Consumers owe Zesa $34m

Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
ELECTRICITY consumers in the Eastern Region owe the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Commission (ZETDC) in excess of $34 million, a senior official has said.Speaking during a stakeholders meeting last week, ZETDC Eastern Region general manager, Milton Munodawafa, said the power utility was owed a lot of money by customers in the Eastern Region and had come up with effective mechanisms to recover the money.

He said $17 million of the debt was owed by the business community while the remainder was owed by domestic users.

“In this region alone, we are owed about $34 million in unpaid electricity bills. Of that debt, half is owed by the business and the other half by domestic users who are residents of Mucheke, Rhodene and Rujeko to name but a few residential areas. As long as customers fail to pay for the power they use, we will continue having power shortages,” said Munodawafa.

He said Zesa had come up with a mechanism to recover money owed by power users in the region and country at large.

“We have devised a very effective mechanism to recover debts through the cash power system. When all domestic users buy power 20 percent will be dedicated to debt payment at the point of sale. Therefore the amount of power paid for will be deducted the time you buy electricity. No one will come to your house as before demanding payment or for metre reading. It is now simple and effective,” he said.

Munodawafa said it was encouraging to note that some business people were visiting the Commission offices to make payment arrangements while they still had power at their premises.

“I am happy to say that many business people are coming to negotiate for a payment plan. We are flexible because we know that the economy is still facing some challenges and we understand the plight of our debtors. However, people should always be in a position to pay up their debts,” he said.

Munodawafa added that the power utility would continue with load shedding as not enough energy was being generated.