Published: 09 September 2013

Power utility Zesa Holdings said it is awaiting the appointment of a new Energy Minister to decide whether it should also write off domestic consumers' debts, the New Ziana reported.

Pressure has been mounting on Zesa from residents to follow the example of municipalities that have written off old debts owed by residents across the country. The Government ordered municipalities to write off the debts, saying people were over-burdened. Zesa Holdings group chief executive Mr Josh Chifamba told New Ziana that the power company had not taken a position on the issue, pending the appointment of a new Minister of Energy.

"I cannot answer that at the moment since we do not have a minister," he said, when asked whether the power utility was also considering scrapping off overdue power bills.

Zesa is owed in excess of $700 million by both domestic and commercial electricity consumers, with domestic users accounting for close to $300 million of the debt.

To counter the problem of defaulters, Zesa has embarked on a prepaid metering system, which allows consumers to pay for electricity that they use in advance.

- New Ziana

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