Zimbabwe is currently experiencing significant power outages, with daily blackouts lasting up to 15 hours in some regions. The power cuts are affecting both households and businesses, leading to widespread frustration among citizens.

According to Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka, the surge in load shedding is due to outages at the Hwange power station. The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings, is struggling to meet the country’s electricity demand.

At peak times, Zimbabwe requires at least 2,200 megawatts (MW) of electricity. However, current generation levels are below 1,300 MW, leading to extensive load shedding across the nation.

Minister Masuka revealed that efforts are being made to address the issue, with two units at Hwange expected to contribute to the grid soon. “We were promised that two units will be coming on board, and the Minister of Energy and Power Development presented today that most likely those two units are already feeding into the grid,” he said.

The prolonged power cuts have sparked frustration among Zimbabweans, who have taken to social media to voice their concerns. “Ndambozama kunyarara but using $20 every day to buy diesel so we can operate during the day using a generator is not a joke,” tweeted @hatiperi_wacho.

According to Minister Masuka, current power generation stands at approximately 1,400 MW per day, supplemented by electricity imports. Despite these efforts, the supply remains insufficient to meet the daily maximum demand of 1,825 MW.