ZESA prepaid tokens system to be down

Tinashe Zisengwe

State owned firm ZESA holdings customers across the country are likely to be stranded this coming weekend after it emerged that the sole powerhouse prepaid tokens system will be down due to maintenance.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has issued an official notice in the press today.

The official statement reads, “Our Company would like to advise its valued customers countrywide that the Prepaid Electricity Vending system will not be available for service from Friday, 7th April 2017 at 2230hrs to Sunday, 9th April at 1000hrs.

“This is to facilitate for scheduled maintenance works to improve service delivery.

“The scheduled maintenance is meant to address the challenges that customers have been experiencing during the past weeks to ensure efficient service delivery.

“Customers are advised to ensure that they buy adequate electricity that would sustain them during the maintenance period to avoid inconvenience of running out of credit.”

Chamunorwa Chamboka from Gweru said the old system of fixed meter billing was better as it was

“If one has money how can they tell that person there are no power tokens, what a shame,” he said.

Nomsa Masawi was equally bitter with the development saying it will inconvenience users as some might not have adequate money to buy the tokens by tomorrow.

“Zesa should not take us for granted, they should have issued the notice sometime back so that people would have enough time to prepare,” she said.