ZETDC mandates prepaid billing for medium, large customers

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) said its ongoing migration of domestic and small business customers to a prepaid electricity platform has significantly progressed with 95 percent of these customers successfully transitioned to the new system.

ZETDC has now extended its focus to medium and large consumers operating in the commercial, industrial, tourism, mining, and institutional sectors.

Effective October 1, 2024, the customers will be required to switch to prepaid billing for their electricity consumption, a development that will enhance revenue collection.

“This notice serves that all medium and large customers in the commercial, industrial, tourism and mining sectors and institutions that are on post-paid billing will be required to pre-pay their consumption with effect from October 1, 2024,” said ZETDC.

“Customers are therefore advised to settle their outstanding bills by September 30, 2024, and implementation modalities will be communicated to account holders ahead of implementation.”

To facilitate a smooth transition, ZETDC is urging all postpaid customers, including those in the targeted sectors, to settle their outstanding bills by September 30, 2024. ZETDC said it will be communicating specific implementation modalities directly to affected account holders in the coming days.

The move aligns with ZETDC’s broader strategy to enhance efficiency and reduce revenue losses. By transitioning to prepaid meters, customers will be responsible for purchasing electricity tokens in advance, ensuring timely payments and minimizing the risk of disconnections.

As of August 12, 2024, ZSEA had outstanding debts totalling ZIG 5,7 billion. The largest contributors to this figure were industrial customers (50 percent), followed by commercial (12 percent), mining (12 percent), and Government entities (5 percent).

Domestic customers accounted for only 1 percent of the total debt.-ebsinessweekl