Nationwide power failures shut down basic services across Zambia and Zimbabwe for hours over the weekend, and Eskom said it would suspend exports to neighbouring countries amid mounting anger over power cuts that have wreaked havoc in the continent’s economic hub.
There was no immediate explanation for Saturday night’s blackout, which hit Zambia and neighbouring Zimbabwe almost simultaneously in the early evening, and it was unclear whether there was any connection.
Power was restored in Zambia about eight hours later, but long-suffering Zimbabweans remained without electricity, water, telephones and traffic signals for much of Sunday.
Power and water failures occur daily in Zimbabwe’s crumbling economy but not on a national scale. Zimbabwe state radio, running on generators, reported the failure was caused by a major breakdown but did not elaborate. The state power utility gave no explanation as power returned in some areas on Sunday afternoon.
In one apartment district in central Harare, cheering erupted when the electricity came back on, replaced by jeering and catcalling when it went off again a few minutes later.
The failure shut down automated teller machines and tills at stores and pharmacies, forcing some to close their doors an hour after opening on Sunday. Check and local credit card transactions could not be processed.
Harassed officials in Harare said a fault ”tripped” the national power grid, plunging the entire country into darkness on Saturday night.
Unofficial reports in Zambia — which relies on hydroelectricity -‒ said there appeared to be turbine problems at one of the country’s dams.
Both countries have been hit by exceptionally heavy seasonal rains, which is affecting equipment.
Power and water failures have worsened in Zimbabwe dramatically in recent weeks. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority said earlier this month it had no hard currency for imported spare parts to repair equipment dating back up to 40 years.
Zimbabwe imports about 40% of its power from regional neighbours and is in arrears in hard currency for most of the imports. It is suffering chronic shortages of hard currency, local money, food, fuel and most basic goods.
Dire shortage
Eskom said on Sunday it had stopped supplying electricity to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia because of the dire shortage at home. Normally about 95% is used locally and the rest sold abroad.
”When we don’t have enough capacity for domestic use we don’t sell electricity. There is no surplus so there are no exports,” an Eskom spokesperson told the South African Press Association.
Large parts of the country are suffering blackouts often lasting several hours. Eskom says demand is simply too high for it to keep up with, but there is mounting fury that the power cuts are unpredictable and are causing unnecessary economic losses and personal misery.
Outraged commuters set fire to six trains near Pretoria on Friday evening after being delayed for two hours due to power outages.
The Democratic Alliance said on Sunday that Eskom should cancel supply contracts with its neighbours while its domestic market was in such turmoil.
”Regardless of our contractual obligations, there can simply be no reason for South Africa to supply Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique when there is such a desperate lack of reserve capacity in our domestic market,” it said.
Veteran Zimbabwean journalist Peta Thornycroft, who is now based in South Africa, expressed surprise that South Africans should be so upset about ”only six power cuts in the last five or six days, and none longer than five hours” — compared with the eight years of disruption in Zimbabwe.
She had words of advice in the Sunday Argus for suffering South Africans, such as installing solar panels on the roof connected to a large car battery; buying paraffin fridges; and switching to gas.
”Want to know how to cope in this time of gloom?” she said. ”Ask a Zimbabwean.”
Meeting with Mbeki
Meanwhile, President Thabo Mbeki held talks with the management of Eskom at his residence in Pretoria on Sunday, said presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga.
”They briefed the president on the nature of the problem, its extent, and what it is they want to do to ameliorate the situation,” he said.
They did not discuss any specific plans.
He said the Cabinet would make a pronouncement on the issue during its lekgotla taking place in Pretoria from Tuesday to Thursday.
In the meantime, Ratshitanga reiterated the message Eskom has been at pains to drive home to consumers — use less power.
He repeated Eskom’s advice to consumers to switch off geysers and unnecessary lights.
The ANC would be looking into a number of interventions, said the party’s secretary general Gwede Mantashe
”Rather than being in a state of panic [we should] deal with the issue proactively because it is actually positive that the country is growing to the extent that we actually exhaust the energy capacity,” he said.
Instead of viewing the problem as an energy crisis, it should be seen as an indication that more efficient energy consumption was needed.
The ANC’s new spokesperson Jessie Duarte has suggested that businesses and residents might be given incentives for installing solar heating and that legislation could be implemented to ensure the use of energy-efficient light bulbs. – Sapa-AP, Sapa