The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings, has explained the workings of its Customer Supplied Material Scheme (CSMS), a voluntary programme designed to address material shortages and delays in the electricity sector.
ZETDC said that under the scheme, customers with free funds are allowed to purchase approved materials to assist with the replacement of vandalised infrastructure and the maintenance of faults.
The initiative is intended to speed up service delivery while ensuring that communities affected by outages can benefit from quicker repairs.
To participate, customers are required to visit their local Customer Service Centre, where they will be provided with material specifications and guided through the application process by their District Manager.
Once the materials are purchased, they must be delivered to ZETDC stores for inspection. If the items meet the required standards, they are accepted and used in the repair works.
Refunds are then processed either through units credited to a prepaid electricity account or as a credit on a postpaid account (based on lowest value between invoice and standard price).
ZETDC stressed that the scheme is entirely voluntary and not compulsory. The company also warned customers never to hand over money to ZETDC officials for the purchase of materials, saying all transactions must follow the official process to safeguard against fraud.
