KITWE, ZAMBIA — Security along Chibuluma Road in Kitwe is coming under renewed scrutiny following incidents involving people climbing onto moving trucks and stealing cargo.
Zambia Police has confirmed the arrest of a 21-year-old man following an incident in the Kandabwe area involving a truck travelling from Lusaka to Kasumbalesa.
According to Copperbelt Province Police Commissioner Rae Hamoonga, a truck driver reported that an individual climbed onto his trailer on September 10, tore through the tarpaulin and stole two 25kg bags of mealie meal valued at K780. The incident was captured on video and later circulated on social media.
Police said a suspect was subsequently apprehended on September 16 after officers and members of the Community Crime Prevention Unit received information about an attempted theft from another truck in the area.
Patrols and surveillance have since been intensified along major transit routes.
A freight-security problem
The significance of the incidents extends beyond the value of the goods stolen.
Chibuluma Road sits within an important movement network serving Kitwe and surrounding Copperbelt industrial and mining centres. Trucks moving goods north towards Kasumbalesa also use the wider road network, placing freight security firmly within the supply-chain conversation.
For transporters, theft from moving vehicles creates risks beyond cargo loss. Trailers can be damaged, drivers may be placed in danger, insurance exposure can increase and scheduled deliveries can be disrupted.
The incidents also highlight a broader question for Zambia’s freight network: whether sections of heavily used transport corridors require more deliberate security measures as truck movements and regional trade activity increase.
Police have urged truck drivers and members of the public to report suspicious activity rather than confront suspected offenders.
For Zambia, where road transport remains central to domestic and regional freight movement, protecting the truck is only part of the equation.
Protecting the corridor it travels on is becoming just as important.