Zimbabwe is currently being hit by persistent blackouts which are affecting the whole country, as the financially crippled power utility, ZESA Holdings is taking time to resolve the problem which is mainly affecting business and general day to day activities, on the back of a major power shortage in the Southern African region.

Zimbabwe Power Cuts

From Saturday during the weekend, the entire country went into total darkness and quietness as electricity supply was suddenly cut.

Supplies temporarily resumed on Monday in Harare's CBD before there was a blackout on Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, in the capital city Harare, most businesses and industries temporarily halted operations owing to the major power cut. Workers were being ordered to go back home.

In Harare, electricity supply only resumed at around 3 pm on Tuesday. A survey indicated that during that time, some parts of the CBD and suburbs in and around the city still had no power supplies.

Today (Wednesday), power is available in the CBD, but most suburbs’ have no supplies.

ZESA sources say the situation has been worsened by the fact that electricity imports have been cut, especially by the country's neighbours."

"For example, this month Mozambique reduced supplies to Zimbabwe whilst also we no longer receive any supplies from South Africa's Eskom- which is reportedly struggling to normally supply its nation," he said.

State radio quoted ZESA chief executive officer, Ben Rafemoyo as saying the problem emanated from Zambia and spread south, affecting Zimbabwe and Botswana in which his firm was working flat out to get the situation back to normal.

"A system disturbance occurred on the electricity grid linking most of Southern Africa to a common grid, plunging most parts of Zimbabwe into darkness from Saturday night," he said.

The Zimbabwe Gazette can reveal there was panic among many locals who had no idea of what was happening. Most people emphasised the power cuts will certainly cripple the manufacturing industry, which is the country's main driver of the economy.

On Tuesday, Elias Chirenda, an employee in Harare's CBD indicated it is early in the morning and workers at his firm were being asked to go back home.

"Are we not going to wait for supply to resume? Does this mean we are going to have this power cut for a longer period of time or ZESA is no longer capable of providing the country with electricity?"

"This has never happened in my eyes and the situation is very frightening," he said.

Congestion became the order of the day as traffic lights were not working. Policemen could be seen at most intersections controlling traffic.

Last year, economists, analysts and major power utilities in Southern Africa predicted a major power shortage in the region.

One worker at a manufacturing firm in the capital said workers spent the whole day sitting and having discussions at work whilst waiting for electricity supplies to resume.

"After lunch, there still wasn’t any electricity supply so we were then told to just make deliveries and go home."

"We hope supplies will resume soon, so we can also make money especially through working overtime," he said.

By the beginning of this year, ZESA confirmed it started exporting 40 megawatts of power to Namibia under the NamPower contract.

Also during the first week of 2008, Mozambican power utilities Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) and Electrica de Mozambique suspended supplies to Zimbabwe over a ballooning debt. The firms exported about 300MW to Zimbabwe contrary to the 1 500 mega-watts required by Zimbabwe daily.

"The situation can get back to normal soon, but this will not mean the country will then stop having power cuts."

"Power cuts will continue until certain debts are settled and the country secures more electricity imports from outside as our own Hwange and Kariba stations cannot fully supply the entire country," adds the ZESA source.

ZESA is reported to have recently reduced its debt to the firms by US$7 million bringing to US$35 million the amount it has paid to Hidroelectrica de Mozambique and Electrica de Mozambique. In November last year, ZESA paid a total of US$28 million it owed the power firms.

On Monday this week, Namibia's power utility, NamPower, dismissed claims that the US$40 million loan it advanced to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) under the Power Purchase Agreement had been written off.

NamPower's response comes in light of recent media reports saying the power utility had written off the multi-million-dollar loan it gave to Zimbabwe Electricity and Transmission Company (ZETCO)'s holding company, ZESA, for the refurbishment of four units at the coal-powered Hwange Power Station.

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