Residents and estate guards in Thyolo have thwarted an attempted theft of an ESCOM transformer, preventing a crime that could have left households and businesses without electricity.
The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) says the incident happened during the night of June 21-22 at EPM Estate, where suspected vandals pulled down and dismantled a 100kVA transformer in an attempt to steal copper windings.
The suspects, however, were intercepted after community members and estate security guards responded quickly and apprehended four people linked to the crime.
ESCOM has hailed the action of the guards and local residents, saying their intervention protected critical infrastructure that communities depend on every day.
The power utility warned that vandalism remains a major setback to national development because resources that could be used to expand electricity access are instead spent replacing damaged equipment.
“This proactive intervention sends a powerful message that citizens are watching and will actively defend their ESCOM infrastructure in their communities,” said ESCOM Chief Public Relations and Communications Officer Pilirani Phiri.
Phiri said community vigilance and continued public awareness campaigns remain the corporation’s strongest weapons against vandalism.
ESCOM has since urged Malawians to treat electricity infrastructure as community property, stressing that protecting transformers and other installations helps safeguard power supply and supports efforts to connect more people to the national grid.
