* This is a year after a Chinese national was also nabbed in Lilongwe for the same offence in collaboration with three Malawians
* As Limbe police recover 195.6kgs of copper and 364.2kgs of aluminium while the Chinese national in Lilongwe was found with approximately 18 tonnes of copper wires
By Duncan Mlanjira
While a case in Lilongwe last year seemed to be one in exceptional isolation, in which Chinese national Xu Hongxiang was arrested after being found with approximately 18 tonnes of stolen Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) copper wires, it has resurfaced — this time in Limbe involving two Indian nationals.
The copper wires that were confiscated
A report by Limbe Police Station’s deputy public relations officer, Sub-Inspector Sam Kadyole, indicates that they received a tip from a well-wisher that there was a shipping container at Maselema in Limbe which was loaded with the cables suspected to be stolen from ESCOM and other scrap metals ready for export.
Sub-Inspector Kadyole reports that during a raid at the premises on Wednesday, February 18 around 17h00, police detectives searched the container and discovered 195.6kgs of copper and 364.2kgs of aluminium which were identified by ESCOM officials to be their property.
“The police seized the stolen cables and arrested the duo who will appear before court soon,” reports Kadyole, who identified the two as Kalwinber Sinds (50) and Sahib Kahlon (24), who are residents of Namiwawa in Blantyre.
In recent years, ESCOM has been hit very hard in vandalism of its infrastructure targeting its copper and aluminum wires which are sold to unregistered scrap metal dealers — and the vandalism-of-escom-assets-
The Chinese national and his Malawian accomplices and the loot in the warehouse
The Chinese national, Xu Hongxiang and his Malawian accomplices, operated a warehouse and after a raid by the police following a tip, they recovered over 40 bags of stolen copper wires, amounting to approximately 18 tonnes — which were identified as ESCOM property.
The Chinese national was buying the copper from vandals at K15,000 per kilogramme and with about 18 tonnes recovered, it means the financial loss to ESCOM over the continued vandalism cases is very substantial and unsustainable.
Took two trucks to be transported away
Calls have been made to take an extra mile in the regulation of the scrap metal business by reigning in the parallel unregistered market, which in turns sells to the official market.
Despite the deterrent measures the government made by amending the Electricity Act of 2024 that was initiated to mitigate the rampant theft of ESCOM infrastructure, the vandalism still persist and it it even getting worse as two weeks ago, the vice involved seven ESCOM employees, who were arrested Police in Blantyre along with five others over theft and possession of electricity equipment valued at over K15 million.
According to Blantyre Police publicist, Sub-Inspector Peter Mchiza, the seven ESCOM employees held seasonal positions including linesmen, a senior supervisor and a driver, who stole 57 metres of cable wire and that investigations led to the recovery of the cable, positively identified by ESCOM.
The seven ESCOM employees include Alex Gama, 38; Humphrey Yohane, 23; Don Singano, 36; Alick Mpalume, 38; Bakali Phiri, 53; Martin Lyford Mgunda, 48 and George Chafutwa, 46, while the five additional suspects are from Zomba, Mulanje, Chikwawa, and Thyolo districts.
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ESCOM’s chief public relations & communications officer, Pilirani Phiri explained in a statement on February 13, that the alleged theft and arrest occurred on February 2, 2026 along the Masauko Chipembere Highway where the employees had been officially assigned to repair a vandalised cable.
However, they took advantage of the assignment to steal the copper cable which was sold to a businessman for K3.355 million, who was also apprehended.
The new twist of the involvement of ESCOM employees, who had been entrusted in repairing vandalised cables, left the company in total disbelief and took the issue with “utmost gravity”.
“As a utility provider dedicated to serving the nation, the Corporation has zero tolerance for vandalism and theft, particularly when perpetrators by this entrusted to safeguard our infrastructure,” said publicist Phiri in the statement, announcing that the seven were suspended pending outcome of the court case and comprehensive internal investigations.
It’s usually vandals masquerading as ESCOM employees, who have been caught before
ESCOM also issued a stern warning to members of the public who collaborate with criminal saboteurs of the corporation’s efforts to provide reliable power. In the amended-electricity-act-that-
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.
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.
* Weather update
