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Zesa Holdings is one of Zimbabwe’s most sensitive State enterprises that must always be handled with care. Any slip-up is detrimental to the economy and can substantially frustrate all socio-economic initiatives to improve people’s standards of living.
Therefore, the hand of the invalid MDC-T in trying to sell-off the utility should be amputated and plugs put to all loopholes that the party was using to unbundle the utility as a strategy to parcel it out to western investors.

Such a plan was never going to succeed. The earlier MDC-T realises that it would never be allowed to destroy such a critical State enterprise the better.

We applaud Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma for moving swiftly to withdraw the Electoral Amendment Act that would have seen one of the country’s major economic enablers residing in unsafe private investors.

Such forms of sabotage only go to show that the MDC-T has never been sincere in taking Zimbabwe the country forward as it purports, but has always devised schemes that would eventually prejudice Zimbabweans of their right to affordable basic needs such as electricity.
Zesa is not up for sale and should never leave the Government’s sphere of influence.

Granted, the power utility has faced immense operational challenges for a long time, but the situation is not as desperate as to require such drastic actions as placing it at the mercy of our detractors.

We applaud the new Minister of Energy and Power Development Cde Mavhaire for boldly stating that Government has no plans to dismantle the power utility and hand it over to private hands.

The Electricity Amendment Act that sought to do this should find its place in the incinerator.
Privatisation is a good business concept used to unlock value in many instances, but this prescription is not universal. It works in some instances and conversely produces undesirable results in others. The Government can surely apply this concept in some of its enterprises, but it will not work in others such as Zesa.

Government needs to remain in full control of the power utility, identified as a major economic driver in the Zanu-PF manifesto.
Indeed strategies need to be sorted to deal with intermittent powercuts, to boost generation and to address the tariff system that has seen Zesa on one hand and domestic and industrial users on the other, at loggerheads most of the time.

Huge losses being churned out by the utility are also cause for concern. However, more progressive solutions should be implemented to redress the situation.

Industry continues to moan that Zesa is constricting its recovery while households are not amused by the increasing intensity of load shedding. Such a scenario presents serious social and economic challenges that have the potential to impact adversely on development.
But be that as it may, there should be no rushed decision as regards the solution. The easier route or a shortcut is not always the best. Government has academics and technocrats of repute at its disposal who can formulate the correct remedy.

Besides, so many documents have been authored on the way forward for Zesa. Some of them must surely contain the right prescription.
Zesa needs to become viable again and play an effective role in this nation. The aborted plan should bring to the fore the desperation with which the situation is being handled. This should, however, give impetus to Minister Mavhaire to lead his troops towards more sustainable solutions to the power challenges.

Certainly the licensing of more players as independent power producers is one strategy that can turn the situation around.
As previously stated, the portfolio is not any easy one, but we do not doubt the Minister’s ability to deliver. His team in Government and at Zesa should rally behind him and let Zimbabwe emerge the winner.

“The position is that I have no intention of dismantling Zesa. There is no way I can put Zesa in private hands,” said Cde Mavhaire.
That’s the spirit Minister! But you may have to work round the clock to achieve the desired results. There is no going back in this wave of economic revival. The Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation needs you in the mix of things.

You have not fared badly so far.