(HERALD ZW) No plans to unbundle Zesa: Mavhaire
October 25, 2013
Herald Reporter
Government has no intention to dismantle Zesa and place the power utility in private hands as envisaged by the Electricity Amendment Act passed by Parliament during the subsistence of the inclusive Government this year, a Cabinet Minister has said. The Act has since been declared a legal nullity.
Energy and Power Development Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire said contrary to the Electricity Amendment Act, that sought to unbundle Zesa, his ministry would not allow that to happen as that was not consistent with Government policy and the Zanu-PF manifesto.
“The position is that I have no intention of dismantling Zesa,” said Minister Mavhaire last night.
“There is no way I can put Zesa in private hands.
“The only set up where we will allow private players is under the arrangement of Independent Power Producers that we have licensed.”
Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma has since written to the Registrar of the High Court and the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet demanding the return of Electricity Amendment Act 2013, which sought to unbundle Zesa Holdings into an indeterminate number of privately-owned successor companies.
The planned unbundling and privatisation — which was reportedly being orchestrated by some officials at the Energy and Power Development Ministry in cahoots with former minister Mr Elton Mangoma — would have effectively put the critical power sector into the hands of unknown Western investors picked at Mr Mangoma’s discretion.
Minister Mavhaire last night, described the Act as “null and void.”
He said if firms would be formed under the unbundling of Zesa, Government would have 100 percent stake.
Sources close to developments say everything was being done without the knowledge of Minister Mavhaire, amid reports that officers at Zesa were already working on logos for the new companies, again without the knowledge of the minister.
The Amendment Act was hurried through Parliament by MDC-T legislators, who took advantage of the fact that their Zanu-PF counterparts were holed in their constituencies for the party’s primary elections.
The Bill was passed before being sent for Presidential assent, which was, however, granted after the mandatory 21 days had lapsed, making the resultant Act a legal nullity.
Section 51 of the old Constitution, which was still operational ahead of the effective date of the new Constitution, stated that:
1) Subject to the provisions of section 52 and Schedule 4, the power of Parliament to make laws shall be exercised by Bills passed by the House of Assembly and the Senate and assented to by the President.
(2) When a Bill is presented to the President for assent he shall, subject to the provisions of this section, within twenty-one, days, either assent or withhold his assent.
The Electricity Amendment (No.5 of 2013) Act sought to repeal Section 68 of the Electricity Act (Chapter 13:19) which was to be replaced with a new Section 68 Formation of Successor Companies which stipulates that:
(1) The Minister shall, not later than six months after the fixed date, take such steps as are necessary under the Companies Act (Chapter 24:03) to secure the formation of one or more of the following companies limited by shares, which shall be the successor company or successor companies to the Authority –
(a) a company to take over the electricity generation plants of the Authority;
(b) a company to take over the transmission system of the Authority;
(c) a company to take over from the Authority the distribution and supply of electricity;
(d) such other companies as the Minister may approve.
The proviso, “such other companies as the Minister may approve’’ was a clear blank cheque to Mr Mangoma and crew to do what they wanted with a key state enterprise.
Apart from the personal profit motive, sources say there was also a clear political motive to destroy Zesa or put it beyond the influence of Government which would then have been at the mercy of the private investors linked to the MDC-T.
This would have left the succeeding Zanu-PF Government at the mercy of the investors who would have used power for political leverage as power has been identified as a key enabler of Government’s new economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).
In pursuit of unconstitutional regime change, MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is on record asking South Africa to cut off Zimbabwe’s fuel and power supply.
Labels: DZIKAMAI MAVHAIRE, ELTON MANGOMA, ENERGY, MDC, MDC CORRUPTION, NEOLIBERALISM, PRIVATISATION, ZESA
Read more...
(NEWZIMBABWE) Mangoma furious at ZESA sell-off allegations
26/10/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
FORMER energy minister Elton Mangoma has threatened to sue a state-run newspaper after it accused him of trying to sell-off the power utility ZESA to western investors linked to his MDC-T party.
Mangoma’s lawyers, this week, demanded that the Herald retract its report and issue an unreserved apology or face a claim for defamation at the High Court.
The newspaper accused the MDC-T treasury chief of trying to unbundle and privatise Zesa which has perennially failed to meet the country’s electricity requirements.
“Apart from the personal profit motive, sources say there was also a clear political motive to destroy Zesa or put it beyond the influence of Government which would then have been at the mercy of the private investors linked to the MDC-T, ” read party of the report which has infuriated the senior MDC-T official.
Mangoma however said the report was full of “sensational, untrue and highly defamatory comments”.
“These comments seem designed to damage the reputation of our client in the public eye and create public opprobrium towards said client,” said the former minister through his lawyers, Mupanga Bhatasara Attorneys.
“The story gives an impression of a clumsy hatchet job on the character of an outstanding public servant who is on record for having solved the perennial fuel crisis and had gone on to work tirelessly day and night (emphasis deliberate) to lessen the electricity shortages,? the letter reads.”
New energy minister Dzikamai Mavhaire has since ruled out privatisation of the power utility.
“The position is that I have no intention of dismantling Zesa. There is no way I can put Zesa in private hands,” Mavhaire told the Herald.
“The only set up where we will allow private players is under the arrangement of Independent Power Producers that we have licensed.”
Unable to produce enough power to meet the country’s needs or raise the cash needed to plug the generation gap through imports, ZESA has resorted to rationing supplies to both domestic and commercial users for years.
Productive sectors such as mining and industry blame say power supply problems have undermined efforts to operate at optimal capacity, adversely impact efforts to ensure sustained economic recovery.
Labels: DZIKAMAI MAVHAIRE, ELTON MANGOMA, ENERGY, MDC, MDC CORRUPTION, NEOLIBERALISM, PRIVATISATION, ZESA
Read more...
(NEWZIMBABWE) ZESA denies sabotage allegations
16/08/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
ZESA has rejected claims that an upscale in power supply interruptions in recent days was part of a bid by the company to sabotage the economy following President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party’s victory in last month’s elections.
Users have accused the company of deliberately increasing load-shedding after the elections in what is seen as an attempt by management to demonstrate the adverse impact of an order by Zanu PF to cancel all outstanding bills.
ZESA says customers owe up to US$450 million in unpaid bills and management blames the debt for the utility’s problems in paying regional suppliers.
But the company has rejected allegations it was sabotaging the country’s economy.
“ZESA is concerned with the extremely sad and unfortunate reports in the media suggesting that the current load shedding regime deliberately being undertaken to sabotage the economy. The perception is sadly not correct,” the utility said in a statement Friday.
Zimbabwe does not generate enough power to meet its needs and ZESA has, for years, rationed supplies to both domestic and commercial users as efforts to import additional power from regional counterparts were undermined by the utility’s financial problems.
Power supplies improved markedly in the lead-up to the July 31 elections but load-shedding suddenly increased after the vote with parts of Harare subjected to 24 hour cuts and similar developments reported in other urban centres such as Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo, Chinhoyi and Chitungwiza.
But ZESA said regional counterparts had only agreed to improve supplies to help facilitate the smooth running of the elections adding that some of the companies had even deferred their maintenance programmes to ensure Zimbabwe had adequate power for the polls.
“To ensure the smooth running of elections, ZESA Holdings requested and received additional electricity support from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and some of these utilities had to defer their own maintenance in order to accommodate our position,” management said.
“This support however cannot be sustained in the long term due to power shortage in their own countries. This support enabled the power utility to effect very minimal load shedding during the election period. Complementing this was an improved performance at Hwange Power Station.
“After the elections, imports were reduced because sister utilities needed to undertake maintenance that had been deferred. The situation is being further compounded by depressed reduced imports (sic) due to plant maintenance from Hydro Cahorra Bassa.
“Maintenance at HCB is scheduled to be completed today, Thursday, 15th August, 2013, after which supplies are expected to improve if the exercise is completed as scheduled.
Energy minister Elton Mangoma of the MDC-T last year ordered ZESA to disconnect non-paying customers saying the country could not invest in improving its generation capacity if customers fail to pay for supplies.
“This culture of non-payment of bills will not be allowed to continue,” he said.
“There is a need for electricity consumers to pay for what they have consumed so that ZESA has capacity to increase electricity availability to all consumers.”
However, ahead of last month’s elections, and in a decision welcomed by users, local government minister Ignatius Chombo ordered a cancelation of municipal debts as well as outstanding ZESA bills.
Customers claimed the decision had infuriated ZESA management who were said to have reacted by increasing load-shedding in a bid to demonstrate the adverse effects of Chombo’s order.
Still, ZESA insisted said there was no link between the elections and the country’s power supply problems adding the problems had also been worsened by the breakdown of key units at Hwange power station.
“Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) lost four units over the past two weeks at different times, which reduced output from 700MW to 200MW,” the company said.
“Four units have since been restored to service generating a combined 530MW at Hwange, instead of 700MW. Generation is however still fragile at Hwange Power Station.
“These facts, for which there is documentary evidence, clearly show that there is therefore no causal link between the power supply situation and the harmonised elections.
“We wish to remind our customers that the country has been experiencing power supply deficit of about 400MW at any given period since 2007, due to obsolete equipment which is not able to generate optimally for a sustainable period.
“This position will prevail until ZESA, or some independent power producer, introduces additional capacity through a new power station.”
Labels: SABOTAGE, ZESA
Read more...
ZESA starts US$70m Zambia debt payments
19/02/2013 00:00:00
by Business Reporter
ZESA said Tuesday it had started paying a $70 million debt to Zambia, a necessary step before the two nations can embark on a joint 1,600 megawatt hydroelectric plant, which could help relieve a power shortage.
The two countries have started preliminary work on the Batoka power project, estimated to cost $2.5 billion, and expected to be built and operated by a private company for a period of years before transferring ownership to the two states.
ZESA Chief Executive Elijah Chifamba told a parliamentary committee hearing the utility had started making payments to Zambia to clear the debt incurred when Zimbabwe sold off assets of a disbanded power firm jointly owned by the two countries to run hydroelectric plants at the Kariba dam.
Chifamba said Zimbabwe will have paid $40 million to the Zambians by the end of March.
“Zesa has paid US$20 million after the creation of a sinking fund with a local bank and should have paid an additional US$20 million by the end of March this year,” he said.
“The amount should be cleared by the end of March next year with work on the project expected to begin within 18 months as expressions of interest had been advertised.
"Zambians needed to see first that we were committed to settling that debt and to demonstrate that we are bona fide partners before they could actually enter into the Batoka project. Because we have done so, that has unlocked the project."
Batoka is situated 50kms downstream of Victoria Falls and with the two countries expecting to get 800 MW each from the project.
Zambia had refused to partner Zimbabwe until the Federation-era debt was cleared. The debt also includes proceeds of the sale of assets belonging to former Central African Power Corporation (CAPCO) which ran the Kariba project but was disbanded in 1987.
Zimbabwe, which currently generates just over 1,000 MW of power or about half of peak demand, has struggled to get funding for new projects to expand capacity, largely due to concerns about the handling of the country’s economy. The resulting power shortage has paralysed mines and industries.
Chifamba said ZESA, which is owed $740 million by non-paying customers, was struggling to raise long-term finance to fund its projects. The company has, however, cleared $100 million in debt for importing power owed to Mozambique's Hydro Cahorra Bassa.
The utility signed a $400 million deal with Chinese hydropower engineering firm Sinohydro in December to expand its Kariba hydroelectric plant by 300 megawatts.
Zimbabwe is in discussions with Export-Import Bank of China over funding the expansion.
The country has licensed several independent power producers, but analysts say it is unlikely to attract significant foreign investment due to Mugabe's drive to force foreign firms, including mines and banks, to turn over 51 percent ownership stakes to locals under a black economic empowerment law.
Labels: ELIJAH CHIFAMBA, ENERGY, HYDRO POWER, ZESA
Read more...
Mozambique to boost power supplies: ZESA
14/10/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
ZESA has reduced its debt with Mozambique’s Hydro Cahora Bassa from US$76 million to just under US$3 million over the last six months with officials saying this would help improve power supplies across the country.
Zimbabwe needs about 2,200 megawatts of electricity at peak consumption but ZESA generates just below 1,300 megawatts and plugs the gap with imports from the regional suppliers.
The utility has been forced to ration power to both domestic and commercial users after supplies from the region were cut over mounting debts.
However, ZESA spokesman, Fullard Gwasira said reduction the Hydro Cahora Bassa debt to about US$2.7 million would see the company boosting supplies. ZESA expects to pay up the debt by year end.
“Load-shedding is going to be significantly reduced as Cahora Bassa have increased their supply to us as we have almost cleared the debt we owe them,” he said.
“The challenge we have is that we are splitting our resources between two equally important areas.
“First we have to pay for the electricity we are importing on a daily basis while secondly some money also has to be channelled towards clearing the debt.
“It’s a matter of tackling two issues at the same time, but we are confident that we would have cleared the debt by the end of the year.”
ZESA’s financial troubles have also been worsened by customers failing to pay their bills. The utility says it is owed about US$500 million.
“With the introduction of pre-paid meters, the era of a consumers using electricity and then failing to honour their bills will be a thing of the past,” Gwasira said.
Energy Minister, Elton Mangoma, has also revealed that several new projects are also planned to help boost the country’s power generation capacity.
Early this year, Mangoma said a French consortium had been granted a licence to build a 2,000 MW thermal power plant in an investment worth about US$3 billion.
The power station will be situated at Binga’s Lusulu coal fields which are said to have an estimated 1,2 billion tonnes of coal reserves.
And last month, Chinese firm Guangdong Bureau of Coal Geology also announced plans to invest $3.5 billion to build a 1,200 megawatt thermal power plant.
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, ENERGY, MOZAMBIQUE, ZESA
Read more...
Mangoma orders mass ZESA disconnections
22/02/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THOUSANDS of homes face electricity disconnections as the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) moves to recover unpaid bills of over US$450 million, the Energy Minister warned on Wednesday.
Elton Mangoma said he wanted to “thank and applaud” those who paid their bills on time, but added that he was “disheartened to note that there are still customers who have not paid at all since the advent of dollarisation in 2009”.
He told a news conference: “This culture of non-payment of bills will not be allowed to continue.
“There is a need for electricity consumers to pay for what they have consumed so that ZESA has capacity to increase electricity availability to all consumers.”
Zimbabweans have become accustomed to power outages over the last decade as the state-owned power utility struggles to meet demand, made worse by collapsing power generation infrastructure and massive debts to foreign suppliers.
Mozambican power supplier Hydro Cahora Basa last week threatened to cut supplies to Zimbabwe over an US$80 million debt, down from about US$100 million at the end of last year.
Mangoma said ZESA aimed to make a further US$40 million payment “in the near future”, while urgently seeking to implement plans to draw power from the Batoka Gorge on the Zambezi – a joint project between the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Batoka Gorge will produce 1,600 to 2,000 MW of power - 50 percent of which will be for Zimbabwe.
But Mangoma insists that ZESA could boost current supply through more rigorous maintenance, increased imports and installation of new capacity if defaulting customers settled their bills.
He said: “Payment of bills is very important as we take measures to build new power stations. We cannot raise funds to build new power stations when the current of non-payment prevails.
“ZESA has availed to customers a facility to propose workable (payment) plans, and regrettably some customers have chosen either to ignore this or not to honour their payment plans, leaving ZESA with no option except to withdraw supplies.
“All customers currently in arrears run the risk of disconnections."
The Energy Minister said defaulters would be given a notice of five days. To avoid disconnection, or to be reconnected where power supply has been suspended, defaulters would be required to pay a minimum of 25 percent of the total bill, with the balance to be paid off “in an approved payment plan with ZESA for a period not exceeding six months”.
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, ENERGY, ZESA
Read more...
Electricity tariffs up 31 percent
25/08/2011 00:00:00
by Business ReporterI Reuters
THE country’s electricity regulator has ordered a 31 percent tariff increase, in a move it said was meant to ensure the state-owned power utility ZESA's profitability, the authority said on Thursday.
The increase would see the average tariff going up to 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), from the current 7.5 cents, with effect from September 1, the Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Commission (ZERC) said in a statement. ZESA, the country's sole power supplier, has often blamed low tariffs as one of the reasons behind erratic electricity supplies.
The country currently generates less than 1,000 megawatts against demand of more than 2,000 megawatts, a situation that has held back the recovery of the key mining and manufacturing sectors.
Efforts to compliment local power generation with imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Zambia are often undermined by the lack of funding with ZESA understood to owe regional suppliers more than US$100 million.
ZESA has been forced to ration supplies between commercial and domestic users with industry bodies blaming unreliable supplies for undermining productivity and holding back the country’s economic recovery.
"We used to cry about the policy environment. But certainly the power issue in my view is the most critical issue of our time - we need to deal with it," Joseph Kanyekanye, president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries said recently.
The country’s power stations were built in the 1950s and designed for a smaller population, with little capacity added since independence in 1980.
ZESA recently announced it was in the looking for international investors to back a planned US$1.3 billion expansion of the country’s three major power plants which is expected to boost local generating capacity by at least 900 megawatts.
Labels: ENERGY, JOSEPH KANYEKANYE, NEOLIBERALISM, TARIFFS, ZESA
Read more...
Police quiz 23 over Mujuru death
Posted by By Our reporter at 23 August, at 01 : 27 AM Print
ZIMBABWE Republic Police have so far quizzed 23 people in connection with the death of Retired General Solomon Mujuru (66). The number includes three policemen. Gen Mujuru was burnt to death in his house last Tuesday at Alamein Farm and was buried at the National Heroes Acre on Saturday.
Sources close to the investigations yesterday revealed to The Herald newspaper that police were working “tirelessly” to investigate the case and were still compiling reports. However, the police are yet to announce the findings of the cause of the fire.
Several people including those at places where Gen Mujuru passed through on his way to his farm in Beatrice before the incident occurred, have been interviewed.
The three cops interviewed were those guarding Gen Mujuru’s farm on the day the fire broke out.
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday confirmed that investigations were in progress.
“We have recorded statements from various individuals who could be witnesses and the police officers are among those,” he said.
Bvudzijena said he was not in a position to divulge the number of witnesses they had interviewed so far.
“I can’t give you the total number (of witnesses), maybe at the appropriate time. We are also still compiling the reports,” he said.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire could have been caused by a candle left burning in the house.
Joint investigations by security and other organisations including the force’s forensic unit and Zesa Holdings began last week.
The Zanu-PF Politburo member was alone at his farm, 60km south of Harare when tragedy struck.
His maid, who stays in separate quarters away from the main house, was among the first people to be alerted of the fire.
The farmhouse was extensively damaged. Nothing was recovered save for sofas and few other items. Police rushed to the farm and on arrival found the house engulfed by the infer- no. Police looked for Gen Mujuru in the house but to no avail. His remains were later discovered in one of the lounges burnt beyond recognition.
The Herald/TZG
Labels: JOICE MUJURU, WAYNE BVUDZIJENA, ZESA, ZRP
Read more...
Mujuru death: Police launch full-scale probe
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 02:00
Herald Reporters
POLICE have launched full-scale investigations into the cause of the fire that killed former Zimbabwe National Army Commander Retired General Solomon Mujuru (66) yesterday morning. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire could have been caused by a candle left burning in the house.
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday said joint investigations by security and other organisations including the force's forensic unit and Zesa Holdings were underway.
"So far, initial investigations reveal that the fire could have been caused by a candle lit by a domestic servant when lights went out. That position is not conclusive as we are still carrying out more investigations," he said.
The Zanu-PF Politburo member was alone at his Alamein Farmhouse, 60km south of Harare when tragedy struck.
His maid, who stays in separate quarters away from the main house, was among the first people to be alerted of the fire.
The 18-roomed house was extensively damaged.
Nothing was recovered save for sofas and few other items.
The maid said she was alerted by her brother who lives in the area whereupon she informed other workers and later phoned Beatrice Police at around 3am.
Police rushed to the farm and on arrival found the house engulfed by the inferno.
Police looked for Gen Mujuru in the house, but to no avail.
His remains were later discovered in one of the lounges burnt beyond recognition.
Police and pathologists removed the remains at around 11am.
Patrons at Beatrice Motel, where Gen Mujuru was last seen having drinks on Monday, said he left the motel at 7:30pm saying he was going to prepare for a journey to Beitbridge on the morrow.
His farm is approximately a 20-minute drive from the motel.
The farm has two entry points, which are guarded by the Zimbabwe Republic Police and a private security firm.
The house is partially obscured by tobacco barns from the two guardrooms.
The guards reportedly only realised there was fire after hearing noise from the collapsing roof.
There was no power in the Beatrice on Monday from 7pm to 9pm.
Police from the CID and forensic units and Zesa Holdings officials had last night cordoned off the farmhouse for further investigations.
The death of Cde Mujuru proved a big test for the Harare Fire Brigade amid reports that the city dispatched fire tenders that did not have water.
Sources in the fire department, however, pointed out that even if the fire tenders had carried water from Harare, it would not have been enough to extinguish the inferno.
They said water sourced from a nearby dam was used to save part of the house.
Late yesterday afternoon, town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi said he was not aware of the reports, adding he was still to receive a briefing on the fire.
A sombre atmosphere engulfed the farm yesterday as workers and relatives battled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Senior Government officials, including his widow Vice President Joice Mujuru and other family members, rushed to the farm in the morning when alerted of the incident.
Among those who visited the farm in the morning were Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu, Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda, Commissioner of Prisons Retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi, Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation Retired Major-General Happyton Bonyongwe, Zanu-PF national spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo and Zanu-PF Mashonaland East provincial chairman Cde Ray Kaukonde.
Cde Sekeremayi described the death of Gen Mujuru as a sad loss to the nation.
"It is hard to believe he is no more. We came here early in the morning and I initially thought he was badly burnt, only to see charred remains on arrival. One of Zimbabwe's greatest sons is no more."
Cde Kaukonde said: "It's a tragedy for us in the province. We have lost our man and a pillar in the province. He tried to guide us a lot."
Cde Shamu said Cde Mujuru was a military strategist and commander par excellence.
"Cde Rex Nhongo's name was synonymous with the liberation struggle. This is a tragedy, which is difficult to fathom. His name is synonymous with the history of the whole liberation struggle. We have lost a military commander and a strategist par excellence.
"He was a very brave fighter and illustrious son of the soil."
Cde Gumbo said: "We have lost a resolute, gallant and committed cadre who contributed innocuously to the liberation struggle and to the economy of Zimbabwe. He was a farmer and businessman.
"This loss is not only to the Mujuru family, but also to the party and nation as a whole. We will miss his contribution in the Politburo."
Labels: JOICE MUJURU, WAYNE BVUDZIJENA, ZESA
Read more...
Load-shedding to continue — Zesa
Saturday, 21 May 2011 22:45 Top Stories
Sunday Mail Reporter
POWER outages will continue countrywide as the power stations in Hwange and Kariba are not able to meet the demand for electricity, an official has said.
Zesa Holdings spokesperson Mr Fullard Gwasira said power generation was so low at Hwange Thermal Power Station that it was failing to complement Kariba. This means that even though care and maintenance work was successfully carried out at Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station, the electricity situation would remain dire.
Mr Gwasira said the situation was worsened by the fact that the power utility was prioritising wheat farmers, who were consuming a lot of power.
“We are unable to import power from the region as there is very little in terms of power in the Sadc region,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Mr Justin Mupamhanga, said the Government had no alternative to load-shedding.
He said they would continue to rehabilitate power stations to maintain generation capacity.
“Apart from the rehabilitation and processes of expansion of the power stations, the truth about the situation is that there is no excess power,” said Mr Mupamhanga.
“We cannot import power from the region and remember, we are many in the region and the demand is high.”
Despite the power outages Zesa has come under fire from consumers over “inflated bills”.
But Mr Gwasira said they were no longer experiencing challenges with bills.
“What appears on the bill is what one would have consumed. There are some customers who think their bills are not correct, but they are correct. If anyone has a problem with the bills they should approach our offices,” he said.
Meanwhile, Harare Residents’ Trust Co-ordinator Mr Precious Shumba said there was widespread concern among consumers over Zesa’s failure to communicate with them pertaining to the load-shedding schedules.
“As the Harare Residents’ Trust, we have received serious concerns from residents as Zesa is failing to communicate with the people on load-shedding schedules,” he said.-The Sunday MAil
Labels: ENERGY, KARIBA DAM, ZESA
Read more...
Zesa Holdings milking consumers
F. Foto
EDITOR — I would like to bring to the attention of the public the glaring anomalies in the way Zesa Holdings is billing us. The statements that the power utility is sending to residents actually border on dishonesty, if not criminality.
I am a resident of Chitungwiza and was shocked by the statement I received this month, just like most of my neighbours I have talked to over this issue. The statement indicates that Zesa was billing me for the period from June 8 to July 21 and that I should pay US$258.
Just how on earth can an average family of five using basic gadgets like a television set, radio, fridge and two-plate stove, in addition to lights that are used only when there are no power cuts consume so much electricity?
In addition, the statement’s meter reading is that for October and I have been paying US$30 every month since February.
Why then does the July statement reflect an October reading?
This leaves me with the suspicion that the bill they sent to me is for all these months, even though I have been making payments based on estimates. When I went to enquire, I was rudely told to pay up or risk having my house disconnected. Just like that!
However, I am not going to pay anything until I get a satisfactory answer. It seems these Zesa officials are simply trying to milk us using unethical, illegal and coercive methods.
F. Foto.
Unit J, Chitungwiza.
Labels: ZESA
Read more...
Zesa EXPORTS power to Namibia
by Lebo Nkatazo
29/09/2009 00:00:00
The cash-strapped Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) received a US$40 million loan in 2007 from Namibia’s Nampower for the refurbishment of Hwange thermal plant which was to be paid back through a power supply agreement.
It has emerged ZESA exports 150 megawatts monthly to Nampower, but the Namibians said this week they want more.
NamPower’s Managing Director, Paulinus Shilamba, confirmed they are close to finalising the power supply agreement with ZESA to feed Namibia with an additional 50 MW, bringing the total power imported from Zimbabwe to 200 MW.
Zimbabwe generates about half of its electricity and also imports power from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique, but that still is way short of the national demand.
ZESA has also struggled to pay for imports, with the state-run utility saying it is owed US$200 million mainly by residential customers.
Zimbabwe’s power needs are expected to increase as the economy improves following the formation of a unity government earlier this year.
Messages left for ZESA CEO Ben Rafemoyo were not immediately returned on Monday.
Meanwhile, the government has come under pressure to open up the energy sector for independent power producers' investment.
World Bank country economist Rogers Dhliwayo recently told an energy conference that Zimbabwe needs to guarantee a return on investment in the sector.
"It is imperative that power is properly priced to ensure sustainable private sector participation, and a situation where politicians intervene in revenue collection is not conducive," said Dhliwayo.
Labels: ENERGY, NAMIBIA, ZESA, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Zesa should load-shed fairly
EDITOR — I am a resident of Canaan in Highfield and this is my plea to Zesa Holdings. We all understand the need and necessity of load-shedding and accept it. My plea to you is, please try your best to ensure that load-shedding is distributed evenly. If Highfield is to be without power, then the whole of Highfield should be without power.
It is quite frustrating and disheartening to lose power and then look out through the window across the street and see the lights on at my neighbour’s house.
Please Zesa, I beg you to come up with a timetable that is fair to everyone.
If it is impossible to load-shed the whole area at the same time, then let us rotate days instead of one section being on the receiving end everyday of the week.
Regis Sibanda.
Highfield,
Harare.
Labels: LOAD SHEDDING, ZESA
Read more...
