With both the government and families battling to pay electricity bills, many children now do their homework by candlelight. For the last month, as soon as the sun goes down at six o'clock, candles are lit so they can settle down to complete their assignments. It is only after they have gone to bed that the electricity comes on - usually at around 22:00 local time. The children then have to be woken the next morning before 05:00 if they want a warm breakfast, as that is when the blackout starts again. It could be their only hot meal of the day.
It is like that in most households unless you have invested in solar power or a generator - but the latter is difficult to rely on because of severe gasoline shortages and long queues at garages. Other people have resorted to wood to cope with the 18-hour daily blackouts - which can be purchased from the roadside vendors who, quick to spot a business opening, now populate the roads leading to residential areas with their bundles of logs. However, this means deforestation is now on the rise.
The electricity rationing is also crippling the economy and robbing people of sleep. People are now doing their ironing after 22:00, when they should be heading to their beds, or staying up late into the early hours to cook meals for their family. And many businesses that rely on electricity have resorted to working a night shift. You now see artisans such as welders and carpenters heading out to work in the evening to make the most of the seven hours of electricity.
Recently, the country's biggest mobile phone operator, Econet, shutdown for more than six hours thanks to a blackout after its own generators failed - this affected all those who were out doing their weekly shopping as millions rely on mobile money to pay-- as cash is still in short supply here.
Such prolonged blackouts are a big threat to production in the mining and agriculture sectors-- which is especially alarming, as mining contributes a huge chunk to Zimbabwe's foreign currency earnings - something the country, which imports nearly everything, desperately needs.
Farmers also complain that it is hard to irrigate crops - which they need to do in this winter season when there is no rain. And it is the lack of rain that the government blames for these problems. The country has one hydropower plant - Kariba - but it is failing to supply its usual amount of electricity because of low water levels caused by drought. It now only generating 358MW instead of its usual 1,050MW. Zimbabwe needs 1,700MW each day to meet demand. A coal-fired power plant in Hwange is also facing problems caused by its ageing and crumbling infrastructure, only three of its six units are operational.
Zesa, the state power firm, which would usually have been able to buy electricity from its neighbors in such circumstances, has been unable to do so because it has failed to pay its outstanding bills - it owes $83m to South Africa and Mozambique. Zesa also blames its cash-strapped customers for failing to pay their bills and it has proposed that mining firms pay for their electricity in U.S. dollars.
The most recent figures suggest inflation has risen sharply over the last year. In May it was 98% and by June, annual inflation stood at 176%. So, the trend is not encouraging. Solar power is definitely the country's one growth area - panels and such gadgets are mushrooming on rooftops. Yet it seems Zimbabweans will have to continue operating in the dark for some time to come.
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