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Residents
reject Government's decision on ZESA disconnections
Combined Harare
Residents Association (CHRA)
June 11, 2009
The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
and the National Residents Associations Consultative Forum (NRACF)
reject and will contest the decision by Government to authorize
the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Company (ZESA) to disconnect electricity
over outstanding payments. This response by the Residents Associations
is based on the fact that the electricity tariffs charged by ZESA
are exorbitant while the bills that are being discharged to households
by ZESA are unjustified; in the sense that they are either based
on estimates or way above the consumption made.
CHRA
and other Residents Associations have been inundated with calls
from residents who cannot afford to pay ZESA bills because they
are too high. Some of the bill statements that have been forwarded
to CHRA by residents amount to as much US$265 (for low density areas)
and others are within the range of US$40 to US$105 (in high density
areas). It should be noted that more than 80% of the Harare populace
is not employed and those who are employed have an average income
of US$100 a month. How does the Government expect these people to
survive if they have to part with more than half their salaries
for electricity bills alone? We should also remember that residents
have other priorities like sending their children to school, feeding
them and pay bills for other services like water and municipal services.
It defies logic to think that the Government, which is also paying
its employees an allowance of US$100 a month, is encouraging ZESA
holdings to coerce residents to pay unrealistic bills by effecting
electricity disconnections.
The electricity
bills that are being delivered to residents are all based on estimates
because meter readings have not been carried out. We understand
that this is the reason the Minister of Energy and Power Development
had set up uniform charges of US$30 and US$40 for high-density and
low density areas respectively. How then does ZESA come up with
different estimates of electricity consumptions for each household?
Not all residents in high-density areas have bill statements that
indicate US$30 as the monthly electricity bill. Some residents in
high density areas like Kuwadzana and Glen Norah are being charged
as much as US$50 a month! This is in direct conflict with the figures
that were pegged by the Minister and clear evidence that ZESA's
billing system is warped to say the least. CHRA is not against bill
payments by residents. We understand that residents have the responsibility
to pay their bills so that they can also get quality social services
but the bills are simply beyond their affordability and unjustified.
CHRA and the
National Residents Associations Consultative Forum are doing the
following as a direct response to the disconnections;
- Meeting the
Minister of Energy and the ZESA management over the issue.
- Arrange
and mobilize countrywide demonstrations to express the anger of
the residents over this matter.
- Petitioning
the Government and ZESA over this matter.
- Conducting
litigation against the disconnections which are illegal.
- Educating
the residents on how to use electricity sparingly as well as how
to read and interpret their electricity bills.
- Encourage
residents whose electricity has been disconnected to report to
CHRA immediately.
Meanwhile CHRA
and the National Residents Associations Consultative Forum would
like to remind the Government it is leading an impoverished population
and its decisions on service delivery must be pro-people and pro-poor.
CHRA and the National Residents Associations Consultative Forum
reaffirm their commitment in lobbying for democratic local governance
as well as advocating for the provision of quality and affordable
social services on a non partisan basis.
Visit the CHRA
fact
sheet
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