News / National
Mugabe will not get VIP treatment over ZESA bill
05 Apr 2012 at 07:11hrs | Views
Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma says President Robert Mugabe would not be given VIP treatment during the current efforts by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) to recover long outstanding payments owed to the defaulting clients.
In an exclusive interview with Radio VOP Wednesday, Mangoma said all ZESA defaulters would be treated with the same attitude insisting they were primarily ZESA clients before they assumed their stations in life.
"He is a consumer of ZESA and I am sure within ZESA, appropriate action has been taken or would be taken just like any other consumer," Mangoma said.
"He is consuming that electricity in his private capacity. I do not see any reason why he should not be switched off. But if he makes a down payment of 25 percent as is the case with every other ZESA client, why should he be switched off?"
President Mugabe, a large scale farmer who operates a dairy concern with massive cash inflows, was last month exposed by a local daily to be owing the struggling power utility in excess of $350 000.
Together with his powerful lieutenants linked to Zanu-PF, they owe ZESA over $1,5 million.
Mugabe's apparent unwillingness to honour his bills despite continuously claiming western imposed sanctions were the major cause of the collapse of the economy was met with outrage by ordinary Zimbabweans who have endured endless power cuts for the past decade.
Mangoma, an MDC-T ministerial appointee, said every ZESA client who was indebted to the parastatal had been asked to pay 25 percent down payment as a compromise arrangement.
But he said he was not yet aware if Mugabe has met his own end of the bargain.
Meanwhile, Mangoma said ZESA had started switching off other top government ZESA bills defaulters.
"If you can say that there is a person that you definitely know owes ZESA and has not been switched off, I would like to know that information because as far as I know, I have been told that defaulters are being switched off," he said.
"I am aware that there are some government ministers who have been switched off."
ZESA has gone on a blitz to switch off non paying clients in a bid to recover an estimated $400 million it was owed by local consumers.
In an exclusive interview with Radio VOP Wednesday, Mangoma said all ZESA defaulters would be treated with the same attitude insisting they were primarily ZESA clients before they assumed their stations in life.
"He is a consumer of ZESA and I am sure within ZESA, appropriate action has been taken or would be taken just like any other consumer," Mangoma said.
"He is consuming that electricity in his private capacity. I do not see any reason why he should not be switched off. But if he makes a down payment of 25 percent as is the case with every other ZESA client, why should he be switched off?"
President Mugabe, a large scale farmer who operates a dairy concern with massive cash inflows, was last month exposed by a local daily to be owing the struggling power utility in excess of $350 000.
Together with his powerful lieutenants linked to Zanu-PF, they owe ZESA over $1,5 million.
Mugabe's apparent unwillingness to honour his bills despite continuously claiming western imposed sanctions were the major cause of the collapse of the economy was met with outrage by ordinary Zimbabweans who have endured endless power cuts for the past decade.
Mangoma, an MDC-T ministerial appointee, said every ZESA client who was indebted to the parastatal had been asked to pay 25 percent down payment as a compromise arrangement.
But he said he was not yet aware if Mugabe has met his own end of the bargain.
Meanwhile, Mangoma said ZESA had started switching off other top government ZESA bills defaulters.
"If you can say that there is a person that you definitely know owes ZESA and has not been switched off, I would like to know that information because as far as I know, I have been told that defaulters are being switched off," he said.
"I am aware that there are some government ministers who have been switched off."
ZESA has gone on a blitz to switch off non paying clients in a bid to recover an estimated $400 million it was owed by local consumers.
Source - radio vop
