Zimbabwe Promised, But No Delivery

Zimbabwe’s Energy and Power Development Minister Elias Mudzuri had announced that the country’s scheduled power outages, known as load shedding, would cease from June 11 to July 11 during the World Cup. And as the World Cup got underway with the opening match between the host country, South Africa, playing Mexico, many parts of Zimbabwe went black.

Zimbabwe needs 2,000 MW daily, but currently generates below 1,000 MW while three small thermal power stations at Harare, Munyati, and Bulawayo need $150 million to become fully operational again. In March, Zimbabwe’s power utility Zesa Holdings received $132 million in loans and grants from the African Development Bank and the Development Bank of Southern Africa for infrastructure rehabilitation pending approval of repayment conditions.

The southern African country must rely on imports for the balance of its power generation needs. However, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) is reported to have fallen behind on its bills, particularly owing Mozambique’s HCB.

Now another problem is hitting Zesa as customers are withholding payment saying they will not pay for such an unsatisfactory service. This is only going to compound Zesa’s problems as well as the backlash hitting the Ministry. Perhaps it is time for the country to start looking for further implementation of renewable energy sources to decrease Zesa’s load.

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