ZESA not only failing Zimbabweans but also betraying it’s own workers

It is a symptom of a deeper rot—a corruption-ridden, exploitative system that thrives on the suffering of its own workforce while rewarding a select few with obscene wealth and privileges.

A recent email from a disgruntled ZESA employee paints a grim picture of what workers endure in this collapsing parastatal.

The grievances raised are not isolated to one person but are the collective cries of thousands of workers who have been neglected, exploited, and abandoned by a leadership that prioritizes self-enrichment over service delivery and employee welfare.

For months, ZESA employees have allegedly not been paid their full USD salaries, leaving them struggling to afford basic needs such as school fees and medical care.

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Yet, management continues to claim there are no funds available for workers’ dues.

This assertion is difficult to accept when, at the same time, according to the email, over US$1.5 million has been squandered on luxury vehicles for consultants—many of whom were previously dismissed for incompetence but have found their way back into the system through connections to influential figures within the company.

This brazen abuse of resources is a slap in the face to workers who remain dedicated to keeping ZESA running under extremely challenging conditions.

It is an insult to technicians and engineers who are forced to rely on customers for fuel and transport to attend to faults because the company has failed to provide them with essential resources.

These employees are the backbone of the organization, yet they are treated as expendable while politically connected individuals enjoy lavish perks for doing little to no actual work.

The injustice runs deeper.

Some of these consultants—who are allegedly receiving as much as US$25,000 per month—are not even supposed to be allocated company vehicles under ZESA’s own policies.

Nevertheless, they have taken possession of luxury cars, often grabbing those meant for senior managers.

Meanwhile, the people who actually ensure that electricity flows to Zimbabwean homes and businesses must beg for fuel to do their jobs.

This is nothing short of a scandal.

ZESA workers also remain unpaid for various allowances, including COVID-19 allowances and cost-of-living adjustments that were promised but never materialized.

They continue to work in dangerous environments with inadequate safety gear and minimal support from management.

The disregard for their wellbeing is evident not only in their delayed salaries but also in the working conditions they endure.

The unions representing these workers are reported to have raised concerns repeatedly, but management’s response has been empty promises and further exploitation.

Beyond the workers’ suffering, this culture of corruption and mismanagement has direct consequences for Zimbabwean citizens.

Customers who prepay for electricity still experience prolonged blackouts because the infrastructure—most of it inherited from the colonial era—has been neglected for decades.

Rather than channel funds into modernizing power stations or improving distribution networks, the leadership at ZESA prioritizes extravagant spending on personal luxuries.

The result is a country where power shortages cripple businesses, disrupt daily life, and further weaken an already fragile economy.

This mismanagement has only been compounded by ZESA’s latest decision to impose new fees on customers—ranging from $25 upwards—for the supposed mandatory inspection of electricity installations, including those involving solar systems and generators.

The very reason so many Zimbabweans have turned to solar power and generators in the first place is because of ZESA’s failure to deliver a reliable, consistent electricity supply.

Now, in a twisted irony, ZESA is seeking to profit from its own failure.

Rather than focusing on addressing the root cause of the power outages, ZESA is turning a blind eye to its responsibility and instead trying to milk customers dry through additional fees.

What angers customers the most is the hypocrisy in ZESA’s actions.

The utility has failed to keep the lights on, forcing ordinary Zimbabweans to invest in expensive alternative energy solutions to make up for the company’s chronic inadequacies.

Now, ZESA is using its own failure as an opportunity to extract even more from its customers, charging them for an “inspection” of systems they installed to cope with ZESA’s inability to provide service.

This is yet another example of a parasitic parastatal that places its interests above the needs of the people it was meant to serve.

One cannot ignore the striking hypocrisy in all this.

The government repeatedly blames Western sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic woes, yet the mismanagement at ZESA is a self-inflicted wound.

The billions of dollars lost to corruption over the years could have transformed the country’s energy sector.

Instead, these funds have enriched a small elite while leaving both workers and customers to suffer the consequences of incompetence and theft.

The silence from those in authority is deafening.

Workers who attempt to speak out risk victimization or dismissal, ensuring that corruption flourishes unchecked.

The government, which should be holding ZESA’s leadership accountable, remains passive—perhaps because many of those benefiting from the rot have powerful political connections.

This crisis at ZESA is emblematic of a broader national problem: a ruling elite that exploits state resources for personal gain while ordinary citizens struggle to survive.

The situation cannot continue unchecked.

There must be consequences for the blatant theft and mismanagement occurring within the parastatal.

Workers must be paid their dues, infrastructure must be repaired and upgraded, and those responsible for looting public resources must be held accountable.

The voices of ZESA’s employees and customers deserve to be heard.

Their frustration is justified.

Their anger is legitimate.

Their suffering is avoidable—if only those in power cared more about service delivery than self-enrichment.

If the government and ZESA leadership fail to act, it will not be long before this frustration boils over into open resistance.

And when that moment comes, those responsible will have no one to blame but themselves.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/