ESCOM gave out rewards in September 2009 to 48 people who provided information on theft and vandalism of the Corporation’s property and abuse of electricity through illegal extensions.

The information was provided using “Tip-Offs Anonymous” system. Through this system, people provide information to “Tip-Offs Anonymous”, an independent body that gets and investigates reports on behalf of ESCOM.
Once reports are given, they are investigated and often proved. If they are true and the culprits get trials and sentences, then the informants are rewarded.

The rewards range from K1,000 (One thousand Malawi Kwacha) to K100, 000 (One hundred thousand Malawi Kwacha) and the size of the reward depends on the value of recovered property that was stolen or vandalised or value of revenue lost through illegal extensions or meter bypassing.

The system provides privacy to informants, as such they are requested to use a secret number of 5 digits for identification. When giving the rewards, the secret numbers are published in the local newspapers more than once.

In a related development, Thyolo First Grade Magistrate in August 2009 sentenced three people to three years imprisonment with hard labour for siphoning transformer oil at Makwasa.

The three were heading for Blantyre after siphoning the oil and were arrested by police at a roadblock mounted along Makwasa Road. The police got a tip that the culprits had ten containers of 20 liters capacity each, a spanner and a siphon which they used for the evil act.

One of the three, the youngest aged 20, told the court in Thyolo that he did that due to peer pressure.

Meanwhile, ESCOM is urging people to continue reporting theft and vandalism of its property through “Tip-Offs Anonymous” by using the Toll Free numbers 874 for Zain and TNM and 8000 0874 for MTL. People can also write to P.0. Box 1726, Blantyre or send an E-mail to reportsqm@tip-offs.co . Alternatively, informants can send a fax to 01 832 137.

Alternatively, people can visit ESCOM offices across the country or write to The Chief Executive Officer, ESCOM, P. O. Box 2047, Blantyre or call 01 822 000 or 01 824 711. Informants can also send an E-mail to info@escommw.com or call ESCOM’s security personnel any time through 0888 876 163 or 0888 619 987.

All the mechanisms stated above attract a reward after the reports have been investigated and proved, and the culprits tried and sentenced.