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ZESA admits daylight robbery
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
June 14, 2012

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority [ZESA], has admitted that the tariffs it charges residents are based on estimates not actual consumption as should be the case. In his presentation to the parliamentary portfolio committee on state enterprises and parastatals management, ZESA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Josh Chifamba admitted that it was costly for ZESA to deploy meter readers country wide. Ironically, we reported on our facebook page the on the same day that the inter-parastatal debt had increased to 460 million which is also reflective of the symmetric challenges that are affecting citizens at the bottom in paying their dues. To that end, it is arguably clear that because citizens lack confidence in the management system of parastatals like ZESA, it is difficult for people to support them. ZESA has failed over time to address its billing arrangement which has seen residents accumulating estimated bills of up-to USD$5000.

What is angering many residents is that ZESA bills do not tally with the service being provided. Early May, we released the official ZESA load shedding schedule, but the feedback that we have from most residents' is that ZESA is not at all sticking to its schedule. There have been some serious inconsistencies when it comes to electricity provision where some areas can receive electricity for up to 24hrs a day and others going for days without supply or only getting supply for up to four hours a day. Our service delivery update can reveal that areas such as Cranborne and Avenues receive electricity continuously with other areas like Kuwadzana and Hatfield only getting limited supplies.

As an association, CHRA will continue to engage ZESA on this issue and our aim is to push ZESA to make sure that it sticks to its load shedding schedule. We are also concerned on the issue of estimate bills which should be addressed as a matter of urgency. We will be questioning the CEO of ZESA on his hints on increasing electricity tariffs in order to reach maximum capacity in terms of electricity provision. Our position is that ZESA has got enough money through state enterprises which are consuming electricity for free and other senior government officials who have been milking the parastatal for free.

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