The politics of ZESA electricity tariff hikes

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority just can't win. The monopoly for many years has been falling ever further behind in its ability to supply the country's electricity needs, a problem which now results in frequent and and long power cuts. At least part of the reason for this state of affairs is that the tariffs it is allowed to charge are below its costs of production and delivery of electricity, an inherently unsustainable situation. Yet increasing tariffs by 31% as it now seeks to do is perhaps unsustainable for other reasons, a catch 22 situation for ZESA.

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Zimbabwe's innovative bulb exchange programme is not a waste of money

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority recently announced plans to give away energy saver bulbs in exchange for the old power-hungry incandescent types, which ZESA would destroy. The plan has been widely lauded as an important contribution to saving the country's chronically short supply of electricity. But not everyone thinks the $12 million programme is money well spent.

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Derelict biodiesel plant: Zimbabwe's incredibly, needlessly wasted asset

Zimbabwe's efforts to set up a biodiesel plant during the worst of its foreign currency and fuel problems was a good idea at the wrong time. The pressures that led to the setting up of the plant may have become less urgent, but that is no excuse for allowing the plant to just rot away.

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