ZESA Witches Off State House – Eduzim News

By Political Reporter- Harare was plunged into darkness Monday night as a widespread power blackout engulfed the Central Business District (CBD), including critical government facilities such as State House, Zimbabwe House, and the President’s Office.

The unannounced power cut, lasting over two hours, has highlighted Zimbabwe’s worsening energy crisis and its far-reaching consequences.

The outage, which struck at 10 p.m., left the capital eerily silent and shrouded in inky blackness, with faint glimmers of light from generators and solar installations punctuating the city’s skyline.

Landmarks like the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe building became shadowy silhouettes, while lifeless streets and blacked-out traffic lights revealed the city’s vulnerability to its collapsing infrastructure.

This latest blackout comes on the heels of an embarrassing power failure at the New Parliament Building in Mt. Hampden last month, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s budget speech was interrupted.

Instead of holding the government accountable, Parliament issued an apology to Mnangagwa, sparking public criticism and questions about misplaced priorities.

Zimbabwe’s energy crisis has become a national emergency, costing the economy an estimated US$1.6 billion annually and reducing GDP by 6.1%, according to the World Bank.

The country’s main power plants—Hwange Thermal Power Station and the Kariba Hydroelectric Plant—are crumbling under the weight of outdated infrastructure.

Kariba, with an installed capacity of 1,050 MW, now contributes a meager 200 MW due to low water levels, while Hwange remains plagued by frequent breakdowns despite expansions.

Experts warn that without urgent action, Zimbabwe’s energy woes will worsen, leaving citizens and businesses to endure more frequent and prolonged outages.

Proposed solutions include modernizing infrastructure, incentivizing independent power producers, and aggressively investing in renewable energy such as solar.

However, progress has been slow, and festive season blackouts threaten to compound the struggles of an already burdened population.

-Online

Related