COAST REGION: AT least 16 suspects have been arraigned at Kibaha Resident magistrate Court in Coast Region, Kinondoni Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma District Court for allegedly vandalising the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) infrastructures.
The suspects who are accused of stealing copper wires are facing the economic sabotage charges. Earlier, the Railway Police Commander, Gallus Hyera told reporters that police have arrested 13 people in connection with vandalism of TRC and Tanesco infrastructure.
He said the suspect were already arraigned in Dar es salaam and Coast regions’ courts. Hyera said that of the suspects, eight were arraigned before Kibaha Resident Magistrate’s Court, while five others were brought before the Kinondoni Resident Magistrate’s Court.
He said that one of the suspects is an electrician and an employee of YAPI MERKEZI, a company involved in the construction of SGR infrastructure. He said the suspect is accused of cutting wires in various areas.
According to Mr Hyera, on November 28, this year, five suspects were arrested at Mdaula area, Coast Region, while in possession of seven kilogrammes of copper wires.
He added that on November 30, this year, in the Visiga area of Mlandizi District, at The African Light Investment Ltd, a company owned by foreign nationals from China and Kenya, copper wires weighing 882.5 kilogrammes were seized. The police also arrested Paulo Joseph, an agent responsible for sourcing and sabotaging government project infrastructure.
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Mr Hyera said that on December 2, this year, a search was conducted at a house owned by the proprietors of The African Light Investment Ltd in the Coast Region.
“During the search, the suspects were found with various copper wires weighing a total of 3,687.9 kilogrammes. These wires have been identified as having been stolen from SGR and TANESCO projects. In total, 4,570.4 kilogrammes of wires were recovered, along with 44 raw copper bars weighing 971.5 kilogrammes,” Mr Hyera said.
Moreover, the Railway Police Commander said that on December 4, 2024, in the area of Kisemvule, Coast Region, 608.6 kilogrammes of copper wires, belonging to Tanesco and 37 kilogrammes belonging to SGR were seized, along with 5,517.4 kilogrammes of flat bars produced by melting copper wires at the Metal Chem International scrap metal factory.
He also explained that on December 5, 2025, a total of 65.5 kilogrammes of copper wires were seized from scrap metal buyers, along with 6.5 kilogrammes of copper wire, as they were attempting to sell them.
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The wires were seized at Mwenge in Dar es Salaam. Meanwhile, in Dodoma, the case involving three suspects, Said Masoud and his two accomplices, who are charged with vandalising SGR infrastructure and causing the government a loss of 5,415.8 US dollar (about 12.7m/-) has been adjourned to 31, December 2024 pending the investigation.
The case, number 30205 of 2024, which is before the Resident Magistrate of the Dodoma District Court, Denis Mpelebwa was adjourned yesterday after the State attorney, Zubeda Lyami, said that the investigation was not yet complete.
The case was brought before the court for the first mention yesterday On November 11, 2024, the Dodoma Regional Police Commander, George Katabazi told reporters that police had arrested six people for stealing TRC’s copper wires from three SGR bridges in Mpwapwa and Bahi Districts.
