Ministry says ZESA fails to operate due to forex and vehicle shortages

The Ministry of Energy and Power Development claims the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is failing to attend to electrical faults around the country due to a lack of transport and foreign currency to buy poles.

This comes after Warren Park legislator Shakespeare Hamauswa asked the line ministry why ZESA was failing to attend to electrical faults in his constituency.

Hamauswa’s constituency covers the National Sports Stadium, the Heroes Acre and the Museum of African Liberators.

“My supplementary question is that I gave a specific question to Warren Park Constituency – from the response by the Minister, I did not hear the Minister speaking specifically about Warren Park Constituency where we are having residents going for even two weeks being affected by faults,” he asked.

“I did not hear the Minister speaking specifically about the area that I have asked and also what the plans are to capacitate the utility to deal with those faults. May the Minister kindly explain how the Ministry intends to capacitate the utility?

“Can the Minister also address the issues that are specific to Warren Park Constituency as is requested in the question?”

Deputy Energy Minister Magna Mudyiwa responded stating that her response covers Warren Park. She added ZESA faced a shortage of vehicles to transport engineers to areas that would have experienced electrical problems.

“The response covers Warren Park. I do not know what else he wants me to add here. The problems have been stated that the utility, they are having challenges, they do not have vehicles and there is a challenge of poles that they cannot pay for the poles at the moment because suppliers need foreign currency, so for Warren Park and any other places affected, the issue is about foreign currency to get the poles,” she said.

“I stated that we are coming up with arrangements where the suppliers said we will pay them with electricity in exchange for the poles so that the problems will be attended to. The other issue is the shortage of vehicles to attend to faults.”

Zanu-PF Silobela MP Mpofu Mtokozisi Makoni asked the Deputy Minister why some ZESA stations were not using cars supplied to them by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He asked: “Supplementary question Madam Speaker. I hear the Minister say that there is a shortage of vehicles but those vehicles that were supplied by the President are not being used by the operational staff.

“Those people in operations are asking for transport from customers to help them to attend to faults when the managers are using those cars. Why is it happening?”

The Deputy Minister responded: “I think those are administrative operational issues which we will have to go down to verify but once vehicles are purchased being specifically for operations, we make sure that they are distributed to operations and are given to those who do the operations.

“Whereas at every station there are managers, I do not know what really happens. If that is what is happening, I think we will get down to it and find out exactly what is happening.” Nehanda Radio