By Harry Taruva
Econet Founder and Group Chairman Strive Masiyiwa has castigated and blamed the Mugabe led government for corruption that contributed to Zimbabwe’s perennial power shortages.
The Econet billionaire revealed how he tried to solve the country’s power shortages through a 250million dollar project contributing 500mw to the national grid. The plan was meant to secure power supply for Econet base stations in the country while augmenting the country’s power shortages.
According to Masiyiwa during the Mugabe era, Econet approached Zesa with a plan that would unlock funds for Zesa to build new power generation facilities with Econet underwriting the loan but the project hit a brick wall as some senior executives turned around trying to convince Strive to form a private company that included their relatives then Masiyiwa would fund it secretly arguing that since he was unpopular with government,his project wouldnot see the light of day.
” You provide 100% funding and give me 51% for free” one of the senior Zesa executives reportedly told Masiyiwa.
At this Econet withdrew the offer and that was it.
The Econet Founder however gave the Mnangagwa led government a vote of confidence in 2018 describing the Zimbabwe leader as sincere and genuine in trying to solve Zimbabwe problems. Masiyiwa also called for the removal of sanctions and giving Zimbabwe a chance to progress under the government of ED Mnangagwa.