POWER utility ZESA will not be allowed to increase tariffs, Industry and Commerce minister Mike Bimha has said.
At the the beginning of this year ZESA announced plans to hike the tariffs from the current average of $0, 9 cents per kilowatt to about $0, 14 cents per kilowatt as part of efforts to raise more revenue for power generation.
Consumers however, raised concern on the proposed 49 percent tariff hike saying it was beyond their means.
“ZESA can contemplate increases but there is nothing like that,” Bimha said at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Midlands region business awards in Gweru last Friday.
“There are no increases to talk about.”
ZESA has been struggling to recover the $1 billion owed to it by domestic and industrial customers.
The power utility blaming the debt for failing to increases on capacity to generate more electricity as well as maintaining its power stations.
The power utility has since introduced pre-paid meters to avoid free usage of electricity by consumers.Advertisement