Showdown looms as Zesa disconnects customers

The customers accuse Zesa of failing to provide them with an efficient billing system.

Industrial and domestic consumers said the power utility was failing to capture payments on time.

Customers have also accused Zesa of forcing them to pay the bills twice.

Zesa has since started switching off customers while battling to settle its regional debts.

The consumers said the power utility was relying more on estimates than actual billing and “robbing” thousands of their money.

Zesa is however owed more than $450 million by its customers.

Cabinet ministers, several firms and households countrywide have been disconnected.

Residents, interviewed, yesterday said they were receiving high bills at a time when they go for hours or even days without electricity.

Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira yesterday said consumers were being billed for the power they consumed.

“The beauty of electricity meters is that they only move when electricity is flowing through them,” he said.

“That means during load shedding and periods when a customer may not have power supplies, the meter does not move.

“This means that customers are only billed for power that they would have consumed, for those whose meters would have been read.”

On estimates Mr Gwasira said: “In infrequent instances where a customer may get a bill based on estimated consumption, corrective measures are taken when next the bill is read and the bill is adjusted correspondingly depending on the reading.

“Estimate bills do not necessarily mean higher bills. In instances where an estimate is higher than consumption, adjustments reflecting lower consumption are then effected.”

He said the power utility had acquired an upgraded billing system as a bridging measure between post billing and prepaid billing. “The general belief that ZESA bills are inaccurate is now misplaced and some customers use that view as a justification for non-payment of bills,” he said.

Mr Cosmas Ncube of Kuwadzana said they were being shortchanged by Zesa as they spent the better of the day without power.

“There is no logic in disconnecting because we spend close two 10 hours without electricity and at the end of the month we receive high bills,” he said.

“What pains us is that most of the bills are estimates and it means they change their billing system we continue to be robbed of our hard earned money.”

Another disgruntled consumer said his bill still reflected two month arrears despite him settling the bill on time.

“It means we are paying more than once. I have tried clearing the bill but have been discouraged by the fact what I pay is not recorded. I think their offices are not networked properly and more people will continue to lose money,” said the consumer.

Mr Gwasira said the disconnections would continue until all people settle their arrears.

He said the power utility has been facing challenges of funding power imports, procurement of spares for infrastructure.