* These acts of vandalism undermine national development efforts as they disrupt essential services, endangers lives, affects businesses, education, healthcare delivery and economic activities in affected communities
* Also place an unnecessary financial burden on ESCOM since resources meant for system expansion and service improvement are diverted to repair damaged infrastructure
By Duncan Mlanjira
Just this month of May alone, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has reported three incidents of vandalism of its infrastructure, the latest being on Kamuzu Day, May 14, that plunged parts of Phalombe District in darkness following the destruction of power lines.
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This is despite every effort by ESCOM warning of the serious consequences to this vice that undermines national development efforts as they disrupt essential services, endangers lives, affects businesses, education, healthcare delivery and economic activities in affected communities.
Some evil minds of the society are not relenting despite the plea that the vice also places an unnecessary financial burden on ESCOM since resources meant for system expansion and service improvement are diverted to repair damaged infrastructure.
ESCOM reports that its Fundis cross overhead line near Mpata Forest in Phalombe District was cut down and disrupted power supply to Mpata Trading Centre, Mpata School and the surrounding areas of Phalombe during the evening of May 14, which the Corporation managed to successfully restore on May 16 following extensive repair works by the technical teams.
This comes five days after another vandalism case at Kuntaya Water Treatment Plant in Lilongwe where thieves targeted cables supplying power to the Lilongwe Water Board booster pumps, directly disrupting plant operations.
Another incident occurred on May 3 at Chimtolo Village, Traditional Authority Khongoni in Lilongwe District, where unknown criminals vandalised poles and electricity conductors belonging to a power line project in the area.
Even foreign nationals like this Chinese was caught alongside his Malawian accomplices with a huge haul of ESCOM copper wires
“We are deeply concerned that such acts continue to derail efforts to connect communities to electricity and negatively affect socio-economic development,” reiterates ESCOM. “We appeal to members of the public to take an active role in protecting electricity installations by reporting any suspicious activities around power lines, transformers and other infrastructure to the nearest ESCOM office or law enforcement agencies.”
ESCOM thus reports that it “remains committed to ensuring reliable electricity supply to all customers and will continue working with communities, traditional leaders and security agencies to curb vandalism and bring perpetrators to justice”.
The power utility service provider also sympathised with Lilongwe Water Board, saying the incident at Kuntaya Water Treatment Plant was a serious threat to essential public services, saying: “By disabling water supply to surrounding communities, this criminality undermines national development and the efforts to provide reliable power supply to our customers.
“Such destructions result in costly repairs, service interruptions, and delayed progress for all citizens,” reiterates ESCOM and makes further appeal to the public to remain vigilant by reporting to the Police, ESCOM offices, or the anonymous tip-off line 847 on TNM or Airtel — concerning any suspicious activity near electrical installations with an offer of a reward for reports that are investigated and verified to be true.
“Protecting our national infrastructure is a shared responsibility. We appeal to Traditional Chiefs, community leaders, law enforcers and the general public to help ESCOM in the fight against vandalism.
“We further assure the public that we will continue working closely with the Malawi Police Service, the media and local leaders to ensure that those behind such criminal acts are brought to justice.”
As part of its continued fight against vandalism, ESCOM and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi Chapter launched the Anti-Vandalism Media Award in August last year to recognise outstanding journalists in three categories; electronic, print and online media — whose reporting has made a significant impact in informing the public about the dangers of vandalism to national development.
The award initiative seeks to promote high-quality reporting on the destructive effects of electricity infrastructure vandalism on national development, while strengthening efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure amid rising cases of vandalism that continue to disrupt ESCOM operations.
The winners were announced at the 2026 annual MISA Malawi Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony in Salima, where the Minister of Information, Shadric Namalomba, was guest of honour — also attended by ESCOM Board director, Beatrice Nyengani Namakonje.
In 2024, 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.
Last month, Alli Mustafa was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment with hard labour by Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Thyolo when he and an accomplice, who escaped, were caught in possession of the ESCOM property of 200 meters of 70mm hard-drawn copper wire
When opening the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Executive Committee in March, 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.
Chief Secretary Saidi
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.
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.
