Econet have quietly introduced a ZESA on credit option on their USSD menu. This means that if you have an Econet line and you are low on units and cannot buy electricity for some reason like run out of money or maybe you run afoul of the RBZ’s new paltry $5000 ZWL daily limit you can use this option to top.

First there are some conditions. Your Econet line has to be in good standing i.e. you should not have unpaid airtime credit and you should be regulary using and recharging the line with airtime you know like a normal person. You also need to have airtime of $10 ZWL or less. For some reason you cannot get ZESA on credit if you have more airtime than this.

How to get ZESA on credit?

Dial *179#
Select ZESA on credit
If you don’t qualify you will get an error and won’t be able to proceed
If you qualify follow the other prompts such as entering your meter number
You will be given a token worth $50 ZWL
You will be charged about 26% interest. A bit steep but for the amounts involved this is not too bad although it does sound usurious.

The amount you have to repay can be seen by dialling *179# selecting Option 2 and then selecting Balance Enquiry. The amount owing will appear as airtime credit to you.