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Responding to written questions, Zesa spokesperson, Mr Fullard Gwasira said the power utility is owed more than $500 million by defaulting customers, a situation he said was posing operating challenges.
Mr Gwasira said the massive power disconnections would target those customers who have not made an effort to settle their bills or made payment plans with the service provider.
“Zesa is not just discontinuing service but is targeting customers who have not been making efforts to settle their bills or have not engaged the power utility for payment plans despite calls for them to do so,” said Mr Gwasira.
He said the exercise was a routine credit control measure.
“We routinely embark on an exercise to withdraw electricity supplies to defaulting customers as a credit control measure to encourage them to settle their bills. Discontinuing supplies is an exercise that is not unique to Zesa but is a measure that is used to recover revenue that is locked up with customers after services have been rendered,” said Mr Gwasira.
He said legal action might be employed against those who owe large amounts of money.
He said Zesa was generating an average of 1 300 megawatts against peak demand of 2 200, leaving a deficit of 900 megawatts.
“Disconnection of supplies to defaulting customers is one of the primary measures that have been put in place to recover the revenue that is locked up with customers.
“Zesa is owed more than $500 million by defaulting customers and in extreme cases where a customer has not been heeding the call to settle bills and where large amounts of money are involved, legal channels are pursued as well,” Mr Gwasira said.
He said Zesa was finding it difficult to provide efficient service because of its limited revenue base.
“Generally, the failure by some customers to settle their bills is resulting is worsening load shedding as the power utility faces challenges in providing adequate electricity to consumers. The situation is posing challenges to procure spares for network maintenance, payment for imports to augment local generation and payment for coal for thermal power stations culminating in a supply and demand mismatch.
“Zesa has intensified revenue collection measures and it is anticipated that the revenue base would improve. The disconnection exercise will not spare any defaulting customer and the stringent revenue collection measures will improve the financial position of the power utility and subsequently improve the service delivery,” he said.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy was this week told that some Zesa clients owed as much as $100 000.
Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma told the committee that some Government ministers and senior civil servants were refusing to settle their electricity bills and warned that Zesa will be left with no option but to disconnect power supplies to these senior government officials.
The committee questioned the logic in disconnecting ordinary citizens who owe little money and can genuinely not afford leaving the influential people.
Early this month, the power utility applied for permission to increase tariffs for its ring-fenced consumers to meet some of its demands.
Meanwhile, Zesa Holdings recently embarked on a pilot project to install pre-payment meters at strategic places as it gears up for a massive installation of pre-payment meters countrywide estimated to cost millions of dollars.
About 600 000 pre-payment meters are targeted for a start.
Mr Gwasira said they were still waiting for the State Procurement Board to finalise on the supplier for the meters.
He said the supplier would take the responsibility to install the meters to ensure a speedy implementation of the programme.
“The plan is to have the meters installed over a period of 18 months,” said Mr Gwasira.