At least 100 top government officials, including service chiefs, are having solar panels installed at their homes at the taxpayers’ expense to cushion them and their families from the inconveniences of rolling electricity outages.
Senior government sources said a local company (name
supplied) has been contracted to install a 5 kilovolt (Kva) solar system at a
cost of US$ 14 000 each for top chefs who include ministers, senior government
officials, commissioners and army generals. This publication established that a
full package of the 5 Kva solar system, which consists of accessories and
labour, costs between US$3 000 and US$5 000 but government will be paying US$14
000 for the same service — a 200% inflated price.
Zimbabweans are enduring punishing power outages lasting at
least 18 hours every day.
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) last month ordered the
Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) to cut electricity generation output at Kariba
South hydro power station to 300 megawatts from 600 MW due to low water levels
at Kariba Dam.
The Hwange Power station, with an installed capacity of 920
MW, is not generating enough, leaving a huge shortfall and plunging the country
into total darkness.
As Zimbabweans are condemned to long hours of darkness, The
Standard heard that government is moving with speed to ensure that bigwigs and
their families are not inconvenienced.
Energy ministry permanent secretary Gloria Magombo
confirmed the development when contacted for comment yesterday, but said the
project was coordinated by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
“This is a project that is being managed by the PSC,”
Magombo said.
“As the ministry of Energy and Power Development, we are
just providing technical support and consultancy.
“As for further details, we are not aware.
“However, I understand that government has a solar power
plan, which will benefit not only civil servants' but even ordinary people and
other public institutions.”
PSC secretary Tsitsi Choruma’s number was not reachable
yesterday when efforts were made to contact her for a comment.
Public Service minister Paul Mavima’s number was also not
reachable.
Yesterday, trade unions blasted government for taking
taxpayers' money to fund the lifestyles of top chefs.
“The issue of electricity is affecting everyone and all
citizens are equal according to the supreme law of the land,” Zimbabwe Congress
of Trade Union (ZCTU) secretary general Japhet Moyo said.
“Those who pay the
tax are in darkness for over 19 hours while some are cushioned from the pain of
the power struggles. Citizens should
definitely challenge this.
“The senior public servants should bear the same challenges
faced by every other citizen.
“That will push them as policy makers to address the
problem.”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently said the government
had come up with schemes to give civil servants access to solar energy.
“In government, we are already incorporating solar systems
in packages which public servants enjoy,” Mnangagwa wrote in a state-controlled
weekly.
“Such employer-assisted interventions across the sectors will see us speedily
migrating more households to solar.”
Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Union’s Goodwill
Taderera said they were not aware of the proposed solar schemes for civil
servants.
“We know nothing about the solar scheme, but based on past
experience, those at the top are the ones benefiting while the rest of the
civil servants are just being used as a scapegoat,” Taderera said.
“Government has pledged several non-monetary incentives to
its workers, but nothing has been implemented.
“The solar installation pledge for civil servants is just
empty talk.
“Government has no capacity to install solar systems for
every civil servant. How can it manage to do so when it has been failing to
improve salaries?” Standard
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