ZESA urges public to report power faults via national call centre

By Ndumiso Tshuma

Zimbabwe’s power utility, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), has urged residents to report electricity faults through its newly centralised national call centre, in an effort to streamline fault tracking and improve service delivery.

Speaking at a community meeting in Pumula, Bulawayo, recently, a ZESA official said the system is designed to centralise and monitor power-related complaints from across the country, allowing for better fault analysis and response times.

“We have launched a national call centre where people can report electricity faults. When you call, you’ll receive a reference number, which helps us track the issue and detect trends in specific areas,” a ZESA representative told residents.

The utility encouraged residents to dial 704 to report outages or infrastructure faults. Callers are expected to receive a reference number, which will serve as proof of the report and enable ZESA to monitor progress on resolving the issue.

However, the official acknowledged that the system is still being refined and that some callers may experience delays in receiving reference numbers, especially during staff shift changes.

“The call centre does not close. If your call does not go through immediately, please be patient and try again,” the official said.

Residents raised concerns over prolonged outages caused by damaged transformers.

ZESA admitted that delays in replacing or repairing faulty transformers are largely due to a shortage of spare parts.

“In the past, we had readily available spare parts. Today, when a transformer breaks down, it may take time to repair or replace because we first have to source the components,” the official explained.

ZESA has come under increasing pressure from residents and businesses over erratic power supplies and slow response times, particularly in high-density suburbs.

The power utility says it hopes the national call centre will improve accountability and allow for more efficient deployment of limited repair resources.

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