Staff Reporter

Lilongwe – 10 August 2025 — The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) has strongly condemned an incident of vandalism in which unknown individuals cut down one of its electricity poles in Lilongwe, leaving several areas without power.

The affected locations include Njewa Industrial, Njewa Residential, part of Airwing, Chilota, ARET, MRA Inland Port, Kalaria Farm, Children of the Nations, Sol-Farm, and SAWA Group.

In a statement, ESCOM described the act as “criminal and malicious,” stressing that it not only disrupted electricity supply but also undermined ongoing national efforts to improve access to reliable power.

“We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms. Such acts hinder development and cause unnecessary suffering to customers,” read the statement.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident happened during the night of Saturday, 8th August 2025. ESCOM has since deployed technical teams who are working around the clock to restore power to the affected areas.

The corporation has appealed to the public to report any suspicious activity around power infrastructure to the nearest ESCOM office or police station.

Tampering with electricity infrastructure is a serious criminal offence under Malawian law. ESCOM has vowed to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure the culprits are brought to justice.