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Zesa struggles to meet demand for transformers
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ZESA Enterprises (Zent) says it requires at least US$24 million every year to meet Zimbabwe's growing demand for locally manufactured transformers, plus an additional US$17.4 million to modernise its ageing plant.
The revelations were made during a tour of the company by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy, where officials painted a sobering picture of the challenges stalling progress in the country's electrification drive.
Zent acting managing director Godfrey Mugaviri said the company is currently falling far short of its annual target of producing 6,000 transformers, a key requirement for Zimbabwe to achieve universal access to electricity and move towards an upper-middle-income economy.
"ZETDC requirements range around 6,000 transformers for us to be able to achieve universal access to electricity," Mugaviri said. "We need yearly capital injection of around US$24 million so that these transformers get into the national grid. We need more transformers to ensure that every Zimbabwean has the privilege to access electricity."
Despite increasing production from 200–300 transformers in 2021 to about 2,000 per year, the output remains inadequate. Mugaviri said upgrading the plant would significantly boost capacity and reduce reliance on imports.
Committee chairperson Charlton Hwende urged the government to provide urgent support, warning that the gap between supply and demand was widening.
"We want to see how the government can support them with further funding because there is still a huge gap," Hwende said. He also pushed for tougher laws to curb vandalism of electricity infrastructure, describing the current 10-year jail term as insufficient.
"I think 10 years has not been a deterrent enough. We will be looking at increasing this to 20 or 30 years because of the damage being caused to communities," he said.
Theft and vandalism of transformers has surged, plunging thousands of households into darkness. Zent general manager loss control Festo Madembo revealed that infrastructure vandalism cost the nation US$4.3 million last year in replacement value alone-excluding broader economic losses.
"As a nation, we are losing quite a substantial amount of money," Madembo said. "We are now working with Powertel to install a transformer anti-vandalism system that sends a signal when someone attempts to steal, allowing for rapid response."
Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe previously called for the removal of fines as an alternative punishment, proposing mandatory jail sentences of up to 30 years for offenders.
Transformers continue to be targeted for copper windings, oil, and metal components, while some restaurants have reportedly used stolen transformer oil for frying food due to its high burn point. Transmission pylons have also been pushed over and stripped, with recovered parts often found on scotch carts.
With demand rising and vandalism draining resources, Zent says only a massive capital injection - coupled with strong legislation - can stabilise Zimbabwe's electricity distribution network.
The revelations were made during a tour of the company by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Energy, where officials painted a sobering picture of the challenges stalling progress in the country's electrification drive.
Zent acting managing director Godfrey Mugaviri said the company is currently falling far short of its annual target of producing 6,000 transformers, a key requirement for Zimbabwe to achieve universal access to electricity and move towards an upper-middle-income economy.
"ZETDC requirements range around 6,000 transformers for us to be able to achieve universal access to electricity," Mugaviri said. "We need yearly capital injection of around US$24 million so that these transformers get into the national grid. We need more transformers to ensure that every Zimbabwean has the privilege to access electricity."
Despite increasing production from 200–300 transformers in 2021 to about 2,000 per year, the output remains inadequate. Mugaviri said upgrading the plant would significantly boost capacity and reduce reliance on imports.
Committee chairperson Charlton Hwende urged the government to provide urgent support, warning that the gap between supply and demand was widening.
"We want to see how the government can support them with further funding because there is still a huge gap," Hwende said. He also pushed for tougher laws to curb vandalism of electricity infrastructure, describing the current 10-year jail term as insufficient.
"I think 10 years has not been a deterrent enough. We will be looking at increasing this to 20 or 30 years because of the damage being caused to communities," he said.
Theft and vandalism of transformers has surged, plunging thousands of households into darkness. Zent general manager loss control Festo Madembo revealed that infrastructure vandalism cost the nation US$4.3 million last year in replacement value alone-excluding broader economic losses.
"As a nation, we are losing quite a substantial amount of money," Madembo said. "We are now working with Powertel to install a transformer anti-vandalism system that sends a signal when someone attempts to steal, allowing for rapid response."
Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe previously called for the removal of fines as an alternative punishment, proposing mandatory jail sentences of up to 30 years for offenders.
Transformers continue to be targeted for copper windings, oil, and metal components, while some restaurants have reportedly used stolen transformer oil for frying food due to its high burn point. Transmission pylons have also been pushed over and stripped, with recovered parts often found on scotch carts.
With demand rising and vandalism draining resources, Zent says only a massive capital injection - coupled with strong legislation - can stabilise Zimbabwe's electricity distribution network.
Source - The Standard
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