Kudakwashe Choga, a 50-year-old resident of Mvuma, recently appeared in court for stealing 364 units of electricity from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings.
Choga was charged in the Mvuma Magistrates’ Court with violating the Electricity Act, which prohibits the unlawful abstraction or diversion of electricity current.
The Act states that it is illegal to “abstract or divert any electric current or cause any electric current to be abstracted or diverted, or knowingly use any electric current which has been unlawfully abstracted or diverted.”
The court heard that from March 26 to May 2, 2024, Choga tampered with the electricity line conductor supplying power to his meter.
He connected the conductor directly to his load, effectively bypassing the meter and avoiding payment for the electricity consumed.
As a result of his actions, Choga caused ZETDC to suffer a loss of 364 units of electricity, valued at ZWL$1,237.60.
He was sentenced to six months in prison, with four months suspended on the condition that he restitutes the ZWL$1,237.60 by November 30, 2024.
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