Kinshasa, April 8th, 2025 (CPA). – The theft of an estimated 15 meters of National Electricity Company (Snel) medium-voltage power cable has plunged the Mangengenge district in the urban-rural commune of Maluku (east of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo) into darkness since Sunday April 6th, CPA learns in a press release. “15m of MV cable were stolen in Maluku, in the Mangengenge district, on F19 of the Maluku substation, cité 2, the section between cabins C16 and C10”, it read. According to the press release, this act of vandalism involved a 3×95 mm² copper cable and put five cabins (C10, C12, C13, C14 and C15) out of service, severely impacting local residents. Faced with this act of vandalism, Snel made no secret of its anger, firmly denouncing a situation that sabotages not only its modernization efforts, but also the well-being of local communities. “These cable thefts are a direct attack on our essential infrastructure and an unacceptable deprivation of essential services to our subscribers. It is an irresponsible and destructive act that seriously threatens our investments and compromises our ability to provide reliable electricity,” the statement deplored.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Snel technicians immediately mobilized to restore power as quickly as possible.
“Our teams are hard at work replacing the stolen cable and reactivating the affected cabins. We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on our subscribers,” said the same source. The company explained that this incident comes at a time when it is carrying out an ambitious infrastructure modernization program, including the installation of advanced equipment to improve the speed and reliability of interventions.
Snel urged local authorities and residents to act collectively to protect electrical infrastructures, recalling that their preservation is crucial to the country’s socio-economic development, before also appealing for national awareness of the disastrous impacts of such sabotage. CPA/