news“Power to the People” – an old song that needs new words as millions of Zimbabweans live their lives in the dark
No Power to the People . . . women in Zimbabwe face the daily ordeal of feeding families without electricity. But the lights go on when fat-cat politicians spout nonsense about how they care for the povo, the raison d’etre of the long struggle for freedom after the end of all white rule in Africa.
Mehr Licht (more light) were Wolfgang Goethe’s last words. Millions of Zimbabweans echo the final request of Germany’s greatest writer at a time when fat-cat and increasingly remote politicians from ruling parties tell the struggling povo that it’s not their fault when the lights go out and that people should stop complaining and learn to live most of their waking hours in the dark. ANGUS SHAW reports –
Harare, Zimbabwe (November 30, 2024) – – – How does it feel when extreme weather events cut off electricity to a few million households though it soon will be restored? Spare a thought, then, for those of us who face blackouts for up to 18 hours every day. If at all, the power comes on in the dead of night.
It has been happening for years. In African climates, God Giveth What Bent Politicians Hath Taken Away: Solar. But it’s costly to install, well out of the reach of most. The cost of battery storage for the sun’s rays is the real killer. And batteries often need mainline electricity to top them up after overcast or rainy days.
Yet during this month’s 5-day regional summit of SADC (the Southern Africa Development Community of 16 member states) round-the-clock power supplies went uninterrupted.
As soon as presidents and their hangers-on caught their private jets home BANG! Complete darkness again, caused this time by faults and “instability” on the antiquated national grid, officials of the state electricity monopoly said.
No one explained why there were no outages during the summit. Or from where the power came from so that visiting African heads of state could be lied to that everything in the economy is hunky-dory.
The summit itself was as ineffectual as the local electricity utility.
It was billed as convened to address security concerns across the sub-continent. Nothing tangible came out of it other than to renew the region’s failed mediation and peace keeping mission to the long-troubled Congo (DRC) for another year.
Police brutality is common in many African countries, not just in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
Unprecedented rioting across our border in Mozambique after recent disputed elections got scant attention.
Instead, delegates applauded FRELIMO, the ruling party there since independence in 1974, for its latest victory at the polls.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out what might have gone wrong for so long. Old pals in charge? Gerontocracy (rule by oldies clinging to office and to their outdated liberation ideologies)?
Neighbour Botswana’s new President Duma Boko, 54, a Harvard graduate, is the first black African born after his country’s independence (1966) to win an election.
Mozambique’s rioting and tyre-burning – at least 20 protesters were killed in the police crackdown – seem to show new generations are finally fed up with endless monolithic rule.
The average age of Africa’s longest rulers is 78.
Will a new dawn bring a glimmer of light at last?
Apart from the enormous costs in lost production, the incessant blackouts cripple traffic signals (known locally as robots), worsening already chaotic driving and to Zimbabwe’s ranking as the third most dangerous country on the roads, according to this motoring survey based on accident and fatality statistics.
Emmerson Mnangagwa (with scarf) leader of Zanu (PF) . . .
They were seen as bright sparks in 1980 . . . Today , they are flat batteries whose cell by date is long gone.
On November 28, 2024 the Zimbabwe Mail published this report.
A dramatic moment unfolded in Zimbabwe’s Parliament on Thursday as Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube was delivering the final remarks of his 2025 national budget speech. The chamber was abruptly plunged into darkness due to power outages caused by ZESA’s ongoing load-shedding crisis.
The blackout, which left legislators and attendees scrambling in the dark, came as Minister Ncube outlined the government’s vision for economic recovery and growth. Amid the confusion, President Emmerson Mnangagwa exited the chamber, navigating through the darkness while opposition Members of Parliament seized the opportunity to chant, “State of affairs!”
The incident has sparked widespread criticism, with opposition parties and civil society groups labelling it a symbolic reflection of Zimbabwe’s current economic and infrastructural challenges.
Zimbabwe has been grappling with persistent power shortages, with load-shedding schedules affecting homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure, including Parliament. The national power utility, ZESA, has attributed the crisis to aging infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and disruptions at the Kariba Hydro Power Station due to low water levels.
The power outages have become a flashpoint for criticism of the government’s handling of essential services. Opposition leaders argue that the incident highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reforms and investments in the energy sector to address the growing electricity demand.