Abstract
Since the era of the economic adjustment program, the
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings has been
faced with an increasing problem of non-payment of electricity
service charges, especially in the medium- to low-income
households. In the early 2000s, the power utility company resorted
to disconnections and the removal of post-paid electricity meters
for non-paying households. Many customers accused ZESA
Holdings of overcharging them on their monthly bills through the
post-payment plan. As a way of recovering costs from non-paying
households, ZESA Holdings resorted to the deployment of prepaid
electricity meters, which automatically disconnect when
households pre-coded electricity tokens are used up. The objective
of this study is to understand consumers’ perception of the use of
prepaid electricity meters versus the post-paid system, in
Chidzidzi, Mutoko, Zimbabwe. Lessons learnt from this study are
useful for informing policy in the country and other developing
countries.