Zimbabweans next week celebrate the Christmas holiday in the dark, thanks to years of glaring failure to plan by the government and the power utility.
For the third consecutive year, the merrymaking will be subdued.
The 2020 and 2021 merrymaking was hampered significantly by the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic that forced Zimbabweans indoors and shrunk the celebratory space.
Not that the pandemic has been defeated. The increase in new infections in China means that we should not lower the guard and it is still a long way out of the woods.
Back to the power cuts. The reduced generation at Kariba on low water levels and the dismal performance of other power sources have left households in the dark and companies running on expensive diesel-powered generators.
The situation has been worsened by faults which multiply every time it rains. There is no doubt that power cuts are the Grinch that stole Christmas.
For companies, this has become the toughest last leg of the year. While they were finding their footing and limping towards possible recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the power cuts showed up and indicate a possible gloom.
Households bear the brunt of the power cuts as they are forced to use other sources. Those that had planned ahead for the holidays have had to throw away rotting meat and other perishables.
The power utility will say it cannot be blamed for the low water levels. Granted, it takes the flak for putting all its eggs in one basket—Kariba.
Despite Zimbabwe experiencing plenty of sunshine during the year, it has not been harnessed. A number of companies and households have turned to solar. One would expect the power utility to champion that. It is still counting the costs after US$5m went down the drain in the Gwanda solar project.
The thermal power stations have underperformed due to constant breakdowns resulting from years of underinvestment in new equipment.
With South Africa in the dark and Zambia also experiencing power cuts, the region is in trouble.
There is light at the end of the tunnel: Mozambique can supply us. In the absence of firm contracts, there is no guarantee that it will supply Zimbabwe.
The devastating effects of the power cuts should jolt authorities into action. It is no longer business as usual, especially as power consuming projects such as the stainless steel project in Manhize and the lithium mine in Goromonzi come on board in the next two years.
As we come to the end of a gruelling year, we are grateful to our advertisers for walking with us even in this dark period.
We could have struggled without such invaluable support.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy 2023.
