Power woes plague Ward 18: Residents demand action from ZETDC

Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter

Erratic power supplies in suburbs under Ward 18 in Harare have jerked residents into demanding improved service from power utility the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).

According to the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA), the power outages have become a common occurrence even with the slightest wind preceding some rains.

The relentless faults have left residents exasperated and questioning why the ZETDC has failed to address this recurring problem over the years. BRRA has expressed concerns regarding the technical aspects of the correlation between weather changes and power cuts, urging the power utility to provide satisfactory explanations for these disruptions.

While the occasional storm and strong winds may be understandable causes for temporary power glitches, residents are perplexed by the fact that even mild showers and minimal-speed winds result in prolonged power outages, lasting for hours and sometimes days in certain areas.

Although overgrown trees interfering with power lines were previously cited as a cause, residents are questioning the ZETDC’s failure to proactively address the matter through pre-rain season trimming of tree branches, if indeed this is the root of the problem.

Residents believe that the engineers at ZETDC hold the key to resolving the problem if they diligently apply their expertise but their reluctance to provide satisfactory reasoning for the daily outages has left residents astonished.

BRRA chairperson Mr Robert Mutyasira told Suburban this week that the recurrent power outages during the rainy season have become unbearable. He said it is disheartening to endure weeks without electricity especially when the explanations provided by ZETDC seem inadequate.

“We need sustainable solutions, not just apologies. The unresponsiveness of ZETDC to our plight is deeply concerning. We have reached out through various channels, but the lack of satisfactory explanations and timely resolutions is disappointing. It’s time for the power utility to prioritise addressing these long-standing issues,” said Mr Mutyasira.

Residents say attempts to seek redress for this anomaly have seemingly hit a dead end, with senior officials from the power company remaining unresponsive to inquiries on social media platforms.

The lack of clarity and responsiveness from ZETDC is seen as a disheartening indicator of how customers are being marginalised by service providers. While responses from what is assumed to be the ZETDC call center do acknowledge power cuts, residents are eager to understand the specific link between the change in weather and the frequent power disruptions.

In light of these challenges, residents are calling on ZETDC to urgently address this issue before the next rainy season. They are willing to assist in any way possible, including reporting overgrown branches and other visible causes, if ZETDC communicates the necessary steps to the community.

“As residents, we are willing to assist in any way possible to address the recurring power cuts, but there needs to be clear communication from ZETDC on how we can contribute. The high costs of alternative power sources are unsustainable for many of us, and we rely on ZETDC to fulfill its mandate of providing reliable electricity,” said another concerned resident.

Alternative power sources such as generators and solar units are beyond the many of them, residents argue.

The residents emphasise that ZETDC should focus on providing the services they are mandated to deliver, without imposing the burden of seeking alternative power sources on the community.