Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
Traffic lights at several key intersections and streetlights in Harare have gone dark following the installation of prepaid electricity meters that are not yet operational.
In a statement, the City of Harare’s corporate communications division said most of the new meters installed by the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) have not been registered on the ZETDC Prepaid Vending Platform, making it impossible to load electricity credits.
“This is partly due to the fact that ZETDC has installed prepaid meters on the infrastructure, but most of the installed meters are still to be registered on the ZETDC Prepaid Vending Platform, hence credit cannot be topped up at the moment,” read the statement.
As a result, several major intersections, including Samora Machel/Rekai Tangwena, Samora Machel/Julius Nyerere, Julius Nyerere/Kenneth Kaunda and Bishop Gaul/Abdel Gamal Nasser (formerly Rotten Row) are currently without functioning traffic lights.
Numerous tower lights and streetlights throughout the city have also been affected.
The council said it is working with the power utility to resolve the matter urgently.
“We are in constant communication with ZETDC and we can confirm that they are working flat out to resolve the challenges,” reads the statement.
While the fault remained unresolved, municipal police officers and their counterparts from the Zimbabwe Republic Police have been deployed to direct and manage traffic at the affected intersections.
“The City of Harare apologises for any inconvenience caused,” read the statement.
The blackout poses a significant risk to road safety and visibility especially during evening hours. Authorities have urged motorists and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution.
Peter Tanyanyiwa