The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) wants electricity to increase from the current 9,83c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 14,6c per kWh even after the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) declined the power utility’s application last year.
Zesa’s board chair Dr Herbert Murerwa, told The Sunday Mail Business that the current tariff is unsustainable and that industry’s request to have it slashed to 8c per kWh is not reasonable. Said Murerwa:
Zesa needs a cost-reflective tariff (not the current one) so that it can cover its costs of operations and sustainability. And also, Zesa has a dire need to undertake maintenance and repairs to its equipment and to invest in general. We can’t reduce electricity to such levels (8c/kWh) as Zesa has no capacity to subsidise consumers be it heavy or light consumers. We have no money for subsidies, so consumers should look for alternatives to fund their electricity consumption.
More: Sunday Mail