A blackout on Monday evening lasted for more 20 hours
into Tuesday only two days after another countrywide
blackout on Saturday.
ZESA chief executive officer, Ben Rafemoyo told The
Zimbabwean in Harare on Tuesday that in addition to
the switch off by regional suppliers, the country’s
local generation system was also in serious problems.
“We are negotiating with some of our (regional)
suppliers where we have outstanding payments and have
not been getting supplies. The situation has been
worsened by problems at Kariba and Hwange, which are
being attended to.”
Although Rafemoyo tried to downplay the crisis, The
Zimbabwean is reliably informed by sources at the
power utility that the situation is really terrible.
Eskom of South Africa is reported to have started
switching off supplies to Zimbabwe, which was slapped
with the same blow by Mozambique’s Hydroelectrica de
Cahora Bassa recently due to outstanding debts in
excess of US$150 million.
Nampower of Namibia has also declined a request by
ZESA to write-off a US$40 million debt owed by ZESA
and opts for Zimbabwe to repay through electricity
generated at Hwange.
“In addition to this, operations and Kariba and Hwange
are very low due to a number of problems, chief among
them breakdown of equipment. The country is likely to
plunge into long periods of blackouts soon,” a senior
ZESA official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Energy and Power Development minister Michael Nyambuya
told The Zimbabwean on Tuesday that the problems of
power “are affecting the whole region”, in an apparent
parroting of the official Zanu (PF) regime excuse for
the power blackouts crippling industry and commerce.
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