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Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
MORE than 200 retailers have been fined for selling incandescent bulbs since they were banned by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) in February last year.
In an interview, Zera chief executive officer Engineer Gloria Magombo said the banned bulbs were finding their way through illegal crossing points.
“To date, more than 200 retailers have been arrested for selling incandescent bulbs with a potential to waste 20 MW if they had found their way into the market,” she said.
She said the retailers were fined between $30 and $2 000.
Eng Magombo said Zera was now working with Bureau Veritas to ensure that all importers of lighting systems comply with preshipment regulations.
She said some people still prefer to use the banned bulbs because they are cheap.
“The incandescent light bulbs seem to be cheaper to consumers as they are sold for less than a $1 but they do not last for more than three months yet they consume more energy resulting in consumers paying for more energy used unproductively,” she said.
derick.khumalo