Zimbabwe experiencing massive power cuts

By Tichaona Sibanda
30 January 2006

Zimbabwe has been paralysed in the last two weeks by continous power-cuts.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) told the press in Harare that the current blackouts were part of load shedding plans as they battle to ration power available in the country.

One affected consumer, Lee Nkosana, said in the last year Zimbabweans had become accustomed to power cuts but rarely on such a devastating scale.

The power cuts have also come at a time when millions of Zimbabweans will be glued to their televisions every night following the ongoing African Cup of Nations from Egypt, where the Warriors are taking part.

‘This has forced ZBC to screen the matches twice a day to try and appease those who missed the live broadcasts through power cuts,’ said Nkosana.

He said the outages usually start in the morning or early evening when demand for electricity is at it’s highest. In most cases the blackouts last for 4 hours and are on a daily basis.

Nkosana said millions of soccer mad Zimbabweans, struggling industries and public services are experiencing enormous inconvenience and discomfort.

‘This puts who ever is responsible for this mess on a collision course with angry consumers like myself,’ fumed Nkosana.