Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola says it is sad to note that some unscrupulous people are stealing equipment belonging to Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) that were destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in the southern region of Malawi.
Matola says the malpractice derails the development of the country.
“It is extremely disheartening to see that some people have resorted to stealing ESCOM’S equipment that was destroyed during Cyclone Freddy, the thing which hampers the company’s efforts to restore power in parts of the country that were affected by the disaster,” the Minister wrote on his Facebook page.
Matola adds: “Not only will this delay the process of restoring power to the affected areas, but it is also very costly to replace the stolen equipment. It is even more disappointing that these same people who choose to take advantage of the situation will then turn around and start calling ESCOM all sorts of names.”
According to the Minister, It is heartless and selfish act which does nothing but harm the country as a whole.
“I implore those who are involved in this malpractice to stop and think about what they’re doing,”
“This behaviour does nothing but hurt us all in the end. Let us love our country and work together to rebuild what was lost,” he says.
When Tropical Cyclone Freddy ripped through the southern region of Malawi, ESCOM property such as transformers and poles affected that led to persistent blackouts in the country. Meanwhile, ESCOM officials are in ground fixing all the loopholes to bring the electricity supply back to normalcy.