Zimbabwe’s power outages are set to persist into the new year, causing massive disruptions to individuals, families and companies – economic and financial losses running into multi-millions – as shown by water supply failures that affected Bulawayo a few days.
Bulawayo water supplies from Ncema and Fernhill Booster Station, and Nyamandlovu Booster Station were disrupted due to electricity cuts on New Year’s eve, causing disruptions to all city areas.
Bulawayo already faces perennial water problems due to lack of adequate supplies and capacity.
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 well below 1 200MW.
This has resulted in widespread load-shedding, badly affecting households, businesses, and even critical services like hospitals and water utilities.
There have been power cuts even at State House and the President’s Office, showing severity of the crisis.
Last year during the national budget presentation in parliament by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was forced to walk out of the legislature in embarrassment due to a power outage.
The situation is expected to persist until at least 2025, with government working on a roadmap to address the 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 is being felt deep across various sectors, including the mining industry where there are projected losses of US$500 million in 2025 due to reduced production and revenue losses.In agriculture, tobacco farmers, a significant foreign currency earner, are struggling to complete irrigation cycles and are relying on expensive diesel-powered generators.Big companies like Delta, Innscor and Econet are relying heavily on generators, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity.
In the meantime, Zimbabweans are exploring alternative energy sources, such as solar power and liquefied petroleum gas, among others.
