A 40-year-old man, Alli Mustafa, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) for vandalising Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) equipment at Thunga.

Mustafa was caught in the act of stealing ESCOM equipment on March 1, 2026, and was found with 200 metres of 70mm hard-drawn copper wire. He pleaded guilty to the charge.

"The increase in such offences has a negative impact on the national economy, and a deterrent sentence is needed," said State Prosecutor Inspector Ishmael Abubast.

In her sentence, Chief Resident Magistrate Shyreen Yona Chirwa emphasised the need for a custodial sentence to deter other vandals. 

"A stiff sentence is necessary to warn other would-be offenders," she said.

Mustafa, from Jalasi Village, Traditional Authority Lunda, Mangochi District, was sentenced to 36 months IHL.