At exactly 2:00 a.m. on October 1, 2025, most areas of Thyolo — Malawi’s lush tea-growing heartland, sank into darkness. In the silence of the night, the hum of electric life vanished. Homes went cold, hospitals dimmed, and the rhythm of machines at tea and macadamia factories fell still.

For the people of Thyolo, the blackout was more than just a flick of a switch gone wrong — it was a symptom of a deeper crisis eating away at the country’s energy lifeline: infrastructure vandalism.

Darkness Beyond the Switch

According to a statement from the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), a major power fault triggered by “heavy rains” had caused the 12-hour outage. Yet behind the corporate statement lay a darker truth.

A senior official in ESCOM’s maintenance department at Thyolo confided that the outage had nothing to do with rain. Instead, a habitual scrap metal dealer, identified as Patrick Julius, had vandalized 53 meters of fiber wire worth over K4 million. This affected the main distribution line from the Thyolo main Sub-station at Nambala 1.

“This has been happening for some time,” said the official. “We report the cases, suspects are arrested, but some are released soon after being handed to police. That’s why we wanted this out; people need to know the truth.”

From January to September 2025 alone, Thyolo ESCOM recorded the loss of 5,400 meters of aluminum conductors to vandalism, a staggering figure for one district.

The Ripple Effect: Lives in the Dark

The blackout’s consequences went far beyond flickering bulbs.

Without electricity, health facilities across the district were paralyzed. Essential medical equipment fell silent. Vaccines and drugs spoiled in powerless refrigerators. Laboratory tests stopped midstream.

“Such power blackouts also increase our operational costs, as we are forced to buy fuel for generators, affecting other planned activities. Essential services such as theatres, laboratories, kitchens, laundry, mortuary, and even financial management systems all rely on electricity, meaning service delivery is delayed, costly, and sometimes become impossible,” said Montfort Nkhoma, Thyolo District Health Services Administrator.

In the same vein, water supply systems also ground to a halt, pumps couldn’t draw or distribute water, leaving communities thirsty and vulnerable to disease. That day, dairy farmers without backup power lost hundreds of litres of milk, and thousands of kwacha in revenue in the bulking groups somewhere in Goliati, Bvumbwe and Thunga.

Communication networks collapsed, isolating thousands. Mobile towers and internet routers, starved of power, went dead. Banking services in the district slowed to a crawl, with ATMs and digital systems offline.

And in a district whose economy runs on tea and macadamia, factories were forced to halt production, inflicting financial losses that trickled down to workers and their families.

Amit Nain, Senior Operations Manager at Nchima Tea Estate, states that the losses caused by ESCOM outages are substantial. 

"Generating electricity through diesel generators is nearly four times more expensive than using ESCOM power in a day. In addition, chronic fuel shortages make it increasingly difficult to keep the generators running. The high cost of generator operation and maintenance further compounds the problem, while the inconsistent power supply also negatively impacts the quality of tea production," he said.

The Human Face of Vandalism

When police acted on a tip-off, they raided Julius’ home in Ndalama Village, Senior chief Nchilamwera. There, they recovered the stolen fiber wires and three damaged water meters.

A week later, another man — 31-year-old Maxwell Flotiyani from Mpando Village, Senior chief Nchilamwera, was nabbed for stealing ESCOM wires and re-purposing them into household utensils.

“Theft of ESCOM and water equipment has grown in the district,” said Thyolo Police Spokesperson, Sub Inspector Rabecca Kashoti. “We are working hard to arrest all those behind this malpractice.”

Indeed, police later arrested three other suspects, James Gondwe, 44, Dangerous Sumbuleta, 23, and Alfred Kaliati, 24, all accused of melting stolen ESCOM wires to make cooking pots.

Causes: Poverty, Corruption, and a Market for Scrap

For energy experts, vandalism of critical infrastructure in Malawi is not random — it’s systemic.

Behind every stolen conductor lies a chain of poverty, weak enforcement, and the shadowy lure of the scrap metal market.

“This is a common problem across Africa, driven by several factors such as the demand for scrap metal, timber, cooking oil, and even acts of sabotage or terrorism against the government. The vice disrupts power supply, slows down development, and undermines the operations of the power utility provider,” explained a Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS)-based energy expert, Dr. Suzgo Kaunda.

Another challenge is corruption within enforcement agencies. The ESCOM officials at Thyolo office privately allege that some suspects are released “too easily,” undermining justice and emboldening repeat offenders.

To validate the claims, our investigation revealed that a day after police arrested Julius for plunging nearly the entire district into darkness and damaging wires worth over K4 million, Thyolo First Grade Magistrate Kondani Chinangwa convicted him of theft and vandalism of utility property. He was sentenced to pay K500,000 for the first count or serve 12 months in prison, and K400,000 for the second count or another 12 months in default. 

This falls far below the maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) prescribed for such offences under the Electricity Amendment Act.

Efforts: Fighting Back Against the Silent Sabotage

Both ESCOM and police in Thyolo have stepped up efforts. The power utility has intensified patrols, and launched community awareness campaigns highlighting the dangers of tampering with electrical infrastructure.

Police, on their part, are employing intelligence-led operations, leading to the arrest of multiple suspects this year alone. Sub Inspector Kashoti emphasizes that collaboration with communities is key: “We urge people to report anyone found interfering with ESCOM installations. Vandalism doesn’t just steal wires — it steals lives, livelihoods, and safety.”

In an effort to address the growing problem, the government in April 2023 announced a six-month ban on the export of scrap metal. The decision followed a surge in vandalism targeting ESCOM transformers, water board equipment, telecommunication infrastructure, and railway lines, among others. However, implementation of the ban appears to have been weak, as the malpractice continues unabated.

ESCOM Chief Public Relations and Communication Officer, Pilirani Phiri admitted that they are losing the battle though determined to fight back through enforcement, awareness, and sensitisations on the dangers of the vice.

"Vandalism is not only a commercial threat, but also a direct attack on the nation development as it forces ESCOM to move in circles by using huge resources to replace vandalized equipment. We spend approximately K3 billion annually for indirect costs to procure and replace vandalized infrastructure," Phiri lamented.

He thus unjustified any factors attributed to the growing theft, calling on everyone to protect the national asset as it is life and key stimulus for economic growth.

Social commentator Caesar Kondowe bemoans the heavy financial losses ESCOM continues to incur due to rampant vandalism, saying the trend is draining resources that could otherwise expand electricity access in Malawi as currently, only 18 percent of the population remains connected to the grid.

He said, “The loss goes beyond money—it undermines economic growth and public confidence in the power provider.”

Solutions: Lighting the Way Forward

To reverse the trend, energy analyst, Dr. Kaunda recommended a multi-pronged approach: put stricter penalties and prosecution for vandals and their buyers, enhance community watchdog groups to guard installations, and awareness measures. Again, ESCOM or EGENCO need to design racking systems for cables and transformers to deter theft.

Similarly, social commentator Kondowe also emphasizes the need for robust security systems and ensure that every Kwacha spent contributes to lighting up more Malawian homes.

A District in Reflection

As lights flicker back on across Thyolo, the darkness of that October night still lingers as a warning — not just about the fragility of the infrastructure, but of society’s collective responsibility. 

Every stolen wire means a child can’t study at night, a patient risks death in surgery, and a farmer’s tea leaves wither before processing while milk spoils.

Until communities, corporations, and law enforcement work as one, the power thieves of Thyolo, and elsewhere — will continue to dim Malawi’s path to progress. Achieving the the three pillars of Malawi Vision 2063; Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization, Industrialization, and Urbanization shall remain a far-fetched dream.

“Vandalism is not just theft,” said one ESCOM technician at Thyolo office, gazing at a pile of damaged wires. “It’s the destruction of development itself.”