Rural councils performing better than Harare

During a Full Council meeting this week, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume expressed his frustration with fellow councillors for failing to develop a green energy plan that would pave the way for solar power utilization in the capital.

Mafume lamented that rural councils were outperforming Harare in implementing renewable energy solutions, despite the city's greater financial capacity and potential. He pointed specifically to the council's Business Committee, blaming them for the stagnation in advancing solar energy initiatives.

"I am upset because I told people that we needed to have solar plants by now to be able to have a homegrown solution for energy," Mafume stated. "The Business Committee in its wisdom, or lack thereof, is still dilly-dallying and avoiding coming up with a decision. Now rural district councils are putting up eight-megawatt stations, and a city the size of Harare does not have a renewable energy plan."

The issue of energy scarcity has become increasingly critical for Harare, which, like much of Zimbabwe, is grappling with severe load shedding that has resulted in power blackouts lasting over 10 hours a day. The situation has been exacerbated by subdued power generation at Zimbabwe's two primary power stations, Kariba and Hwange. Many Independent Power Producers (IPPs), licensed over a year ago, have yet to commence operations or contribute meaningfully to the national grid.

In contrast, several rural councils have successfully established solar energy parks to meet their energy needs. For example, Gutu has a 5 MW solar plant, Matobo and the Industrial Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) are collaborating on a 130 MW plant, and Tsholotsho has constructed a 6 KW solar plant.

Mafume's remarks underscore the urgency for Harare to catch up with its rural counterparts in harnessing renewable energy solutions as the city continues to face an energy crisis.