Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, yesterday revealed that the government had approved a duty waiver on solar equipment.
Reading out decisions of the 25th Cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday, Mutsvangwa said that the government was working towards alleviating the power crisis. She added that a number of measures were being taken to address the issue. Mutsvangwa said:
In this regard, special incentives shall be provided through duty waivers on imported solar equipment while it shall be mandatory for all new construction projects to be solar-powered.
Zimbabwe has a very huge power deficit which is manifest in prolonged power cuts countrywide.
Local power utility, ZESA, attributes the shortage to dwindling water levels at the Kariba Dam and the ageing equipment at the Hwange thermal power station.
The crisis has also been worsened by a reduction in power supply from South Africa and Mozambique power utilities due to unpaid debts.
ZESA has been projecting that at the current rate of consumption, local power generation will completely be stopped in October as Kariba Dam is running out of water at a ‘paraffin’ speed.
The removal of duty on solar equipment is likely to reduce dependence on power on the national grid as individuals and companies will have alternatives.