Court jails Escom power line vandals for six years

Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom)  power lines vandals have been given long jail terms by Neno magistrates court after prosecutors said the power utility will spend over K600 million for the vandalised main central region line.

Escom officials show some infrastructure which suffered from vandalism
Escom officials show some infrastructure which suffered from vandalism

Neno First Grade Magistrate Daniel Dzowera then sentenced Wonderford Benard to six years imprisonment with hard laour, Oscar Benard to five years imprisonment with hard labour and Maxwell Phiri to four years imprisonment.

The three convicts were found with the vandalised Escom items and they all pleaded guilty to the charges thereby fast tracking the case.

Escom officials said it would take a lot of money and a lot of time to restore the important power line that supplies electricity from Nkula Falls to Ntcheu, Dedza and Lilongwe among other districts.

The vandalism of the power line has worsened the power blackout situation as most households now get less than four hours of power on average each day.

Malawi is currently facing prolonged power rationing due to low water levels in the Shire River, where over 90 percent of the country’s hydroelectric power is generated.

According to Escom senior transmission manager Alfred Overtone Kaponda, the vandalism at Mwengesa Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Symon in Neno District worsened power supply.

Kaponda said the damage will cost Escom K633 million (about $1million) to rectify.

He said: “Each tower costs K12 million which could cost Escom about K144 million to buy new towers since we cannot reuse these ones. But the whole reconstruction process could cost us K633 million. But we are now installing temporary poles which will cost K30 million to bring back electricity within the next four to six days.”

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Shem
Shem
8 years ago

Let us know where the demand is for the vandalised materials. Did the vandals disclose their motive? They could be sponsored saboteurs or merely sponsored stagers of a sexy looking excuse by ESCOM or the state. Dig out a little more.

Tengupenya
Tengupenya
8 years ago

Are they not responsible for the consequences of their actions? They are causing preventable deaths! Life as a minimum is a fitting sentence. But then it all depends on what they were charged with in the first place.

Bebvu
Bebvu
8 years ago

Too light a sentence, Bear in mind people dying in hospitals as they cannot undergo an operation due to lack of electricity, or oxygen concentrator, incubator etc.

Mbuya
Mbuya
8 years ago

12 yrs please

Redeemed
Redeemed
8 years ago

I’m looking at the far back mountain, so bare, no vegetation what so ever, what happened to the youth week programme to dress up these formally beautiful features? did the Ngwazi buried with all the developments.? So are we wondering why nature has viciously turned against us through heavy rainy associated with stormy winds?.

Nyayekha
8 years ago

Only 6 yrs for causing damage over half a billion kwacha?and how much damage has been caused to the economy?added with escom damaged ipitilira 1 trillion kwacha,life imprisonment kapena kwa shuta basi kuti ena atengere phunziro!

KARU UNITED
KARU UNITED
8 years ago

VERY, light sentences, these VANDALS should have been sentenced to death by firing squad. My suggestion for such serious offences is for the Malawi Government to outsource the prosecution of such cases to the Chinese authorities, they know how to handle such cases, MERCILESSLY.

youna
youna
8 years ago

6 years yachepa. Akanawapatsa 15+ years agalu amenewa.

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