CABLE manufacturer Cafca Limited has commissioned a 1,2 megawatt (MW) solar plant in Harare for US$1 million, a move expected to reduce the company’s electricity bill by about 30%.
The investment is part of the firm’s strategy to lower production costs, improve manufacturing efficiencies, and remain competitive against imported products following regulatory changes that opened the market to more foreign competition.
The project, unveiled yesterday, also comes in response to Statutory Instrument (SI) 157 of 2024, which added several products — including cables — to the Open General Import Licence (OGIL) schedule. OGIL allows the importation of most goods without the need for specific import licences or permits.
Speaking at solar plant’s unveiling, Cafca operations executive Godfrey Mavera said the investment aimed at lowering production costs and benefiting customers.
“We have commissioned a 1MW plant on the AC side, and it’s 1,16MW power at peak, which we commissioned in March 2026. It was motivated by our drive to reduce factory recoveries so that we can pass that benefit to the end user in the marketplace,” he said.
“Because we face competition from imports—we are the only cable manufacturer in Zimbabwe, but competition comes from imports—that motivated us to install a solar plant, which would then offset our electricity.”
Mavera said the solar installation now covers roughly 30% of the company’s electricity needs.
“Self-consumption is coming, with 30% now covered by the solar plant, which reduces our total electricity bill by about 30%,” he said.
- Cafca export volumes fall
- Cafca records 444% increase in income
- Cafca sees 3% decline in sales volumes in Q1
- Cable demand strong: Cafca
Keep Reading
He added that electricity was one of the company’s four main cost drivers, alongside labour, repairs and maintenance and production costs.
Cafca expects the investment to pay for itself within three to three-and-a-half years.
“That plant cost us about US$1 million, which will be paid for in a period of three to three and a half years. A solar plant works for 25 years,” Mavera said.
“From year four, we will realise the true benefits after paying off what we put into the plant. So basically, in layman’s terms, it’s about 2 000 solar panels on a rooftop.”
Cafca sales and marketing executive Brazil Makoni said excess electricity generated by the solar plant would be exported to the national grid under a net-metering framework.
“So, out of what we generate through solar, not all of it is consumed because it depends on the load during the day. You get your peak production of solar energy from around 11am to around 4pm,” he said.
“What it produces sometimes is not used because it depends on what you are running in the factory, so the balance of it is exported into the Zesa grid.”
Despite the expected energy savings, rising raw material costs continue to pressure product prices and consumer demand, while foreign currency shortages remain a challenge for importing key inputs.
