By 
By Ross Moyo
Zimbabwe’s power utility is going digital.
As part of the Cabinet-approved restructuring of ZESA, government has confirmed the nationwide rollout of smart metering for medium and large-scale electricity consumers as one of the key reform interventions.
The announcement was made by Minister Of Women and SMEs, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa during the post-Cabinet briefing, where she outlined that smart meters will be deployed alongside debt recovery and operational reforms to improve revenue collection and efficiency.
What smart meters will do:
1. Real-time monitoring – Track consumption and outages instantly
2. Reduce losses – Cut down on estimated billing and tampering
3. Better planning – Improve load forecasting and maintenance scheduling
4. Faster revenue collection – Enable remote disconnection and payment reconciliation
The smart metering drive sits inside a bigger plan to merge ZESA’s fragmented entities into one integrated company under ZESA (Private) Limited. Officials say a single command structure will allow better coordination from generation at Kariba and Hwange, through transmission, to the final consumer.
Debt recovery also targeted as Government, local authorities and other “strategic consumers” who owe ZESA will face intensified debt recovery as part of the reform.
Minister Moyo said the improvements in supply reliability and financial performance show the sector is “on a trajectory towards long-term sustainability.” With no load-shedding currently, ZESA says it can now buy regional power to cover any shortfalls.
The smart meter rollout will start with factories, mines, farms and large businesses before expanding further.
Comments