via Is it ever going to be enough? – DailyNews Live 30 July 2014 by Cathy Buckle
HARARE – When the Buhera South MP Joseph Chinotimba said that white farmers never used to be charged for electricity usage, I was tempted to go and ask Zesa Holdings (Zesa) to reimburse me for all the electricity I used and paid for while on my farm purchased legally in 1990 but forcibly seized in 2000.
The Buhera South MP was talking about an incentive apparently offered to veterans of World War Two who were interested in taking up farming in 1946 at the end of the war.
Unfortunately, the MP’s claim created a totally false assumption that this free electricity continued for both WW2 veterans and all white farmers for the following 68 years. It most certainly did not.
When Zanu PF’s compulsory farm acquisitions took place the people who benefited from land reform must admit that when they evicted the white farmers and their employees, the electricity did not go off.
Evicted from my farm, I filled in disconnection forms at Zesa because I would not be held responsible for consumption by farm invaders.
Zesa declined my instruction to disconnect supplies saying they had been told not to disconnect supplies to seized farms. This politically-inspired policy undoubtedly contributed to Zimbabwe’s perennial electricity crisis.
Almost as soon as the 2014 World Cup Football tournament ended a couple of weeks ago, power outages started again.
Extended load shedding of around 35 hours a week is crippling our ability to run homes and businesses this winter, putting even more pressure on the stagnant economy.
Consumers have to spend double the amount they budget for power as they are forced to buy fuel and run generators.
It is ironic that the Buhera South MP has chosen this time to call for free electricity for farmers.
Zesa cannot even produce enough electricity to meet the needs of 40 percent of its existing paying consumers let alone consider giving free electricity to farmers.
From Zimbabwe’s five power stations, 1 400 megawatts are currently being generated everyday, only 60 percent of the 2 200 megawatts we need.
This power shortfall doesn’t even include the demand from new residential consumers still on the waiting list for electricity connections.
According to Zesa, there are presently 100 000 stands in 179 housing schemes in the country waiting for power.
Those 100 000 stands haven’t even got what Zesa call backbone infrastructure which presumably means poles, cables, transformers and metres requiring $79 million to install.
Upgrades at Kariba are waiting to begin as soon as capital is available and the lack of maintenance to existing Zesa infrastructure in urban areas is visible to us all.
How can legislators even be talking about free electricity when the situation is already so dire?
The power utility’s CEO said that 763 companies which had closed because of the current economic conditions, or were distressed or under liquidation already owe Zesa $58 million.
They are not the only defaulters; another $943 million is owed by consumers in all sectors from domestic and farming to, mining and industrial users.
Zesa is stuck in a vicious circle, carrying a huge debt owed by consumers, generating just over half of what we need every day, unable to meet the demand for infrastructure and installations to new consumers or keep up with improvements and upgrades needed for existing power generating facilities.
Considering giving free electricity to anyone in the current economic climate makes no sense at all.
Weren’t free farms, seed, fertiliser, ploughs, scotch carts, tractors, generators and even combine harvesters enough for land beneficiaries?
Zimbabwe’s war veterans got cash payouts and farms, lifelong pensions, medical aid and school fees. When will it be enough? Is it ever going to be enough?
COMMENTS
Obviously a sarcastic and rhetorical question Cathy – NO, obviously NOTHING will EVER be enough for these goons! I think even Grade 7s, and most certainly 6th formers at previously good schools, could come up with better ideas and run the economy 100% better than the current bunch of thieving morons.
It is widely acknowledged that Chinoz is an idiot exemplar of stupid pig headed peasant in much the same way as Van der Merve is of a type found further south. It is pleasing that he insists on re enforcing the stereotype he has made of himself
John Thomas you are probably right except that Van at least produces food for the nation.
Any policies formulated based on hate tend to yield negative results. Unfortunately Mugabe & his cronies accused the white farmers of masterminding the plot to reject the referendum in 2000. They decided to use state resources to sponsor the invasion of productive white-owned farms under the pretence of caring for the thousands of landless Zimbabweans & boy did it take a LONG TIME to start caring.
Without a plan to offset this massive interruption in agricultural production the “geniuses” preached hate & convinced their supporters to bite their noses to spite their faces. Now those foot soldiers responsible for the beatings & mayhem are STILL POOR & their leaders are getting richer & richer through diamonds & everything else they can get loot. Everyone else is struggling to survive. Nice going ZANU!
Chinotimba is a stupid, brutish baboon. There’s no point trying to intelligently debate a baboon Cathy because you’ll just get frustrated
Douglas Smith ‘s adminisration was far far much better than this heartless regime. Atleast Smith apart from racial segregation he knew that food and jobs sere there.
Village idiot and child rapist in straw hat to boot
Good article.
Would that there were those in parliament who have the wits to understand it.
Cathy as far as a lot of us are concerned Chinotimba does not know his knees from his elbows. That is why we were surprised why this imbecile was chosen as MP of the month. If he wasn’t such a bad man it would have a joke to be laughed at for days. The daily News is now turning out to be the big joke. Chinotimba’s next request will be free groceries for his group of thieves.
Comrades, from the Holy Bible read Micah 2 verse 1-7″ How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned. When they want fields they seize them, when they want houses, they take them. No mans family or property is safe. And so the Lord says, “I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly anymore. When that time comes, people will use your story as an example of disaster and they will sing this song of despair” We are completely ruined! The Lord has taken our land away and given it to those who took us captive” So then, when the time comes for the land to be given back to the Lords people, there will be no share for any of you. The people preach at me and say” don’t preach at us. Don’t preach about all that, God is not going to disgrace us”
We have to rise above the Chinotimbas of our world. Sideline them in every way….including never buying a newspaper with anything but their obituary in it.
99% of what most of ZPF spew is completely false. They are a totally deceived bunch of people who are, one day, going to wake up to a terrible reality. It is called God’s judgment! They have thought that they could do exactly what they selfishly and greedily liked to do. They have slain their people and ruined their nation. Do they honestly think that they-as the so called leaders- will NOT be held accountable? Chinos will also get a wake up call. God has not forgotten his violence and incitement of the last 14 years?????? Where is his repentance?
You have to love old “Chin Of Timber” I suspect the mans mouth is controlled by a cockroach that lives inside his hollow skull!!!
ignore the idiot…