Government Orders ZESA To Exempt SADC Venues From Load Shedding
The government has instructed the national power utility, ZESA Holdings, through its subsidiary ZETDC, to ensure that selected venues do not experience load shedding during SADC meetings.
This directive comes as ZETDC is currently implementing widespread power outages across most parts of the country, with blackouts lasting from around 6 AM to 9 PM daily.
Furthermore, the roads to be used by the visiting VIPs have been carefully refurbished and lined with palm trees, effectively concealing the potholes that scar the majority of roads throughout the country.
In a memorandum addressed to ZESA CEO Sydney Gata, Energy and Power Development Permanent Secretary, Gloria Magombo, provided a list of the key events and their respective venues leading up to the SADC heads of state summit on August 17th.
The venues that should be exempted from load shedding during the meetings include the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), the New Parliament Building, and the University of Zimbabwe. Wrote Magombo on 24 July 2024:
The ministry is therefore requesting ZESA through ZETDC to ensure uninterrupted power supply at the above-mentioned venues during the SADC summit period.
The events are as follows:
- 7th SADC Industrialisation Week (28 July – 02 August), at HICC.
- Senior Officials and Finance Committee Meeting (08 – 11 August), at New Parliament Building.
- SADC Council of Ministers Meeting (13 -14 August), at New Parliament Building
- SADC and BADEA Investment Forum (14 August), at HICC
- SADC Public Lecture (15 August), at the University of Zimbabwe Diamond Lecture Theatre,
- SADC Organ Troika Ministerial Committee and SADC Organ Troika Summit (16 August), at New Parliament Building
- 44th SADC Summit (17 August), at New Parliament Building.
Former Mt Pleasant MP Fadzai Mahere (CCC) said the directive showed that the country’s ruling elite “only care about themselves.” Said Mahere:
Zimbabwe has been reeling from rolling blackouts for over a year now. Most households and industries experience 20-hour load-shedding daily.
The government has no plan to fix the power crisis but they’re demanding special favours to mask their incompetence during the SADC summit.
As usual, they don’t care at all about how the citizens have to cope with this lack of electricity on a daily basis. They only care about themselves.
Ordinary people will experience even longer blackouts during the SADC period to accommodate incompetent elites.
Zimbabwe is currently facing a debilitating power crisis, primarily due to the depressed generation capacity at the Kariba South Power Station.
The power station, which has an installed capacity of 1,050 MW, is currently generating less than 300 MW, which is less than a third of its full output.
The Zambezi River Water Authority, the entity responsible for managing the Zambezi River and the Kariba Dam, has reduced the water allocation for power generation in response to the El Niño-induced drought.
This drought has negatively impacted the water flows into the dam, leading to a significant reduction in the available water resources for hydropower production.
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