ZESA to start massive load-shedding on 1 June… Owes $43 million in power imports

If ZESA does not pay for power it imports from South Africa, massive load shedding might kick in about a week from now, a report in the government run newspaper, The Herald, says.

Zimbabwe owes an overdue amount of  US $43 million in power imports, most of it to Eskom of South Africa from where 300 megawatts is supplied.

Early this month, Eskom wrote to ZESA advising it that “no further lenience” would be given to Zimbabwe’s national power company. Eskom said starting June , it would stop all supplying Zimbabwe with the power until the debt is settled.

ZESA is apparently currently in talks with RBZ so that the money is somehow raised to pay the debt. Zimbabwe is facing an acute shortage of forex that has seen, not only government, but private companies, fail to settle their obligations or import new products to foreign companies.

If Zimbabwe fails to raise the $43 million, this will have a huge impact on the country’s productive capacity. It will also have an impact on a citizenry that had over the past year gotten used to less power cuts.

From about December 2015 going back, Zimbabweans had to do with massive load-shedding, sometimes lasting up to 16 hours a day. Zimbabwean businesses relied on generators and solar to keep running. The uptake of solar solutions by businesses and homes had also increased significantly.