Thyolo man sentenced to 3 years of hard labour without option of fine for vandalising ESCOM copper wires

Cases of vandalism on the increase 

* He was apprehended with 200 meters of 70mm hard-drawn copper wire

By Dalitso Kampira, MANA

Alli Mustafa has been sentenced to 36 months imprisonment with hard labour by Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Thyolo for vandalising Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) equipment.

State Prosecutor, Inspector Ishmael Abubast, told the court that on March 1, 2026, Mustafa (40) and an accomplice, who remains at large, were caught in possession of the ESCOM property of 200 meters of 70mm hard-drawn copper wire

Mustafa, who hails from Jalasi Village, Traditional Authority Chiunda in Mangochi District, pleaded guilty to the charge, and sought for leniency claiming that he was a first-time offender, adding that he had not yet benefited from selling the stolen items.

But the State urged the Magistrate to impose a stiff sentence, citing a rise in thefts of ESCOM equipment and the serious impact on the national economy.

In her ruling, Chief Resident Magistrate, Shyreen Yona Chirwa, while acknowledging the convict’s plea, highlighted the gravity of the offence and thus imposed the 36 months custodial sentence with hard labour and without option of a fine to deter similar crimes.

When opening the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Executive Committee last week, which ESCOM hosted at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe, Secretary to the Office of the President & Cabinet, Justin Saidi highlighted that ESCOM is losing an estimated K3 billion every day due to direct replacement costs and lost revenue.

He stressed that protecting transmission infrastructure remains critical to ensuring reliable electricity supply and the stability of the regional power network having taken cognizance that the impact of vandalism on electricity infrastructure is not just affecting ESCOM alone but across Southern African region.

SAPP is a cooperation of the national electricity companies in Southern Africa under the auspices of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the conference brought together regional power utilities, policymakers and energy experts to strengthen cooperation in the power sector.

In his speech, Saidi indicated that as the impact of vandalism on electricity infrastructure is on the rise across the region, Ministers responsible for energy from the region are prioritising strategies to combat vandalism both at national and regional levels through the SAPP framework.

On the part of Malawi, the government, through the Ministry of Energy moved a motion in Parliament and amended-the-Electricity-Act-to-help-step-up-the-vandalism-fight — whose Section 45 (4) (b) provides a non-fineable penalty of 30 years for vandalism and possession of equipment stolen from ESCOM — including buyers of the equipment.

Section 45 (5) provides an enhanced penalty of MK150,000,000 and 25 years imprisonment if a licensee’s employee or former employee is involved in the illegal connection or meter tamper.

But made in mid-2024, the stiffer punishment doesn’t seem to act as a deterrent since there had been many people who have been caught vandalising and being found in possession of ESCOM equipment, were slapped with maximum penalties in the courts — including what Thyolo Chief Resident Magistrate, Shyreen Yona Chirwa has meted out on Alli Mustafa.—Editing & additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express