No power in Harare for a week

By Tichaona Sibanda
19 October 2007

The country’s capital, Harare, is slowly grinding to a halt after large sections of the city have gone for almost a week without electricity.
Harare routinely suffers from periodic electricity outages, but this one is described by residents as one of the most extended and widespread in recent memory, according to our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa. Never before have areas in the central business district gone for a week without electricity and water, compounding the urban misery in the blistering heat at the height of the summer.
Muchemwa said the problem highlights the larger difficulties in a capital beset by crumbling infrastructure and too little electricity to keep the city functioning. This is turn has meant dry water taps as the strained electricity grid cannot provide sufficient power to run water purification and pumping stations.

‘There is consensus among even government officials that the country’s power system is near collapse,’ Muchemwa said.
Power supplies in Harare have been sporadic all year. Critical institutions like Harare and Parirenyatwa hospitals have power for just a few hours a day.
Muchemwa said nearly all residential areas in Harare have been in darkness since Monday, except Borrowdale, which is home to Robert Mugabe and most of his cabinet ministers.

‘Everyone is now blaming Zesa for the power cuts because of it’s inability to generate and import power. The state power utility has failed to service debts and foreign currency shortages have hindered its operations to a point were analysts fear the whole system is going to switch off,’ Muchemwa said. Zesa officials are not even sure when normal service will resume, predicting that the total blackout may persist into next week.

But analysts blame Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF regime for the mess the country finds itself in. Bad policies and massive corruption have seen the country’s economic situation spiralling uncontrollably downwards for the last seven years, making it almost impossible for organisations like Zesa to function.