Luanda, Dec. 17, 2025 (Lusa) - The vandalism of a high-voltage electricity pylon in Angola has left 300,000 families in the provinces of Cuanza Sul and Benguela without electricity, causing losses of US$50 million (€45.2 million), the government said on Wednesday.
The act of vandalism was reported on Tuesday in Cuanza Sul and was caused by the removal of bolts and angle brackets from the infrastructure.
Speaking to the press, Angola's Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, lamented the incident, stressing that hundreds of thousands of families in these two regions have been without power since Tuesday afternoon.
"We are doing everything we can to ensure that by the end of the day today we will have normalised the power supply to Benguela and also the water supply, because with the power outage we have the water treatment system at a standstill," said the minister, who is in Benguela, in statements to Angolan Public Television.
João Baptista Borges said that the problem of vandalism has been reported for several years, with "expressions of concern on the part of the Executive".
"I believe that today there is also an awareness among the population of the damage that has been caused to public assets, and in this case we are talking about energy transport and distribution systems, investments that are very expensive and that we have been suffering the consequences of these acts," he said.
The Angolan minister pointed out that, to date, financial losses of more than US$50 million have been calculated in terms of the investment needed to repair the damage caused.
ENDE - the National Electricity Distribution Company - condemned the actions of individuals who have not yet been identified, "considering it an act of sabotage, as it is recurrent, causing constraints in the distribution of electricity, compromising the safety and well-being of families and the stability of the electricity system, and generating huge losses for the company".
"Therefore, ENDE calls on the population to cooperate more closely, reporting any suspicious activity near infrastructure to the authorities, and guarantees that work is underway to restore services," the note said, adding that "in November alone, several incidents of vandalism of high and medium voltage infrastructure were reported in the provinces of Bengo, Benguela, Luanda and Cunene".
For several years, Angola has been confronted with the phenomenon of vandalism of public property, which has affected the water and energy sectors, with the theft of cables, screws, angle irons, manhole covers, among others, which allegedly sustain the business of selling ferrous material by weight, causing huge losses to the State.
This year, the Angolan parliament approved the Law on Crimes of Vandalism of Public Property and Services, with a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.
NME/AYLS // AYLS
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