HARARE - The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is struggling to recover debts to rehabilitate power generation in the country, according to Minister of Energy and Power Development Elton Mangoma.
In an interview with The Zimbabwean, Mangoma said: ZESA is owed about US$400 million from consumers who have failed to settle their bills. By any standards this is a lot of money. It is critical for ZESA [to recover this money] towards the rehabilitation of the power supply. Many electricity consumers have complained about the estimated bills sent to them by the power utility company.
We are arguing that the amounts do not match the actual usage of electricity. Some consumers are receiving astronomical bills and it becomes very difficult for us to pay in this world where United States dollars are elusive, said Hebert Muusha.
Business people have also raised the same complaints. Mangoma maintained that the amount ZESA was owed was critical for investment.
We need that money to invest in power generation and maintenance. There are a lot of people not paying the bills and this cuts across to industries and the farming community. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has pledged to urge its members to pay up, said Mangoma. On the problem of estimates, the minister said Zesa was making strides in introducing a prepaid metering system.
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