Kelvin Kasiwulaya
Soccer lovers in Shurugwi have come out guns blazing at the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) and Local Bar owners who are conniving to switch off electricity upon the commencement of Afcon 2017 soccer matches.
The conjured power cuts are meant to force the residents to go to the beer halls to see the much entertaining soccer matches hence in the process spruce up beer sales for the local bar owners .
Most of Shurugwi soccer lovers allege that minutes before crucial matches begin power is switched off.
“Power was purposefully cut off minutes before the commencement of a match between Algeria and Zimbabwe.
“ZESA officials and Chucks Bar would have connived to switch the power off, this is done to force the Shurugwi citizenry to throng the bar to watch the much entertaining Afcon matches and in the process spruce up beer sales for the local bar owner,” said Zenzo Dube a local resident.
Another football fan who identified himself as William Chisamba said ZESA officials were being bribed to switch off electricity during crucial soccer matches and this has been the trend since 2014.
“We always get power cuts minutes before the commencement of UEFA, EPL and Afcon matches, we wonder and ponder if power faults always coincide with Soccer matches”
The conjured power cuts are as a result of corruption by a local bar owner Mr Chakabveyo who allegedly bribes local ZESA officials to switch off power so that people are coerced to watch soccer matches at CHUCKS bar where they are also indirectly coned to buy beverages hence increasing sales for the local business owner.
When reached for comment the local business mogul Mr Fabien Urayayi Chakabveyo dismissed the allegations as mere malice against his business.
“I have been hearing rumours from the public that I am bribing Zesa officials to inflict power-cuts upon the Shurugwi citizenry as a way to force them to throng my bar and spruce up my Beer sales but however, those are mere unsubstantiated allegations.
“How can I bribe Zesa officials to switch power off when I also use expensive diesel for my generator to provide power for my bar? Besides that, I don’t work at Zesa; they have their own management who gives them instructions hence it’s absolutely impossible for me to influence staff from such a big entity,” Said Chakabveyo with a grimy smile on his face.
An impeccable source at ZETDC told this reporter that there was no recent load shedding in Shurugwi hence the power-cuts in the Scenic town can be attributed to faults caused by torrential rains.
‘Recently there has been no load shedding in Shurugwi, most power cuts are caused by the torrential rains, but if the power cuts are coinciding with soccer matches then something fishy is happening,” said the source. zwnews.com
