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Those who have been disconnected for non-payment will still be connected to the smart or pre-paid meters without paying a reconnection fee.
When Zesa rolled out its programme of installing pre-paid meters in Bulawayo and other areas, there was an outcry from consumers as the power utility cut off supplies from those with outstanding bills.
However, yesterday Minister Mangoma, speaking at a launch of the smart prepaid meter roll out exercise in Harare said any debt owed by a customer would be input into the pre-paid meter.
“Customers owe Zesa more than $600 million, but I confirm that all debt incurred during the Zimbabwe dollar era was written off.
“Any debt that is owing by a customer will be input into the new meter and 20 percent of the money used to buy electricity will be applied towards the reduction of the debt until it is fully paid,” said Minister Mangoma.
The development comes as a reprieve for millions of power users who, since the introduction of the multi-currency system, have been struggling to pay their bills.
Many have bills averaging between $500 and $1 000, accumulated since the introduction of multiple currency system.
Minister Mangoma said the initiative was in recognition of the hardships being faced by the consumers.
“We hope that this will go some way in alleviating their plight. All those who were disconnected for non-payment can now be connected to smart prepaid meters without paying a down payment or reconnection fee,” he said.
Minister Mangoma said the power utility was rolling out smart prepaid meters in all domestic and business premises.
“This roll out is expected to be complete within 10 months. To date, 19 000 customers of the 600 000 customer base have prepaid meters,” said Minister Mangoma.
He said 19 000 prepaid meters were expected to be installed within the next four weeks.
“The installers are working hard and will seek to get access to consumers’ premises from 6am to 7pm,” said Minister Mangoma.
He said the power utility was aware of the negative impact of the power outages.
“We are implementing short, medium and long term interventions to address the power shortages.
“In the short term, the technology at the three Small Thermal Power Stations at Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati will be changed in order for them to produce at full capacity of 285 Megawatts (MW),” said Minister Mangoma.
He said efforts were underway to revive the dependable capacity of Hwange Power Station through major maintenance at a cost of $40 million.
“The dependable capacity is expected to reach 700 MW,” said Minister Mangoma.
The Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) last year filed an urgent application at the High Court to register a remedial order for Zesa Holdings (Pvt) Ltd to write off outstanding bills for all consumers prior to introduction of multiple currencies in February 2009.
The CTC also wanted the court to order Zesa to revert to $40 per month for consumers in low-density areas and $30 per month for high-density residents.
Online Reporter