Concern over ZESA debts overshadows prepaid meter rollout
By Alex Bell
29 August 2012
Disgruntled customers of Zimbabwe’s power utility have said they are
concerned that their outstanding debts, based on years of inaccurate power
bills, will still be owed as the company rolls out prepaid meters.
The prepaid meter exercise was officially launched at Machipisa shopping
centre in Harare on Tuesday and the country’s power supply authority, ZESA,
plans to install 600,000 meters countrywide. This will form part of phase
one of the operation, which will ultimately help the parastatal dispose of
its current billing system.
ZESA has earned the ire of most of its consumers by issuing bills based on
estimates, insisting it never had the money to send out meter readers. Their
system has proved unreliable, and many people have been billed for far more
than they use.
This has not stopped ZESA from disconnecting its users who have not paid
their bills, with the only exceptions being top government officials. This
includes the Mugabe family, whose outstanding bill at the end of last year
was reportedly more than US$300, 000.
Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma has now tried to
reassure ZESA customers that they will not be switched off. But he said
their debt will be incorporated under the pre-paid meter scheme.
“All those who were disconnected for non-payment can now be connected to
prepaid meters without making a down-payment for the reconnection fee, while
20% of the money used to buy electricity will be applied towards the
reduction of the debt until it is fully paid,” Mangoma said at Tuesday’s
launch of the pre-paid meters.
Precious Shumba, the Director of the Harare Resident’s Trust, said the long
term benefits of pre-paid meters will be welcome to the public. But he said
ZESA has in no way taken into account the “unreasonable and unjustified
debts based on their previous bills.”
“People are being asked to pay off huge debts accrued using unjustified
billing systems. ZESA should recalculate the outstanding bills based on
actual usage once the meters have been installed,” Shumba said.
SW Radio Africa was unable to contact Minister Mangoma or ZESA for comment.