patrol team, they abandoned everything and fled. All materials were recovered; the equipment was saved; the community won.
“These are not isolated acts of bravado, they are the result of organised, deliberate, and heroic community night patrols, mounted as a direct response to a rising wave of syndicated vandalism across the country.
“ESCOM salutes every individual who gave up their night’s rest to protect infrastructure that powers homes, hospitals, schools, and businesses. You are not just guarding transformers and cables, you are guarding your communities.”
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ESCOM thus advises members of the public that if they experience a sudden, unexplained power outage at night, they should treat it as a potential vandalism incident immediately and alert their nearest Police Unit or ESCOM office.
“Together, we can and will protect the power network that belongs to all of us,” says ESCOM, which indicated to Zodiak Online that it has registered 138 cases of vandalism in six months alone.
ESCOM’s chief public relations & communications officer, Pilirani Phiri told Zodiak Online today, June 5 that the company losing MK3 billion kwacha every year due to replacement of vandalised infrastructure.
In order to deter the vice, Pilirani Phiri says ESCOM is currently conducting community engagements through chiefs across the country and is appealing for community ownership and mindset change towards national infrastructure that support them.
Deputy spokesperson for the Malawi Police Service, Alfred Chinthere told Zodiak recently that law enforcers are working tirelessly to arrest individuals vandalising ESCOM property across the country.—Additional reporting by Chikondi Mphande, Zodiak Online
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