Zesa allays power shortages fears

ZESA Holdings says the country's power supply will remain stable despite threats by South Africa's power utility Eskom and other suppliers to cut off Zimbabwe over mounting debts.

Zesa's subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), owes over $780 million to different power suppliers locally and in the region.

ZETDC owes its sister company, Zimbabwe Power Company, $754 million. In turn, the Zesa subsidiary owes South Africa's Eskom $18 million, Hydro Cahora Bassa (Mozambique) $9 million and $8 million to the Dema power project.

Zesa Holdings stakeholder relations executive Shepherd Mandizvidza said that ZETDC was progressively taking steps to settle the arrears in order to ensure continued supplies of imports from Eskom.

Mandizvidza said ZETDC had intensified revenue collection in order to pay the debt and that coupled with "continuous constructive engagements with the suppliers, the obtaining business rapport will ensure a stable power supply situation".