Bulawayo fights to reclaim power station
Saturday, 15 September 2012 13:44
BULAWAYO – Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has intensified efforts to regain
control of the city’s thermal power station.
The Bulawayo power plant was arbitrarily expropriated by the Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) more than two decades ago after the
amalgamation of all the Local Authority Electricity Undertakings.
Amen Mpofu, Bulawayo deputy mayor, told residents who had questioned him why
the BCC was not taking over the power station so as to improve the power
supply situation in the city while also generating essential revenue from it
that council was “seriously looking” into the issue to ensure Zesa “renders
Caesar what belongs to Caesar”.
“The delay in taking over power station is political, but let me assure you
that we are fighting hard to make sure that the power station is brought
back to city council management,” said Mpofu said during budget breakfast
consultative meeting in the city.
“As a city we want our power station which was arbitrarily expropriated from
us back. It may take a little of time to get it back but I am sure we are
going to win that battle as we are seriously looking at the issue,” the
deputy mayor said.
According to the latest council minutes, the local authority has also
ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the take over of
the power station.
BCC also wants to know why Zesa had stopped paying annual royalties to the
council and why it did not compensate council for the takeover of the power
utility.
“The financial director explained that Zesa did not compensate council for
the takeover of Bulawayo power station, but records show that at one point
council was receiving royalties from Zesa. Zesa had unilaterally
discontinued this, the matter is now being investigated,” reads part of the
minutes.
BCC has also accused Zesa of failing to manage and maintain the station,
which often breaks down and fails to provide power to industry.
Early this year, Zesa disconnected electricity at Tower Block and the city
council over a $20 million plus debt.
The power cut incensed council and ratepayers alike, prompting the
reclamation measures.
Mpofu said the issue of reclaiming power stations from Zesa by local
authorities was not peculiar to Bulawayo.