Zesco Public Relations Manager Hazel Zulu said the leap was from the 497 cases recorded under the same period in 2019.
“The power utility company has in the last three quarters of 2020 recorded a total of 682 vandalism cases which indicates an increase in the number of cases compared to the same period last year, where 497 cases were recorded indicating an increase of about 38%,” she said.
The most vandalized items were transmission tower members and Copper cables, both overhead service and underground cables.
Zulu explains that the Copperbelt division recorded the highest number of incidences followed by Lusaka and Northern Divisions respectively adding that in the last three quarters, the electricity company recorded at least 159 arrests and 42 convictions while 48 cases are still in court.