ZESA Targets Tower and Street Lights With Prepaid Meters, Blames Councils for Blackouts

ZESA to Install Prepaid Meters on Tower and Street Lights

ZESA’s power distribution arm, the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), has started rolling out prepaid electricity meters on public street and tower lights.

In a statement shared on Sunday, 1 June 2025, ZETDC announced the move as part of efforts to improve service delivery, reduce losses, and make sure local councils are paying for the power they use.

Simply put, the power utility wants councils to take responsibility by pre-paying for electricity, just like regular households do. This, they argue, will help keep the lights on without piling up unpaid bills.

ZESA to Install Prepaid Meters on Tower and Street Lights

ZETDC said the rollout is currently happening in Bulawayo and Chitungwiza, where public lighting is being converted to prepaid meters. The company also pointed out that this plan didn’t come out of nowhere — councils were reportedly notified as far back as June 2024, and were sent written reminders in May 2025.

“In line with this programme, public street and tower lights in various municipalities, including Bulawayo and Chitungwiza, are being converted to prepaid meters. It is important to note that ZETDC has consistently engaged with councils since June 2024,” part of the statement reads.

To make the transition smoother, each newly installed meter was pre-loaded with 50 units for single-phase and 200 units for three-phase systems — just enough to buy the councils some time to register and top up with their own tokens.

But now that the grace units have run out, ZETDC is not taking the blame for street lights going dark. Instead, they say some councils simply haven’t bought more tokens — and that’s why the lights are off.

“Furthermore, ZETDC issued written reminders in May 2025, advising them of the final phase of the prepaid meter installation project, which includes retrofitting prepaid meters on all points with less than 100 Amps. The Councils were reminded that upon installation, meters would be pre-loaded with only 50 units (for single phase) and 200 units (for three phase) for immediate use before registration. Upon each installation of a prepaid meter, the relevant documents are handed over to the respective City Council official on site to facilitate processing for registration and subsequent token purchase,” the statement further reads.

Also read: Ministry Of Energy Suspends US$25 ZESA Fee For Mandatory Electrical Inspections After Public Outcry

ZESA Blames Councils for Current Blackouts

ZETDC emphasised that the current disconnections are squarely on municipalities failing to purchase tokens.

“The current disconnections are a direct result of the newly installed prepaid meters requiring the purchase of electricity tokens by the local authorities responsible for these public lighting installations,” ZETDC said.

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