THREE Bulawayo men have appeared in court after they were found in possession of 13 kilogrammes of stolen copper cables belonging to the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
Zivanai Serere (38), Tapiwa Serere (40) and Prichard Ncube (24), all of no fixed abode, appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Jeconia Prince Ncube facing charges of illegal possession of copper cables. The trio was remanded in custody to 9 February pending trial. The prosecutor, Mr Tafara Dzimbanhete told the court that on 20 December last year, at around midday, police detectives received information that the accused were in possession of copper cables which they intended to sell in the Kelvin Industrial Area in Bulawayo. The detectives tracked the suspects to the corner of Siyepambili Drive and Khami Road, where they allegedly posed as potential buyers and lured the accused persons into meeting them under the guise of finalising the deal. “Upon arrival at the agreed location, detectives conducted surveillance and observed the trio carrying a green sack. The suspects were directed into the detectives’ vehicle, after which the officers identified themselves,” said Mr Dzimbanhete. A search was conducted, leading to the recovery of 13 kilogrammes of overhead copper cables that had been stashed in a sack and concealed inside a bag. The accused were asked to produce a licence authorising them to possess copper cables but failed to do so, resulting in their arrest and the seizure of the cables. A ZETDC engineer later attended the scene and positively identified the recovered copper cables as property used in the transmission and distribution of electricity. The cables were taken to Zimpost for weighing and were confirmed to weigh 13 kilogrammes. Copper cable theft has become a major concern for ZETDC as it disrupts electricity supply, causes extensive infrastructure damage and leads to costly repairs