Four ZESA Employees Arrested Over Alleged US$28,000 Cable Theft

Four ZESA employees in Karoi have been arrested over the alleged theft of electrical cables worth more than US$28,000, with police investigations still underway (image source)

KAROI — Four employees at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Karoi depot have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of electrical materials valued at more than US$28,000, police have confirmed.

The suspects are Christen Mutabvure, the depot’s chief security officer; Emma Kamba, a former customer care clerk; Beloved Mudiwa, a stores clerk; and Blessing Guramatunhu, a lead artisan. Police investigations indicate that the arrests stem from a series of incidents in which electrical cables dispatched from ZESA central stores in Harare and Chinhoyi between November and December 2025 allegedly failed to reach the Karoi depot.

According to police, the first incident occurred on 27 November 2025, when Kamba and a hired truck driver, identified as Maponga, were sent to collect a drum of 100mm² HDA conductor and 50 metres of 185mm² cable from central stores. Investigators allege that Mutabvure later arrived at the same stores, collected the 185mm² cable using a ZESA vehicle, and instructed the truck to transport only the conductor drum. After leaving the premises, the conductor drum was allegedly offloaded along a roadside in Southerton, leaving the truck to proceed to Karoi without cargo.

A similar incident was reported on 5 December 2025, when another drum of conductor was collected but did not arrive at the Karoi depot. On 16 December 2025, Mudiwa was allegedly instructed by Mutabvure to collect 24 metres of conductor from Chinhoyi Stores using the chief security officer’s vehicle. Although the cable was reportedly loaded, it never reached Karoi.

Police said the matter escalated the following day when Mudiwa reported the issue to ZESA’s loss control department, alleging that he was being pressured to acknowledge receipt of materials he had not physically received.

The case has been recorded under RRB number 6366625 at Karoi Central Police Station. Authorities estimate the total value of the missing electrical materials at approximately US$28,142. Investigations are continuing, and police said further arrests have not been ruled out.