Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT wants Intratek Zimbabwe to start implementing the Gwanda Solar Project as the cancellation of the more than US$183 million deal will be costly.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) entered into a contractual agreement with Intratek Zimbabwe owned by businessman Mr Wicknell Chivayo, and technical partner, Chint Electric Company on October 23, 2015, for the project whose cost was estimated at just over US$183 million.
ZPC paid US$5 million for pre-commencement works to Intratek without a bank guarantee.
Despite the money being released to the company, nothing was done on site leading to the arrest of Mr Chivayo in 2018 for allegedly defrauding the power company.
Since then, his case has been dragging before the courts with three Supreme Court judges on Monday ruling that Mr Chivayo has a case to answer after he was initially acquitted of fraud by a High Court Judge.
Power and Energy Development Minister Advocate Fortune Chasi told Chronicle that Government would not concern itself with criminal charges Mr Chivayo faces but wants Gwanda Power Project implemented.
“So, the point of perpetual litigation is gone, the country needs power and the Government has simply taken a pragmatic approach as opposed to a poignant one. What we need is power. If they sign in accordance with what was agreed, in one month’s time, we would like to see the boots on the ground,” he said.
“I’m going to drive both of them if they can’t agree. Government will take drastic measures. The people cannot suffer without power when a structure is already in place. The alternative is that we cancel the whole thing. But it (new deal) will take about 18 months to two years while we wait. So that agreement needs to be implemented. That is the Government position as the sole shareholder of Zesa.”
He said while legal battles have been going on, communities have been deprived of electricity as the project has been stalled.
Adv Chasi said negotiations between Intratek and ZPC have not yielded any results something that cannot continue.
“What I’m interested in is power. You know that agreement was signed five years ago and nothing has happened in terms of development of power. That project is next to a settlement in Gwanda, which has no power, directly, next to it. So, the High Court Justice (Tawanda) Chitapi in particular ordered that the parties must sit down and they failed to do that. They met for the first time nearly two years ago in my office after bringing them together. What we need is power. The function of Zesa is not to be engaged in legal battles but in power generation,” said Adv Chasi. — @nqotshili
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