Tropical Cyclone Idai, which made landfall in Mozambique Thursday evening, has damaged property and crops in Manicaland Province, with more devastating effects feared when it intensifies and spreads to other parts of Zimbabwe between yesterday evening and today. Manicaland chief meteorological officer Mr Lucas Murambi said what the province experienced yesterday were the peripheral effects […]

Source: Customer centrism: Zinwa’s new thrust | The Herald March 15, 2019

THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority has declared the month of March as its Customer Service month. It is a month where the authority will appreciate its clients, who have been part of its journey since its formation. As part of the client service month, senior management from Zinwa will take time to serve clients, working from various stations and points in the Authority where interaction with clients is high. This is meant to give management a better appreciation of the various touch points and pain points that clients go through in accessing our service. This is part of the Authority’s effort to morph into highly customer centric and customer focused organisation.

These efforts will see the Authority engage in a serious realignment of its operations and procedures as it transforms itself into a highly customer centric organisation. This shift will see Zinwa re-looking at its various processes with the view to place the customer at the centre of everything it does.

This is a deliberate move that is designed to improve service delivery, bring convenience to clients, improving customer confidence, building a strong and customer centric Zinwa brand as well as help boost the organisation’s revenue inflows.

The objective is to transform Zinwa into an organisation that listens to its customers, that has empathy for its clients and an organisation that anticipates and responds to the needs of its clients. As such, the organisation has embarked on a number of initiatives that seek to help it become a highly customer centred institution.

In its quest to attain this goal, Zinwa has developed a customer experience management strategy. Under the strategy, all Zinwa employees will receive training in customer experience management. Already some have already received customer experience management training which teaches them to develop and implement policies and procedures with the customer in mind. This will ultimately result in an improvement of Zinwa customers’ experience.

As part of these efforts, Zinwa is also in the process of revising its client service charter, which shall be re-launched sometime this year.

The revision of the client service charter follows quite a lot of valuable feedback that the organisation has been receiving from its clients and stakeholders. In addition, the client service charter will also seek to provide for cutting edge standards that will enable Zinwa to provide a seamless service to its customers.

The client service charter will provide standards for receiving feedback from customers, Zinwa’s response times to water supply breakdowns, standards for its billing as well as the obligations and responsibilities that clients also have as a partner in service delivery.

The organisation is also pursuing some technology based initiatives also aimed at improving the experience of its customers.  These technology based initiative include the introduction of electronic bills for clients.

Over the years, clients have been receiving physical bills delivered to their houses at the end of each billing period. Now this will be a thing of the past as customers now receive their bills and other important information on their mobile phones. Customers who are not yet receiving this service are encouraged to visit their nearest Zinwa offices and update their details.

Zinwa is also working on upgrading its Call Centre to make it a fully fledged contact centre which should be able to provide quick solutions and reduce the turnaround time for query resolutions.

This will entail the introduction of a ticketing system that allows the Call Centre to track the query as they get resolved in the organisation’s various departments. This will assist in bringing accountability.

Zinwa is also actively on social media articulating various matters that affect clients.

The Authority will also be engaging in a number of activities that aim to improve its customers’ experience. This will include revamping its reception areas, banking halls, water treatment plants and other installations to make them customer friendly while the use of feedback mechanisms such as the customer feedback forms and suggestion boxes at the water supply stations are also being strengthened.

Zinwa will also be coming into the communities through platforms such as road shows and meetings with customers to help spread awareness on its client service charter and related water issues.

In doing this, the organisation appreciates that it exists for and because of customers and these customers need nothing else except efficient, effective and reliable service.

For more information please contact the Zinwa Corporate Communications and Marketing Department on callcentre@Zinwa.co.zw. You can also like the Zimbabwe National Water Authority Facebook Page or follow us on Twitter @Zinwawater

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Source: ’Sort out currency uncertainty’ | Newsday (News)

BY Veneranda Langa

LEGISLATORS yesterday called on government to sort out the currency uncertainty if Zimbabwe is to participate meaningfully in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The issue was discussed in the National Assembly during debate on a motion brought by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi on ratification of a protocol on the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Hatfield legislator Tapiwa Mashakada (MDC Alliance) said ratification of the protocol was imperative, adding that there was need to fix the currency issue so that other countries can be able to trade with Zimbabwe.

“We need to fix the currency issue if we are to join international trade so that there is stability and people from other countries know that if they trade with Zimbabwe they will be able to get their money back,” Mashakada said.

“We must also  ensure our borders are one-stop borders, because Beitbridge Border Post, for example, is a nightmare and traders take weeks to move their goods.”

Mashakada said Africa was lagging behind in inter-trade, trading at only 12% among member countries, compared to countries in the Americas at 20%, East Asia and Pacific countries at 47% and European Union (EU) countries trading at 63%.

Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance ) said it was not sufficient for Africa to have a free trade area without a monetary union to complete the vision of international integration.

“We need both the free trade area and a monetary union because the advantage is that we will be able to use one currency.  The EU has succeeded, not because it has a free trade area, but because it has a monetary union,” he said.

Biti  said the debate on the adoption of the rand union was imperative for Zimbabwe at the moment.

The problem with African countries was of illicit financial flows (IFFs), noted Biti, adding: “We receive more than $3 billion worth of aid every year, but more than $5 billion exits Africa in IFFs. If we shut down borders and plug these leakages, we will not require foreign aid,” Biti said.

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Source: AMHVoices: Political parties ignore acute pensioners’ plight – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 15, 2019

Presenting before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development on January 14, pensioners submitted that they have been prejudiced of their pension benefits for many years, with attempts to compensate them being thwarted.

Despite its shortcomings, the Justice Smith Commission report confirms the prejudice suffered by pensioners and insurance policyholders and recommended their compensation.

The Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec), the very institution that is supposed to protect pensioners, apparently abetted by officials in the Finance Ministry (the mother body), is for the umpteenth time blocking and frustrating pensioner compensation.
In essence, the problem of pensioner prejudice is a direct result of a corrupt Finance Ministry and government without appropriate checks and balances.

In their private meetings, pensioners have reported appealing to their various respective Members of Parliament, and noted that despite the noise they have been making over the years, it has (until January 14), been rare for an MP from these political parties to voluntarily and stridently call for the resolution of the pensioner problem.

Ppensioners are questioning why Zanu PF, the MDC and other political parties have not, for these many years, categorically campaigned to help out pensioners in national elections and in parliamentary debates.

The problem faced by pensioners and insurance policyholders is staggering and demands urgent attention by the legislature, the justice system (the judiciary) and by the executive (government).

Describing the scale of the problem to the Portfolio Committee, Zimbabwe Pensions and Insurance Rights Trust (ZimPIRT), a pensioner representative group, cited causes of pensioner prejudice, ranging from outright wrong benefit calculations, total disregard of pensioner rights, financial property rights, a slow and user-unfriendly justice system, overcharging of pension funds by insurance companies, irregularities in the management and regulation of pension or insurance funds, and the pensions and insurance sectors overall.

These causes have been in operation for some time, while the Finance Ministry and Ipec turn a blind eye. Consequently, ZimPIRT estimates that the pension and insurance sectors should be worth upwards of US$15 billion, as contrasted to the US$7,5 billion claimed by Ipec.
In the circumstances, the pensions and insurance sectors are inhibited and impeded by Ipec, Finance Ministry officials and government, from executing the financial intermediation role it is known to play in other progressive economies for the benefit of these economies — the two sectors are ‘suppressed’ in technical parlance.

A significant number of parliamentarians may also be prejudiced, as some members of the Portfolio Committee intimated in the meeting, and so are significant proportions of their constituencies.

Despite the clarion call from pensioners for this problem to be resolved, despite some parliamentarians and their constituencies being directly affected, pensioner prejudice, hence problems faced by pensions and insurance sectors, do not seem to feature in the election manifestos of Zanu PF, MDC and other political parties.

Political parties are not forcefully, publicly articulating the problem and their proposed solutions when they get into government, and/or the political parties do not understand the problems and would rather be mum about it, leaving it to the government of the day to do as it pleases.

As it turns out, the pensions and insurance sectors are not the only sectors ignored by parliamentarians apparently unconcerned by problems caused by inefficiencies of the executive — all other sectors such as agriculture, education, industry and technology, mining, among others, appear to be ignored by the parliamentarians and the entire political system.

Without categorical presentation of the problems brought about by the executive in the various economic sectors, and presentation of well-founded solutions to the problems, parliamentarians have been unable to usher targeted stern legislation to control actions of the executive.

Government, in turn, has floundered as officials in ministries such as Finance engage in corruption to prejudice pensioners, for instance. It is clear to every member of the public that the economy has stagnated, if not sliding back to the ravines, thanks to corruption and inefficiencies of the executive.

Failure by MPs to tackle the problems faced by pensioners is a clear sign that the political parties are out of touch with reality.
Political parties may therefore not be in touch with problems faced by their constituencies, as brought about by the inefficiencies of government. It, however, looks like the portfolio committees do not always get to appreciate the full scale of underlying problems, as they apparently rely on government information, often downplaying, even ignoring, information from public consultations with constituents.

Government, through line ministries, often takes advantage of this blind trust by parliamentary portfolio committees, and acts corruptly in self-interest against the public interest such pensioners’ compensation.

The side-stepping of pensioners’ concerns expressed in the May 2018 portfolio committee meeting, the railroading of the Justice Smith Commission report, inappropriate recommendations into the Transitional Stabilisation Programme and ultimately in the 2019 national budget, all point to the adverse effects of leaving it all to the portfolio committees.

As the portfolio committee deliberates on the resolution of pensioner prejudice, pensioners in the provinces of the country must forcefully appeal to their MPs for compensation to be processed urgently, and, in the same breath, name and shame any MPs ignoring or resisting this appeal.

Generally, members of the public adversely affected by problems caused by inefficiencies of the executive in the various economic sectors must appeal to their MPs; name and shame them if they are not forthcoming. That way, political parties whose MPs are not forthcoming should be blacklisted and prevented by voters from getting into government in the next elections.

Martin Tarusenga, Zimbabwe Pensions and Insurance Rights General Manager.

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Source: Zesa mulls massive power tariff hikes – The Zimbabwe Independent March 15, 2019

Zesa headquarters along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare.

• To charge in forex

• Govt subsidies now unsustainable

UNECONOMIC electricity tariffs and high country risk have resulted in state power utility Zesa Holdings subsidiary, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), planning massive power tariff hikes and charging in foreign currency.

By Melody Chikono

The company has lost in excess of US$120 million in potential revenue, as the state-owned firm is failing to clinch investment deals for critical projects. It has also lost over US$500 million due to uneconomic tariffs.

ZETDC — mulling huge tariff increases or charging in foreign currency any time soon — says investors are shunning the company, citing these factors.

To remain afloat in a tough economic environment, ZETDC has had to pursue various options which include levying a forex tariff on clients who can afford to pay as electricity tariff subsidies become increasingly unsustainable.

The company says it is failing to attain financial closure on vital projects that are meant to bring stability to the grid, and also to the sub-transmission.

The state-owned power utility has incurred cumulative losses amounting to $524 million since dollarisation emanating from a non-cost-reflective tariff, and losses of $9 million per year due to a shortage of transformers, while saddled with a US$71 million import bill. It is also reeling from a $3,6 million loss due to theft and vandalism.

The company’s corporate commercial services manager, Richard Mariwa, told businessdigest on the sidelines of an Energy Outlook 2019 Dialogue in Harare on Wednesday that the entity is technically insolvent and in need of foreign currency as well as an upward tariff review to be able to meet its requirements. The country’s tariff has been further eroded by the introduction on February 20 of inter-bank forex trading to about US$0,03 per kWh, the cheapest in southern Africa.

Mariwa pointed out that the two issues are stalling the implementation of potentially viable investment projects.

“We can safely say in terms of the potential investment that we stand to lose from tariffs that are not properly dimensioned is quite significant. That and the high country risk have really affected some of our critical projects. We have some projects that we want some assistance with to bring stability to the grid, and also to the sub-transmission,” Mariwa said.

“Those are the major projects that are right now being stalled, we have not gone to financial closure because of those two issues.
Because once financial closure has not been reached, the project now stands on a 50-50 chance, it’s either you get it through or lose it. We are talking about projects in excess of US$120 million. We are getting the proposals but we have to go through the motions of whether we are able to repay, what are the tarrifs and so on. That’s where the mechanics of things really come in.”

He added that the low confidence drives away potential investors for critical projects such as reticulation, network refurbishment and expansion.

Mariwa said the recent February 20 Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) has reduced the electricity tariff to ridiculous levels.
“US0,003 cents is ridiculous. For now we are saying if we can go back to US9,3 cents it will give us relief. But then we now need to look at all the other factors. Remember we are looking at Hwange 7 and 8, we are also working on other components that has foreign currency elements,” Mariwa said.

“We also need to factor the interest payable when we come up with a tariff. We can then work on how it is going to be affected based on the MPS. Maybe we will then say let’s maintain it, while we give relief to customers or we might then want a small increase. All that is being worked on and by the end of the month we will be able to bring back the proposal to customers,”.

Marima said ZETDC is considering charging a larger number of customers in forex to help reduce the company’s debt.

“We will get a component of the bill which we can say can they settle in forex and these are things we are grappling with. If we are able to get some forex, we will then be able to pay some of the creditors some of the money, we will purchase a few commodities as well as assist our sister company to recapitalise some of the operations. We will also be able to maintain service,” he said.

ZETDC has made several proposals to increase the electricity tariff, citing uncompetitive pricing, but it has been rebuffed by the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority.

Last month, government approved the merging of various units of Zesa into a vertically integrated company, with the subsidiary companies becoming divisions of the new enterprise.

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