News / National
Zesa seeks to recover ZW$30bn in unpaid bills
18 Jul 2022 at 08:38hrs | Views
THE Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings has intensified a nationwide blitz aimed at disconnecting power supplies to defaulting customers who owe more than ZW$30 billion.
The development comes at a time the power utility company is requiring US$17 million every month for electricity imports to meet local demand.
This power disconnection exercise is targeting every defaulting customer including mines, farms, hospitals and commercial clients that use the post-paid system.
One of Zimbabwe's biggest mining firms, RioZim Ltd, recently had electricity supplies to its Cam and Motor gold mine disconnected amid allegations that the company owed Zesa millions of Zimbabwe dollars.
RioZim Ltd company spokesperson Mr Wilson Gwatiringa declined to comment on the development.
Cam and Motor gold mine is the second project in RioGold's operations and was once the largest producer of gold in Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, late last year, one of the government's ailing parastatals the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)'s properties in Hwange had power disconnected as a result of an excess of ZW$21 million it owed to NRZ workers residing at the parastatals' Nguminja village have lived in darkness for close to a year.
Acting NRZ public relations manager Mr Martin Banda told The NewsHawks that the parastatal had made a payment plan with Zesa and power is going to be reconnected soon.
"NRZ was owing ZW$21 857 401 to ZETDC and engagements were done to have payment plans after playing a deposit. We are aware that Zesa is currently carrying out a disconnections blitz to all owing clients and NRZ has made sure that our points owing Zesa have concrete payment plans in place", he said.
ZESA's general manager responsible for stakeholder relations, communications and welfare Gorge Manyaya encouraged all their clients to make sure that their payments were up to date to avoid being disconnected.
"We are urging all our clients to make sure that they are paid up to avoid disconnection,'' Manyaya said.
In 2009 and 2013, the power utility company carried out two debt write-offs yet its customers have accrued debt again.
By the end of March 2022, Zesa was owed in excess of ZW$15 billion and, three months later, the figure has since doubled.
The development comes at a time the power utility company is requiring US$17 million every month for electricity imports to meet local demand.
This power disconnection exercise is targeting every defaulting customer including mines, farms, hospitals and commercial clients that use the post-paid system.
One of Zimbabwe's biggest mining firms, RioZim Ltd, recently had electricity supplies to its Cam and Motor gold mine disconnected amid allegations that the company owed Zesa millions of Zimbabwe dollars.
RioZim Ltd company spokesperson Mr Wilson Gwatiringa declined to comment on the development.
Cam and Motor gold mine is the second project in RioGold's operations and was once the largest producer of gold in Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, late last year, one of the government's ailing parastatals the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)'s properties in Hwange had power disconnected as a result of an excess of ZW$21 million it owed to NRZ workers residing at the parastatals' Nguminja village have lived in darkness for close to a year.
"NRZ was owing ZW$21 857 401 to ZETDC and engagements were done to have payment plans after playing a deposit. We are aware that Zesa is currently carrying out a disconnections blitz to all owing clients and NRZ has made sure that our points owing Zesa have concrete payment plans in place", he said.
ZESA's general manager responsible for stakeholder relations, communications and welfare Gorge Manyaya encouraged all their clients to make sure that their payments were up to date to avoid being disconnected.
"We are urging all our clients to make sure that they are paid up to avoid disconnection,'' Manyaya said.
In 2009 and 2013, the power utility company carried out two debt write-offs yet its customers have accrued debt again.
By the end of March 2022, Zesa was owed in excess of ZW$15 billion and, three months later, the figure has since doubled.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
