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Michell Zvanyanya, Chronicle Reporter 

ZESA Holdings will soon embark on nationwide power disconnections to recover more than $1 billion from defaulting customers. 

In a statement, Zesa Public Relations Manager Mr Fullard Gwasira said the revenue collection effort seeks to enhance service delivery from the power utility. 

“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise all defaulting customers who are on the post-paid system to settle their electricity bills without any further delay to avoid the inconvenience associated with power being disconnected,” he said. 

“In the interest of quality service provision, ZETDC is implementing its full complement of credit control measures to defaulters who did not make an effort to clear their debts, or engage the power utility for payment plans.” 

Mr Gwasira said some commercial and domestic consumers were neglecting to pay electricity bills. 

“The exercise will focus primarily on the following customer categories: commercial (hotels, supermarkets, bakeries, shops, restaurants and others), mining, agriculture and domestic (post-paid),” he said. 

Mr Gwasira commended the customers who have been paying their bills. 

“ZETDC would like to thank those customers who have been paying their bills timeously, and also those who have been honouring their payment plans, for their valued contribution is keeping the lights on. We urge those customers who are not paying to follow suit,” he said. 

“The revenue being realised from paying your bill is being utilised to pay for electricity imports, coal for local generation, and buy spares for network maintenance, as well as other critical inputs for security of electricity supply.” 

Recently Zesa embarked on a nationwide blitz on defaulters by blacklisting them so that they cannot open new accounts using different addresses.

Mr Gwasira said the exercise sought to help the power utility recover its debt through disconnections, litigation and blocking defaulters from “taking their bad practice elsewhere”.

He encouraged consumers to settle their bills for Zesa to be in a position to efficiently provide service by ensuring infrastructure maintenance and procurement of adequate inputs such as coal for electricity generation. — @michellzvanyanyan2