ZESA Gets New Board As Government Consolidates Power Utilities Into One Entity
By Desire Tshuma
ZESA has entered a new era.
Harare – The government, through the Mutapa Investment Fund, has appointed an 11-member Board of Directors for ZESA (Private) Limited, effective 1 April 2026, following the merger of the country’s three main power entities into a single vertically integrated utility.
In a public notice signed by Group Legal Advisor and Corporate Secretary Mr. T. Chinhengo, ZESA announced the consolidation of ZESA Holdings, the Zimbabwe Power Company and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company into one company operating as ZESA (Private) Limited.
The restructuring is part of broader government efforts to streamline operations, cut costs and improve electricity supply ahead of the 2030 target for total electrification and universal access.
Mr. Albert Joel Nduna will chair the new board, with Ms. Ntokozo Mkandla as Vice Chairperson. The other appointed directors are Mr. Tawanda Ernest Denhere, Mrs. Matilda Nyathi, Mr. Sugar Chagonda, Mr. Cassius Gambinga, Mrs. Theresa Muchinguri, Eng. Nomusa Jowah and Ms. Nyasha Hazel Muvirimi.
The executive team on the board will be led by Eng. Cletus Nyachowe as Group Chief Executive Officer, with Eng. Jan Albert Obeholzer serving as Chief Operating Officer.
ZESA said the new board’s oversight will be “central to advancing the Government’s aspiration” of meeting Vision 2030 goals and transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
The merger brings together generation, transmission and distribution under one roof. ZPC has been responsible for power generation, while ZETDC handled transmission and distribution. ZESA Holdings previously acted as the holding company.
Industry analysts say a unified structure could help address chronic challenges including load shedding, ageing infrastructure, and debt. But it also puts significant pressure on the new board to deliver tangible improvements to consumers who have long faced power cuts and tariff increases.
In the notice, ZESA extended appreciation to the Shareholder and congratulated the new appointees, noting their role in steering the utility through what it called “a new chapter in governance and strategic direction.”
The appointments were made pursuant to General Notice 1193 of 2026.
For millions of Zimbabweans, the test will now be whether one ZESA can keep the lights on.
