Whoever said the only two things assured in life were death and taxes clearly wasn’t factoring in Zimbabweans. To that old saying, I think we can add ZESA Tariffs because we have seen a steady escalation of costs over last year. Most notably was the back to back 50% ZESA tariff hike we were all shocked by. Well… further expanding the void that is the Zimbabwean’s pocket, ZESA tariffs are set to go up by 25% according to Minister for Energy Zhemu Soda
“As you might be aware, we are importing power from outside the country especially during peak hours and more so during this time of the year in winter. Our power is imported at as high as US$0,24c per kilowatt-hour whereas we are selling that power from ZWL$07,67c per kilowatt/hour. In order for us to achieve what we are envisioning to provide adequate power and sustainable electricity, there is a need for tariffs to be reviewed.”
Minister Zhemu Soda via ZBC TV
According to a report by The Chronicle, plans are well underway to bring the current tariff per unit up from 7.5cents (US$) to 10 cents (US$).
It’s worth noting that from a business perspective this make sense. ZESA has been struggling to service its various obligations and bringing tariffs up is a logical course of action. However, on the consumer’s side there has been very little in the way of relief when it comes to wading through the lockdowns and restrictions that were a feature of last year and this one.
The informal sector especially is still recovering and this proposed 25% tariff hike will do little to help the millions of Zimbabweans warm their homes and keep the lights on this winter…-techzim