Good afternoon. In Mozambican hospitals, it is not unusual for babies to be delivered with the help of phone torches. Schools and healthcare facilities are liable to have their electricity and water supply cut off due to not paying their utility bills. It is not just the permanently cash-starved public sector that faces this problem, either. Most of the debts to the Southern Regional Water Company are from residential and commercial clients (see below).
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Water companies and the state-owned electric utility EDM are dealing with the legacy of the post-election protests last year, when the call went out for people not to pay their utility bills as a protest against the state. For a time, the companies tolerated the non-payment without interrupting their supply, but since April and May they have begun cutting off customers. Another effect of the protests has been a loss of jobs, which has further impacted bill payment.
