By Panashe Divine Karidzagundi
A 46-year-old Beitbridge man has been jailed for an effective 10 years for damaging electricity infrastructure belonging to the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
Priseman Moyo, of Shabwe Village under Chief Matibe, appeared before Magistrate Charity Maphosa for contravening Section 60A (3)(a)(b) of the Electricity Act (Chapter 13:19), which criminalises tampering with electricity apparatus.
According to court documents presented by prosecutor Willbrought Muleya, the incident occurred on October 23, 2025 at Tripple Star shop at Nuli business centre.
Moyo used pliers to cut and steal 25 metres of weather-dac triplex copper cable that supplied electricity to the shop.
He later took the cable to his homestead, approximately one kilometre away, where he burnt it to extract copper before placing the pieces in a sack.
A report was made on the same day at ZRP Beitbridge Rural. Police officers, working together with the ZETDC representative Sindiso Ncube, tracked a spoor from the crime scene to the accused’s home, where they found ashes of burnt cable.
Moyo had already left, heading towards Lutumba Business Centre to sell the copper wires.
The arrest team continued to track him and eventually caught up with him at a nearby tuckshop, where he was found in possession of the sack containing copper wires already cut into smaller pieces.
The recovered scrap weighing 7.295kg, weighed at Beitbridge Post Office in the presence Moyo and ZETDC officials.
The stolen cable had an original value of US$500, while the recovered copper scrap was valued at US$29.18.
In aggravation Muleya said Moyo acted unlawfully and knowingly interfered with essential electricity distribution equipment, disrupting power supply to the affected business