New farmers owe ZETDC $80m
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution Company Northern Region is owed over
$80 million in unpaid tariffs by new farmers who were resettled under the
controversial land grab.
15.06.1102:41pm 0 0
Lovejoy Sakala Harare
“The farmers can’t pay up their bills in time and this is affecting our
operations. They just tell us that they don’t have money but they expect a
standard service from us,” said Commercial Manager Kripson Mutyambizi.
“This is contributing to massive load shedding since the operational costs
of running Kariba and Hwange power stations comes from consumption charges.
We want them to pay up so that we can improve our service,” he added.
The company has forged an alliance with the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers
Union to assist in collecting revenue from defiant farmers.
“The deal is that those who want to get assistance from the union must first
settle their electricity bills. You cannot do proper farming without
electricity, because you need to irrigate your crops,” said Mutyambizi.
Farmers interviewed said they cannot pay because they were not receiving
adequate support from the Government. They said they need massive capital to
buy equipment and inputs so that they embark into meaningful commercial
farming.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said people who took over farms should take
farming as a serious business, which should boost the struggling economy.
The minister said he was against Zanu (PF)’s idea of parcelling out free
inputs to farmers every farming season saying such system had promoted a
culture of laziness and dependence.