News / Local
'More to ZESA power cut', Bulawayo City Council implies!
19 Jan 2011 at 04:48hrs | Views
Some of Bulawayo City Council's offices had their power supply disconnected on Monday after failing to settle a debt of $9,2 million the council owes to Zimbabwe Electricity supply Authority.
Supplies were cut off for the City Hall,Tower Block and the Revenue Hall,the local authority employees were busy trying to install a generator at the mayor's offices.
BCC financial director Kempton Ndimande yesterday confirmed the power disconnections saying: "We owe Z.E.S.A a lot of money. According to a letter sent to us we owe them $9,2 million."
Asked if the local authority would engage the power utility to negotiate for the restoration of power, Ndimande said: "ZESA has come to a point where they cannot negotiate. They want what we owe them."
"The problem is that residents are not paying. We have to press the residents to pay their bills so that we can settle the ZESA bill."
He said the council revenue office at Tower House had a small generator which did not have the capacity to run the whole complex. As a result, he said, business at the complex was at a standstill.
City Deputy Mayor Amen Mpofu said residents were to blame for the power cuts because they owe council more than $70 million in unpaid rates.
"Residents have placed us in this position by defaulting on their bills," Mpofu said. "We will now have to enforce measures to ensure that the residents pay their bills."
Mpofu said BCC was being run by a competent management team but it was being let down by its residents.
"BCC is one of the best run local authorities in the country. They will do everything necessary to settle the debt but they are being let down by the residents," he said.
Sources within council, however, said the power cuts were a result of "bad blood" between the council and the power utility.
Some councillors said BCC was the first to disconnect water supplies at ZESA premises over a debt amounting to just about $1 million and therefore should not cry foul when the power utility cut them off for a $9 million debt.
"ZESA has decided to hit back because council disconnected water from their premises last year. As big organisations things should not get to an extent of withdrawing services but payment arrangements can always be drawn," said a councillor who declined to be named.
"We understand that Gweru City Council owes ZESA an amount way above ours but they have not been disconnected. This clearly shows that there is bad blood between the two organisations."
However, Mpofu denied the claim saying the local authority had good relations with the power utility.
"They are in business and in business debts have to be paid," said Mpofu.
ZESA spokesperson, Fullard Gwasira said power disconnections were an on-going exercise.
"We have always said that disconnections are not meant to fix consumers but meant to encourage them to pay,' he said.
"We obviously do not just disconnect residents. We also consider one's payment history."
Supplies were cut off for the City Hall,Tower Block and the Revenue Hall,the local authority employees were busy trying to install a generator at the mayor's offices.
BCC financial director Kempton Ndimande yesterday confirmed the power disconnections saying: "We owe Z.E.S.A a lot of money. According to a letter sent to us we owe them $9,2 million."
Asked if the local authority would engage the power utility to negotiate for the restoration of power, Ndimande said: "ZESA has come to a point where they cannot negotiate. They want what we owe them."
"The problem is that residents are not paying. We have to press the residents to pay their bills so that we can settle the ZESA bill."
He said the council revenue office at Tower House had a small generator which did not have the capacity to run the whole complex. As a result, he said, business at the complex was at a standstill.
City Deputy Mayor Amen Mpofu said residents were to blame for the power cuts because they owe council more than $70 million in unpaid rates.
"Residents have placed us in this position by defaulting on their bills," Mpofu said. "We will now have to enforce measures to ensure that the residents pay their bills."
Mpofu said BCC was being run by a competent management team but it was being let down by its residents.
"BCC is one of the best run local authorities in the country. They will do everything necessary to settle the debt but they are being let down by the residents," he said.
Sources within council, however, said the power cuts were a result of "bad blood" between the council and the power utility.
Some councillors said BCC was the first to disconnect water supplies at ZESA premises over a debt amounting to just about $1 million and therefore should not cry foul when the power utility cut them off for a $9 million debt.
"ZESA has decided to hit back because council disconnected water from their premises last year. As big organisations things should not get to an extent of withdrawing services but payment arrangements can always be drawn," said a councillor who declined to be named.
"We understand that Gweru City Council owes ZESA an amount way above ours but they have not been disconnected. This clearly shows that there is bad blood between the two organisations."
However, Mpofu denied the claim saying the local authority had good relations with the power utility.
"They are in business and in business debts have to be paid," said Mpofu.
ZESA spokesperson, Fullard Gwasira said power disconnections were an on-going exercise.
"We have always said that disconnections are not meant to fix consumers but meant to encourage them to pay,' he said.
"We obviously do not just disconnect residents. We also consider one's payment history."
Source - Byo24NEWS
