Some Businesses Working At Night As Electricity Crisis Bites
Small to Medium Enterprises Association of Zimbabwe founding chairperson, Mr Farai Mutambanengwe, has bemoaned the scarcity of electricity in the country saying that it has negatively affected businesses.
His remarks come as most suburbs across the country get electricity only between 2200 hours and 0400 hours.
This is the timetable local power utility, ZESA has implemented as the scarcity of electricity deepens. ZESA attributes power shortages to dwindling water levels at Kariba Dam and obsolete machines at Hwange Thermal power station. Mutambanengwe said:
Most small businesses have been forced to work during night-time hours, which does not augur well for business.
Obviously the situation does not bode well for business because if you have no power, then you do not work.
Electricity just has to be available; it is just like water.
These remarks were echoed by Admire Mugodhi who runs a small welding enterprise that manufactures door and window frames and an assortment of other metal products. Mugodhi told the Sunday Mail that he has changed his work routine to fit the load-shedding schedule. He said:
The development has affected his business as walk-in clients have dwindled. Mugodhi also revealed that working at night has had a huge bearing on the quality of his products.
Meanwhile, others who have resorted to using generators are finding the solution u sustainable as fuel is also scarce.