Maputo — Mozambique's publicly owned electricity company, EDM, recovered, on Thursday morning, about four tonnes of stolen copper cables, that were being stored in a house in Machava, on the outskirts of Maputo.

The copper, seized by an EDM Inspection team, was the result of theft from EDM's electrical installations, and is valued at about 10 million meticais (about 157 thousand US dollars, at the current exchange rate).

"After the discovery of the material, the Mozambican Police (PRM) were called in. One person was caught red-handed at the house, and was taken to the fifth PRM precinct, in the Machava-Sede neighborhood", according to an EDM press release.

EDM notes that the vandalization of electrical infrastructure has been one of the company's major challenges, as it causes great losses not only for EDM, but mainly for the population, which is deprived of electricity.

In Maputo province alone, from January to July this year, 72 cases of vandalization of electrical equipment were recorded, which caused major losses to the company, making it difficult to achieve the goal of universal access to electricity by 2030.

EDM calls for community vigilance and the denunciation of any act that undermines the integrity of electrical installations.