Byo residents nab copper cable thieves

The residents caught Ephraim Mbewe (40) and Leery Manyora (27) damaging street lights and cutting copper wires on street lights.

POLICE in Bulawayo have commended  Hillside residents for collaborating with the law enforcement agents in apprehending two copper cable thieves in the area.

The residents caught Ephraim Mbewe (40) and Leery Manyora (27) damaging street lights and cutting copper wires on street lights.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said the suspects were linked to a number of robberies.

“We encourage residents to help the police in fighting crime,” Ncube added.

A number of suburbs are in darkness owing to the theft of electricity cables.

Last week, a number of suburbs suffered rolling blackouts owing to ongoing maintenance works in areas affected by the theft of copper cables.

The affected suburbs include Queens park, Emhlangeni, Northend and Magwegwe among others.

Parliamentarians have been pushing for mandatory sentences for copper cable thieves.

The power utility says it is losing millions in United States dollars annually to theft and vandalism of its infrastructure.

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