The Zanu-PF party says the ongoing power shortages are due to former President Robert Mugabe’s inability to plan ahead, resulting in Zimbabwe facing an energy crisis over the last few years.
Zimbabwe’s energy supplies have been significantly curtailed after Kariba Power Station, the country’s main hydropower plant, cut generation by half due to receding water levels leaving households and industry in the dark for more than 16 hours.
In addition, the ageing equipment which usually fails to operate at the Hwange Thermal Power station has worsened the crisis.
The ruling party’s Spokesperson, Chris Mutsvabgwa laid the blame on Mugabe saying he did not adequately plan for future power generation.
“The power crisis the country is currently facing is a product of years of neglect within Zimbabwe. The mismanagement has hamfisted the economic management of the last two decades of Mugabe and his G40s. Obviously, it has a negative pull, it is retarding the speed of recovery but you cannot doubt that recovery is going on.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his administration is working to find urgent solutions.
“We urgently need to plug the current deficit through more imports. Enough resources have to be mobilized for that to happen.”
However, Harare Mayor, Jacob Mafume refuted claims by Mnangagwa that he is working on the crisis saying nothing has been done.
“They can no longer produce electricity, there is a shortage of electricity, even our water works is being affected, businesses and day to day activities are being affected. It is no longer plausible to plan around ZESA company giving us electricity. It has not happened, it will not happen,” Mafume said.
Zimbabwe needs 2 300MW per day and in the past had been producing 1 100MW. With the current crisis, it is producing 500MW, forcing elongated power cuts with home use only getting an average of five hours a day of electricity, in most cases late at night or early in the morning.
Chinese company Sinohydro is installing two new generators at Hwange, adding another 600 MW between December and early 2023.
Aside from hydropower generation, which has been affected by continuous droughts and changes in the ecosystem, the country will be looking to other power sources, such as solar, wind and methane gas.
