CHEGUTU A Chegutu resident whose house was extensively damaged in a fire, was last week slapped with an effective 10-year jail term after he was convicted of illegally reconnecting electricity, which subsequently resulted in the fire.
Obvious Mposiwa (31) was convicted of contravening section 60 of the Electricity Act chapter 13:19; to unlawfully damage, destroy or interfere with an apparatus for generating, distributing or supplying electricity without lawful authority from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company.
The State case led by Solomon Kanyoka, was that on February 8 the accused, who was in arrears with his Zesa bill, reconnected electricity that had been lawfully disconnected by Zesa officials.
He allegedly reconnected power using wires after the main circuit breakers were removed by Zesa officials.
On the fateful day, it is said due to the illegal connections, the house caught fire and the house and property were extensively damaged. Forensic investigations by Zesa technicians unearthed the households electricity had been cut-off and power had been restored illegally.
Magistrate Fabian Feshete sentenced Mposiwa, who pleaded guilty, to the statutory 10-year maximum jail term, saying the ruling would serve as a warning to those willfully flouting the Zesa Act and illegally reconnecting electricity to their households they risked imprisonment.
