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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
A legal showdown is looming between Masvingo City Council and Zesa over maintenance of street-lights that are in a state of disrepair across the provincial capital. There are not more than five street lights functioning in the whole city amid reports council and Zesa where haggling over the responsibility to repair them.

A pre-independence agreement between the then Fort Victoria Town Council and the Electricity Supply Commission of Rhodesia reportedly delegated the responsibility to maintain street-lights to the power utility. Council was tasked with installing tower lights in suburban areas with the power utility maintaining them. Under the colonial-era agreement, council was only responsible for paying energy consumed by the street-lights.

Masvingo City Town Clerk Mr Adolp Gusha said Zesa had been reneging on its obligation to maintain the street-lights setting the stage for a legal showdown in the courts.

“Zesa had been honouring a pre-independence agreement that gave it the responsibility to maintain street-lights by repairing the lamps in the event of damage. They were also responsible for maintaining tower lights in residential areas installed by the council.”

However, for reasons best known to them, Zesa stopped maintaining the street-lights 15 years ago. He said efforts to engage authorities at the power utility has been to avail.

“The only option that is left on the table is to take them to court so that they are forced to honour the agreement that was made on street-lights,” Mr Gusha said.

The town clerk said council had limited choices when it came to the city’s street lighting system with the City Fathers not amused the absence of a functional street lighting system in Masvingo. In the long term, Mr Gusha said, council would consider harnessing solar energy for street lights. Most parts of Masvingo City and residential areas have been plunged into darkness at night because of the collapsed street lighting system. The absence of street lights is blamed for sporadic cases of mugging that have been on the rise in the city with suspected robbers taking advantage of dearth of street lights.