The city of Xai-Xai, capital of the southern Mozambican province of Gaza, and the towns of Chibuto, Manjacaze and Chidenguele, went without electricity for almost 16 hours Wednesday as thieves sabotaged three pylons, in order to help themselves to the metallic components. Mozambique daily, Noticias, Thursday reported that the Xai-Xai director of the electricity supply company (EDM), Fernanda Quepico, told reporters the thieves destroyed the pylons on the medium voltage transmission line between Chicumbane and Xai-Xai. The work to reinstate the power supply, undertaken by local EDM technicians, ended at about 18:00 hours Wednesday, during when Xai-Xai was forced to use alternative means of generating power. Quepico said EDM was currently working to estimate the real cost of the damage, saying, however, that it was very huge.
