Mnangagwa Removes Energy Minister

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who keeps on making piecemeal changes to his ineffective cabinet team presiding the current economic woes, has removed Energy minister Edgar Moyo, replacing him with July Moyo amid prolonged power outages which have badly affected households and companies; the already struggling economy.

Edgar Moyo, a relatively unknown quantity in politics, is now Public Service minister.

Zimbabwe is facing severe electricity problems, with power cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day.

The country’s peak demand for electricity is 1 850MW, but its current capacity is way below 1 200MW.

This has resulted in widespread load-shedding, affecting households, businesses, and even critical services like hospitals, water supply and internet connectivity.

The situation is expected to persist during the new year, 2025, with the government saying it is currently working on a roadmap to address the deepening energy crisis .

The plan involves increasing power generation through a mix of fossil fuels and green energy projects, with the private sector playing a key role.

The impact of the power cuts has been devastating.Companies have lost millions of dollars due to the electricity shortages, with the mining sector projected to lose US$500 million.