For Zimbabweans, the joke is that the suffering continues. Only the denizens making that joke can explain what they are going through. Twenty-four hours make a day. Zimbabweans are out of power for 19 hours of that time.
Their case is not an isolated one, of course, but it counts as one of the worst on the continent. The Kariba dam, which supplies power to most of the country, has dried up and now denizens of the impoverished country are experiencing power cuts of about 19 hours a day.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa acknowledged the situation in his weekly column when he stated that the dam generates almost half of our power needs, which is why a reduction in its generation capacity immediately registers throughout our economy and in the lives of Zimbabweans.
The current situation has been described as one of the worst since 2019. It is affecting several areas and sectors in the country, with traffic lights in the capital Harare no longer working. Mobile base stations are also affected as batteries used to power them have run out.
Now, many businesses have taken to using generating sets to power their businesses as there is no assurance of power from the dam.
