Now Mitengo thieves target Zesco cables

SANFROSSA MANYINDA writes CRIME in Mitengo residential area in Ndola has continued to rise unabated as the bandits have now stolen Zesco installation worth K7,800. The usually serene residential area, sitting between Chifubu Township and the Mufulira-Ndola road, has recorded a series of thefts in the past six months, which occur every week. Last week, bandits broke into a house and hauled household goods which included a refrigerator, a cooker, furniture and solar power unit, all of which was loaded onto a waiting van in the dead of the night. In all the thefts, no one has been arrested even with reports being lodged at Chifubu police station while area Member of Parliament (MP) Frank Ng’ambi has also been notified. In the latest incident, vandals in the same area got away with 15 meters Zesco copper cables in the early hours of Friday. This led to a blackout as residents though it was the usual load-shedding and only realised it was theft when they discovered a pole with hanging loose cables. Confirming the incident to The Sun, Zesco Public Relations Manager Hazel Zulu said it happened near Franciscan Convent School in Mitengo. “This is of great concern to us because, instead of concentrating on new projects, we keep drawing backwards trying to replace the vandalised items,” she said. Ms Zulu has warned that the power utility company was on high alert and that vandals would be arrested and tried in the courts of law in order to secure convictions on thieves. She also appealed to members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious people who she said also lived in the same communities as them. The Sun