Nine hundred and 81 high-voltage electricity towers have been vandalized in recent years by unknown people in four of the six municipalities of Zaire province.
The information was provided Wednesday by the deputy governor of Zaire for the Political, Social and Economic sector, Afonso Nzolameso, when he was spoking at the opening of the awareness campaign on the preservation of electricity transmission lines, promoted by the National Electricity Transmission Network (RNT).
He explained that of this number, 476 high voltage towers were damaged in the municipality of Soyo, 372 in Nzeto, 128 in Tomboco and one in Mbanza Kongo, the capital of Zaire province.
Without giving figures, the official said that the replacement of the equipment damaged by people he called ‘anti-patriots’ cost large sums to the Angolan state coffers.
In turn, the non-executive director of RNT, Altino Salvador said that, three months ago, the company calculated an estimated loss of over six million US dollars, as a result of the action
s carried out by the vandals.
According to the source, to reverse the current situation, RNT decided to relaunch the campaign to raise awareness of the population for the preservation of the social and economic equipment that the Executive makes available to it.
Launched in 2019 in the province of Cuanza-Norte, with the designation Kilueso (danger), the awareness campaign was interrupted in 2020 due to Covid-19.
It should be noted that the province of Zaire benefits from electricity from the national grid in all municipal headquarters, including some communes and villages.
The province of Zaire has an estimated population of more than 600,000 inhabitants, spread over six municipalities, 25 communes and 711 villages.
Source: Angola Press News Agency