'Zesa should reimburse clients'

Zesa clients who buy electricity cables or transformers are entitled to full compensation and the reimbursement is in the form of electricity units equivalent to the cost of equipment a client would have bought, Government said this week.

Some people are resorting to buying their own equipment to replace stolen or vandalised equipment as Zesa is taking long to replace such equipment citing financial constraints.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development Magna Mudyiwa said the standing policy is that Zesa must compensate a client who buys either vandalised cables or a transformer by availing electricity equivalent to the money spent.

Deputy Minister Mudyiwa was responding to Kambuzuma MP Willias Madzimure who had asked if there is a policy to compensate consumers who buy their own cables to replace those stolen or vandalised.

She said the standing policy is that consumers who spend their own money to replace vandalised Zesa infrastructure should be compensated but not in cash.

"There are cases whereby the consumer goes on to buy even a transformer to replace the vandalised one and such consumers are compensated. Zesa will credit such consumers' accounts with electricity equivalent to the money spent," said Deputy Minister Mudyiwa.

Commenting on the delays to attend to faults, Deputy Minister Mudyiwa said Zesa's transport fleet was heavily depleted hence the delays in attending to faults.

She said Government has availed some vehicles but the parastatal still needs more for its operations.