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In a telephone interview yesterday, Zesa spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said the power utility company would not force its clients to clear bills before pre-paid meters are installed for them as that was not the company policy.
Mr Gwasira said it was not Zesa policy to demand full payment upfront before installation of pre-paid meters.
“The issue of customers having to pay outstanding bills in full before having pre-paid meters installed is not company policy. Our position is that customers are given two options, those who want to clear their bills before are free to do so as that has an advantage because they would have to start on a clean sheet,” said Mr Gwasira.
He said the second option was for a mechanism whereby pre-paid meters have a facility that would allow the power utility to deduct 20 percent each time clients buy electricity and the money would go towards the outstanding bills.
Zesa technicians have been demanding payment in full before they could install pre-paid meters. Some technicians were demanding down payment of at least $800 for those whose arrears are running into thousands of dollars.
“It is not correct to say Zesa is demanding full payment of arrears prior to having pre-paid meters installed and if that is happening, our customers should report those doing so to general managers countrywide and disciplinary measures would be taken against such workers,” said Mr Gwasira.
The power utility spokesperson said the directive to stop disconnections was from the major shareholder, the Government, and Zesa had to comply.
There are reports that hundreds of consumers who are visiting Zesa offices seeking to be reconnected following a Government directive to suspend disconnections, are being turned away.
Zesa officials are reportedly telling residents that they are not aware of the decision to stop the disconenctions despite a directive by Minister of Energy and Power Development, Elton Mangoma.
Last week Minister Mangoma issued a warning to the power utility against defying his directive to stop disconnecting consumers with outstanding bills.
Zesa is owed about $600 million by both domestic and commercial electricity users and Mr Gwasira said the power utility company was hopeful the new pre-paid meter system would enable it to recover all its money owed.
Meanwhile, Mr Gwasira said Zesa had so far installed more than 19 000 prepaid meters countrywide since the exercise started recently.
He said they were initially targeting new connections and those with faulty meters.
“Our first priority is new clients and then those whose meters need repair although we are not going to repair but install new prepaid meters for them. After that we would focus on high electricity users like blocks of flats as a way of separating users from the bulky meters,” he said.
Mr Gwasira said the system was not meant to discriminate as all domestic electricity users would be covered within 10 months.
Online Reporter