A 35-year-old man from Hwange has been sentenced to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment for damaging a TelOne copper drop cable worth just US$2.70.
Godfrey Nyoni, of Lwendulu Village in Hwange, appeared before the Hwange Magistrates’ Court facing charges under the Postal and Telecommunications Act.
Prosecutors proved that Nyoni cut and removed 13.88 metres of TelOne copper drop cable, valued at US$2.70, in Lwendulu Village during November 2025.
He dragged the cable and dumped it in nearby bushland. Police launched investigations after receiving a tip-off that Nyoni had been seen discarding a telecommunications cable in the bush. He was subsequently arrested, and the cable was recovered.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has warned that damage to telecommunications infrastructure disrupts public services, affects business operations and poses risks to national security.
It added that law enforcement and the courts will continue to take a firm stance against such offences to safeguard essential public utilities.
