TelOne loses US$1m to vandalism

 

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

 

TelOne lost US$1m in 2023 as a result of vandalism and theft of cable and other network infrastructure, the State-owned company’s CEO, Lawrence Nkala has said.

 

Speaking to journalists on Thursday last week in the capital Harare, Nkala said the widespread theft and vandalism  has become  one of the company’s biggest concerns .

 

“TelOne is facing serious theft of copper cables and other network elements across the country,” Nkala said.

 

He added: “The theft and vandalism has been so rife, that it has become one of the top threat to sustainability of the TelOne business. While Harare has been significantly affected by this vice, mining towns like Kadoma, Kwekwe and Gweru have also been hit hard, with some areas going without service for months.

 

“In 2023, almost 50,000 TelOne customer were at some point affected by down time due to network theft and vandalism.  During the year, Harare recorded 126 cases, followed by Midlands which recorded 75 during the period under review. Matabeleland North had the least number of attacks recording 4.

“The number of arrests during the period amounted to 38 while only 4 convictions were recorded. The value of vandalized network for the year 2023 stood at around US$1m. The replacement of the copper network which is now outdated and continues to be subjected to widespread network vandalism has become urgent.”

 

As a result, Nkala said TelOne has partnered with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and other state security agencies to step up patrols at the country’s borders to control the smuggling of stolen copper, while lobbying for legislation review and community sensitisation are also being employed.

 

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