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ZESA tariff hiking insensitive
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
September 01, 2011

ZESA's decision to increase electricity charges by 31% with effect from today, 01 September 2011 is misguided and on the other hand sign of insensitivity at its best level. The move does not only entrenches the impoverishment of ordinary Zimbabweans but it also impedes the progressive realisation of the soci-economic human rights as given in the UNDHR. It also falls short of the ideas needed to revamp the struggling parastatal.

ZimRights tips off the brains behind, of an imminent and drastic continued deterioration of poor service delivery that this decision would invite. Several people would be exposed to double-edged sword considering that civil servants constitute roughly three quarters of the Zimbabwean working population yet their earnings fall far below the poverty datum line. The decision gives no guarantee of an end to load shedding while it would also have an impact of reversing the little gains that the July salary increment had added to their lives. We need to ask whether it was really an issue of tariff size or there were other bad corporate governance issues involved. It is ridiculous to bring to fore issues of tariffing when the same people some two months ago proposed of a debt cancellation for those who failed to cover up their bills of the preceding inflationary environment period? ZESA is also reminded of the general populace's incapacity financially, to pay those bills considering that people were failing to pay the said inadequate amounts.

The continued electricity woes are neither a problem of tariff size nor a solution to the power shortages bedeviling the nations. The problem has more to do with mismanagement and we challenge responsible authorities to look into that other than the continued prejudicial route they have taken.

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