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City power debt stalls C.B.D. operations: Debt exposes ZESA & C.o.H. billing system
Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
April 29, 2013

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) cut off electricity supply at Town-House which is the head office for the City of Harare (C.o.H.) last week on Friday 26th of April. This follows the accumulation of an unsettled power debt, dating as far back as 2009. The money being owed by the City is estimated to be at around 60 million United States dollars. The debt has its roots back during the Zim-dollar era which saw astronomic conversions culminating into unjustified bills by service providers especially ZESA and C.o.H itself. During the weekend, most traffic lights in the C.B.D. especially at corner Angwa Street and Jason Moyo and Corner Julius Nyerere and Robert Mugabe were not functioning. However City of Harare Town Clerk, Dr Mahachi acknowledged the power cut but dismissed any chances of a disconnection whilst suggesting a power failure instead. Dr Mahachi said that it is ZESA who owes more than they owe them which in turn should be a question of writing the City's debt off on the part of ZESA. He stressed that ZESA's billing system was not justified since they (ZESA) are charging power supply even for robots which are not working.

This running battle between the two institutions has provided a fertile ground to boost our argument on the need to improve the billing systems of both ZESA and C.o.H. Council and ZESA management has on several platforms dismissed our argument which has always been consistent to the point that the money which is being demanded from residents is not synonymous with the service rendered and that the conversions from Zim-Dollar to the multi-currency system were not justifiable. This has seen C.o.H. attaching property belonging to residents being deemed as defaulters or in other instances, the City just switches of water supply. For the past month, we have recorded at least 16 cases especially in the Avenues area where residents have had their water supply switched off not on the basis of nonpayment but just mere administrative mix up at Rowan-Martin building. Most of these residents do have a payment plan or at times do not owe the City at all.

Our call for both ZESA and C.o.H. is for both parties to ensure that they deal with the issue of their system with which they use to calculate the monthly bills for residents. Further, there is need for all parastals and Local Authorities to deal with the issue of inta-parastal debt which last year was standing at 550 million USD. When ZESA switches off Harare City Council, it is not Mayor Muchadei Masunda who suffers, but that innocent motorist who now has to contend with the over-congested CBD due to non functioning traffic lights and this can increase road carnage considering the uncontrollable commuter omnibus operators.

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