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ZESCO says it has recorded 23 cases of vandalism of electricity infrastructure in one week, resulting in a net financial loss of more than K1.2 million, despite securing four convictions for theft and vandalism-related offences.
The Corporation said the incidents, recorded between October 31 and November 5, 2026, included the vandalism of 10 pole-mounted transformers, of which only three were recovered.
According to a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, the 23 incidents represented a 15 percent increase from the 20 cases recorded the previous week.
ZESCO said it recorded 25 security-related cases during the period, resulting in estimated property losses of K1,760,001, against recoveries valued at K513,070.
This left the Corporation with a net loss of K1,246,931.
“Although the number of reported cases declined by about 7 percent overall, the net financial loss increased by 317 percent compared to the previous week, largely due to the high value of the vandalised transformers,” the Corporation said.
Meanwhile, ZESCO said it had secured four convictions in Mansa and Mpulungu as part of efforts to curb theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
In Mansa, Alfred Bwalya appeared before the Resident Magistrate’s Court on November 3, 2026, charged with possessing property suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Bwalya pleaded guilty after police recovered 40 metres of aluminium conductor valued at K5,520, which was subsequently returned to ZESCO.
The court fined him K6,000 or six months’ imprisonment in default of payment.
In a separate case in Mpulungu, three children in conflict with the law were found guilty on November 4, 2026, after admitting to stealing ZESCO electricity service cables valued at K3,780.
The court ordered one of the children to be placed at Katombola Child Reformatory School for 12 months, while the other two were placed under probation supervision for six months each.
It said vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure continued to disrupt power supply, inconvenience customers and divert resources that could otherwise be used for network improvements and new connections.
“Protecting electricity infrastructure is a shared responsibility. Every act of vandalism affects communities and businesses that depend on reliable electricity supply,” it stated.
It commended the Zambia Police Service and members of the public for their cooperation in securing the convictions and recovering stolen property.
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