ZETDC, UZ collaborate to fight the scourge of infrastructure vandalism

CLOUDINE MATOLA

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a unit of ZESA Holdings, has partnered the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) in an attempt to find solutions to the growing problem of theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure, Business times can report.

The  collaboration between ZETDC and UZ is timely  because the power utility, which has been using traditional methods to prevent vandalism of its electricity infrastructure, has been incurring  heavy costs and direct losses  of up to millions of dollars annually as a result of unprecedented theft and vandalism of its energy infrastructure.

In fact, the ZETDC is losing an estimated US$9m annually due to the scourge of theft and vandalism, a scenario that has caused  thousands of consumers to go without  electricity  as a result of  vandals  tampering  with the power infrastructure.

This is a serious setback for all stakeholders  because one of the  key factors  anticipated to propel Zimbabwe’s economic recovery is the availability of electricity.

Nevertheless, the level of vandalism of electricity infrastructure is now outstripping the replacement rate, which is constrained by cash flow challenges.

Business Times can report that vandals are targeting transformers for oil, copper conductors and cables which they export to buyers in both commercial and black markets, mainly in South Africa, Botswana and overseas. They are being shipped to Asia, especially China.

It is understood that scrap copper dealers who have created a market for stolen copper are also taking advantage of the opportunity that this market has presented.

It is also worrisome that  the majority  of copper dealers  have acted unethically and taken in contraband  even though  they knew  it was stolen .

Additionally , it has been proved that licenced copper or scrap dealers are the conduits that facilitate this menace although some may not be involved.

Even though Zimbabwe has not had any copper mining  company  since the closure of Mhangura Mine in the 1990s, vandals and thieves  are now mining copper from ZETDC electricity infrastructure.

With the exception of authorized sellers of scrap metal and copper, most theft and damage are said to be carried out by a well-organized criminal cartel, supported by influential and corrupt government officials who are allegedly shielding the outlaw elements. There are also reports that former ZESA personnel have a significant role in the act.
Inconsistencies in the nation’s laws, particularly those pertaining to the Copper Control Act Chapter 14:06, the Electricity Act Chapter 13:19, the Post and Telecommunications Act, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe Act Chapter 21:04, and the Second Hand Goods Act, are another factor contributing to the rise in theft and vandalism.

In order to discourage potential offenders, ZESA has been advocating for the harmonization of existing laws by introducing obligatory punishments into each section.
While other relevant legislation gives 10-year obligatory jail penalties, the Copper Control Act stipulates a mandatory 3-month punishment.
The offenders were also exporting scrap under the Second Hand Goods Act rather than the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe Act Chapter 21:04, Statutory Instrument (S.I.) 39 of 2005, taking advantage of the statutory provisions’ inconsistency to evade the prosecution.

The position is  compromised by the fact that scrap falls within the definition of a mineral under this provision.

The power utility also recommended that attention be paid to section 4 (1) of the Copper Control Act Chapter 14:06 that stipulates that holders of licences are not exempt from compliance with others laws relating to business and other licences. Therefore, ZESA said there was the need for a holistic approach in applying these laws if we are to safeguard our hard earned assets.

Locally, cases have been reported where transformer oil has been stolen and mixed with diesel to be sold as fuel or mixed with vegetable oil and sold as cooking oil.

The theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure are threatening the viability of the State-owned company. It also has environmental, maintenance and energy implications.

Additionally, vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure  has also resulted in increased faults  leading to frequent  lengthy  power outages  that some electricity consumers  mistake for load-shedding.

Furthermore, the upsurge in vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure continued to cripple  energy supply and economic growth, deepening the country’s  electricity woes.

Speaking to Business Times on the sidelines of the mitigating power and energy vandalism symposium held at the UZ Innovation Hub, ZETDC acting managing director engineer Abel Gurupira said the power utility has partnered with  the UZ  to find  a lasting solution in dealing with vandalism since the traditional methods  because the company’s traditional methods has failed to protect the infrastructure.

“We have been trying to use traditional methods (that is) using security guards and other security measures. But the reason why we are here today is to up the game so that we introduce, we bring in academia to link up with us, find solutions – technical, legal, and legislative, and various other means- in a cross-cutting kind of solution to curb this vandalism,” Gurupira said.

Gurupira added that vandalism impacts and burdens both the utility and the customers in addition to interfering with the provision of electricity.

“ZETDC is acutely aware of the detrimental impact that vandalism of electricity infrastructure has on our communities, our economy, and our collective well-being. Each act of sabotage not only disrupts power supply but also poses significant safety risks and imposes substantial financial burdens on both the utility and the consumers,” he said.

Gurupira added that innovation is the most potent weapon which will help in curbing vandalism as it empowers in devising new technology and methodologies to safeguard the infrastructure.

“In confronting this challenge, innovation emerges as our most potent weapon. Innovation not only empowers us to devise new technologies and methodologies to safeguard our infrastructure but also enables us to cultivate a culture of vigilance and resilience within our communities.

“Innovation lies at the heart of ZETDC’s strategy to combat vandalism. We recognise that traditional methods alone are insufficient to address the evolving tactics of perpetrators. Therefore, ZETDC is committed to embracing cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches to enhance the security of our assets and infrastructure,” he said.

Professor Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, concurred with Gurupira saying the lessons learned in lecture halls should be applied to finding a way to stop vandalism.

“We shall build our nation based on knowledge and innovation, what this implies is that our education system has to depart from chasing phantom things to chasing reality that is grounded in the fulfilment of human needs. In other words, this means all equations taught in the lecture rooms must be put to action. All formulae and knowledge taught must be grounded to reality and be seen in action, for example in solving our energy problems. This made us adopt heritage-based Education 5.0,” Prof Murwira said.

The government, he continued, is happy that ZETDC and UZ’s relationship has given innovators a stage on which to present their ideas for putting an end to vandalism.

“ The Government of Zimbabwe is pleased to know that the UZ and ZETDC partnership has offered a platform for our innovators to demonstrate some of the emerging solutions with potential to address the problem of vandalism now and into the future. We are happy that everyone has been given the chance to contribute to these solutions.

We have no doubt, that we, as Zimbabweans, will set the pace in the provision of relevant solutions to these problems which others will come and copy- and we make them pay for our brains,” Prof Murwira said.

He added: “The coming together of ZETDC and the UZ through the Innovation Hub is a notable milestone in our quest to build our nation through collaboration of government, academia and industry in providing solutions to problems affecting our nation.

“The role of higher education to implement effective strategies to safeguard our energy infrastructure and ensure a stable and secure energy future for Zimbabwe cannot be overstated. Our universities and research institutions are breeding grounds for innovative solutions.”

Meanwhile, five researchers from the UZ have  been recognised  for  their exceptional technological innovations that could  curb vandalism and theft of ZETDC electricity infrastructure.

Professor Jephat Chifamba and Primrose Mlambo won the first prize and a floating trophy for developing forensic security markings for easy identification of the ZETDC assets while Malvin Mahati and Prideson Chisadza come second for their electricity transformer and anti-theft system device.

Engineer Peacewell Siabwanda won the third prize for developing a smart microcontroller-based substation monitoring and protection system.

ZETDC and the UZ will provide these researchers with support to further develop their innovations.