Zhemu Soda, the brand new energy minister after President Emmerson Mnangagwa fired Advocate Fortune Chasi has said the 6% levy being set aside for rural electrification is not enough to accelerate or even sustain the program, New Zimbabwe reports.
Zhemu Soda said this while commissioning the electrification of Garahwa and Mukoho schools at Garahwa Business Centre in Chipinge on Friday. Addressing his audience Soda said:
The 6% electrification levy that REF gets through electricity sales and the fiscal allocation by government are not adequate to accelerate the programme or to sustain the momentum already gained.
In this regard, the government, through Treasury, made a fiscal allocation of $70 million in 2020, in order to augment the rural electrification levy in support of the rural electrification programme
Provision of electricity in the rural areas will no doubt lead to the empowerment of our rural communities, alleviate poverty, build capacity and create employment, which will lead to sustainable development and social equity in the country.
Many other benefits will accrue, among them the reversal of rural-urban migration and economic activities in downstream industries
I would like to urge the community to ensure that grid infrastructure is not vandalised. Beneficiaries are, therefore, looked upon to jealously guard the electricity infrastructure provided from such acts of sabotage.
ZESA has announced that it lost thousands of transformers due to vandalism this year, among other things that might also affect the project, vandalism remains one of the ZESA’s biggest hindrance.
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