BULAWAYO residents have accused the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) staff of demanding bribes for them to repair electrical faults.
ZETDC, a subsidiary of Zesa Holdings is supposed to fix electric faults free of charge. However, there have been reports that staff members tasked to repair electrical faults now demand inducements from clients.
One resident Mthulisi Bhebhe of Nkulumane described Zesa staff’s alleged shenanigans as unprofessional and corrupt.
“As far as we know, fixing faults is supposed to be free of charge. It is wrong and something needs to be done to correct this. They are taking advantage of us, and as residents we should report these people so that action is taken against them,” Bhebhe said.
Another Nkulumane resident Thembekile Gumbo said she had to pay US$20 in order to have an electric fault at her house fixed.
“I ended up paying because I feared for my property as we all know that electricity can do catastrophic damage if left unchecked. However, what these Zesa people are doing is pure corruption. We demand that action be taken in order to address this issue.”
Chipo Mazana, a resident of Pumula East, pleaded with Zesa to rein in its corrupt staff.
“These people will delay coming to fix a fault. When they come they demand payments. We cannot accept that,” Mazana said.
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Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association chairperson Ambrose Sibindi said several residents have complained about the issue from different sections of the city.
“Residents say they are experiencing serious challenges with Zesa staff. They claim that Zesa employees are demanding bribes before they attend to faults. We have been telling residents to report such cases or to arrest those Zesa employees defrauding people. It is their duty to fix faults. As an association, we will be writing to Zesa on behalf of residents and urge them to supervise their workers to ensure such bad practices come to an end with immediate effect.”
ZETDC western region general manager Lloyd Jaji said the company does not condone such behaviour from its employees.
“Residents should report such incidents. We attend to faults free of charge, what our employees are doing is wrong, and I call upon the residents to report such incidents. We are also determined to partner with the residents to set traps for these people and catch them,” Jaji said.
