Opinion / Columnist
What we experience in Zimbabwe is no longer load shedding - It's an energy crisis
13 hrs ago | Views
Downplaying the gravity of a crisis may offer short-term comfort, but in the long run, it only deepens the problem.
In Zimbabwe today, the term "load shedding" has become a household phrase - repeated so often and so casually that it has lost the urgency it once carried.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
Power outages lasting up to 16 hours a day are now a regular part of life, and Zimbabweans have come to expect darkness, silence from their electrical appliances, and cold meals as part of their daily routine.
Yet we must pause and interrogate whether what we are experiencing still qualifies as load shedding in the true sense of the term, or if we are simply being lulled into accepting a permanent state of crisis as normal.
Load shedding, by its accurate definition, is a deliberate and temporary interruption of electricity supply by a power utility in order to prevent a total collapse of the power grid when demand exceeds supply.
It is a tool used in exceptional circumstances to maintain the stability of the national grid.
The operative words here are "temporary" and "exceptional."
It is not meant to be a daily occurrence, nor is it meant to be prolonged.
It is a stop-gap measure to manage short-term challenges - not a permanent solution to chronic problems.
In Zimbabwe, however, load shedding has become so frequent, so entrenched, and so prolonged that the word no longer captures the severity of the crisis we are enduring.
When electricity is switched off nearly every day for an average of 16 hours, it can no longer be described as a temporary inconvenience.
It is an indication of a collapsing energy sector, one that has been left to decay through years of underinvestment, mismanagement, corruption, and neglect.
Calling it load shedding is dangerously misleading because it suggests a level of control and normalcy that simply does not exist.
To continue using the term "load shedding" under these conditions is to sugarcoat a national catastrophe.
It implies that the power utility still has the ability to manage and rotate outages in a fair and systematic manner.
But in reality, many areas go without power for entire days, while others are seemingly spared.
Essential services suffer.
Businesses lose revenue as they can not afford alternative power sources.
Children are forced to study by candlelight or fail to study at all.
This is not load shedding.
This is energy starvation.
It is economic sabotage.
In countries with functional governments and accountable power utilities, load shedding is rare and short-lived.
It is handled transparently, with clear schedules and regular communication to the public.
The goal is always to restore full supply as quickly as possible, and authorities feel compelled to explain and justify any inconvenience caused.
In Zimbabwe, power outages have become so routine that ZESA barely bothers to explain them anymore.
The government's response is equally muted, often resorting to convenient excuses such as El Niño-induced droughts that affect hydropower generation at Kariba.
While weather patterns may contribute to temporary reductions in supply, the real causes of Zimbabwe's power crisis run much deeper.
Most of the country's electricity infrastructure was built during the colonial era and has been allowed to age without proper upgrades or maintenance.
Decades of underinvestment, mismanagement, and corruption have left power stations like Hwange in a perpetual state of breakdown.
Instead of proactively addressing these structural issues, authorities continue to deflect blame, ignoring their responsibility for a crisis that is largely of their own making.
But why has the country failed to invest meaningfully in alternative sources of energy?
Why haven't existing thermal power stations been modernized or expanded to meet demand?
Why haven't solar and wind energy been seriously pursued, especially in a country blessed with abundant sunlight?
What Zimbabwe is experiencing is not load shedding - it is the manifestation of a broader failure of governance.
The prolonged blackouts are a direct result of years of policy neglect, political expediency, gross corruption, and lack of accountability.
Corruption within the energy sector has been rampant, with billions of dollars lost through inflated contracts, mismanagement, and procurement fraud.
A glaring example is the Dema Diesel Power Plant scandal, where the government awarded a multi-million-dollar emergency power generation contract - without public tender - to a company linked to politically connected individuals.
The deal was not only overpriced but also unsustainable and riddled with operational inefficiencies.
Similarly, efforts to rehabilitate Hwange Power Station have been marred by inflated costs and procurement irregularities, as cited in numerous Auditor-General's reports.
Equipment is often sourced at several times its market value, while contractors are paid in advance for work that is either delayed or never completed.
These corrupt dealings have crippled the sector, diverting funds that could have modernized Zimbabwe's power infrastructure or expanded generation capacity.
Instead, citizens are left in the dark - both literally and figuratively - while a few individuals enrich themselves at the expense of national progress.
Even worse, this reflects the contempt with which those in power regard the everyday suffering of ordinary citizens.
Electricity has become a luxury in a country that once had one of the most reliable energy supplies in the region.
This regression is unacceptable.
We must stop normalizing this suffering by hiding it under sanitized terms like "load shedding."
We must name the problem for what it truly is: an energy crisis driven by systemic dysfunction.
Until we call things by their rightful names, we will remain trapped in a language that numbs our outrage and delays our demand for real change.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
In Zimbabwe today, the term "load shedding" has become a household phrase - repeated so often and so casually that it has lost the urgency it once carried.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
Power outages lasting up to 16 hours a day are now a regular part of life, and Zimbabweans have come to expect darkness, silence from their electrical appliances, and cold meals as part of their daily routine.
Yet we must pause and interrogate whether what we are experiencing still qualifies as load shedding in the true sense of the term, or if we are simply being lulled into accepting a permanent state of crisis as normal.
Load shedding, by its accurate definition, is a deliberate and temporary interruption of electricity supply by a power utility in order to prevent a total collapse of the power grid when demand exceeds supply.
It is a tool used in exceptional circumstances to maintain the stability of the national grid.
The operative words here are "temporary" and "exceptional."
It is not meant to be a daily occurrence, nor is it meant to be prolonged.
It is a stop-gap measure to manage short-term challenges - not a permanent solution to chronic problems.
In Zimbabwe, however, load shedding has become so frequent, so entrenched, and so prolonged that the word no longer captures the severity of the crisis we are enduring.
When electricity is switched off nearly every day for an average of 16 hours, it can no longer be described as a temporary inconvenience.
It is an indication of a collapsing energy sector, one that has been left to decay through years of underinvestment, mismanagement, corruption, and neglect.
Calling it load shedding is dangerously misleading because it suggests a level of control and normalcy that simply does not exist.
To continue using the term "load shedding" under these conditions is to sugarcoat a national catastrophe.
It implies that the power utility still has the ability to manage and rotate outages in a fair and systematic manner.
But in reality, many areas go without power for entire days, while others are seemingly spared.
Essential services suffer.
Businesses lose revenue as they can not afford alternative power sources.
Children are forced to study by candlelight or fail to study at all.
This is not load shedding.
This is energy starvation.
It is economic sabotage.
In countries with functional governments and accountable power utilities, load shedding is rare and short-lived.
It is handled transparently, with clear schedules and regular communication to the public.
The goal is always to restore full supply as quickly as possible, and authorities feel compelled to explain and justify any inconvenience caused.
The government's response is equally muted, often resorting to convenient excuses such as El Niño-induced droughts that affect hydropower generation at Kariba.
While weather patterns may contribute to temporary reductions in supply, the real causes of Zimbabwe's power crisis run much deeper.
Most of the country's electricity infrastructure was built during the colonial era and has been allowed to age without proper upgrades or maintenance.
Decades of underinvestment, mismanagement, and corruption have left power stations like Hwange in a perpetual state of breakdown.
Instead of proactively addressing these structural issues, authorities continue to deflect blame, ignoring their responsibility for a crisis that is largely of their own making.
But why has the country failed to invest meaningfully in alternative sources of energy?
Why haven't existing thermal power stations been modernized or expanded to meet demand?
Why haven't solar and wind energy been seriously pursued, especially in a country blessed with abundant sunlight?
What Zimbabwe is experiencing is not load shedding - it is the manifestation of a broader failure of governance.
The prolonged blackouts are a direct result of years of policy neglect, political expediency, gross corruption, and lack of accountability.
Corruption within the energy sector has been rampant, with billions of dollars lost through inflated contracts, mismanagement, and procurement fraud.
A glaring example is the Dema Diesel Power Plant scandal, where the government awarded a multi-million-dollar emergency power generation contract - without public tender - to a company linked to politically connected individuals.
The deal was not only overpriced but also unsustainable and riddled with operational inefficiencies.
Similarly, efforts to rehabilitate Hwange Power Station have been marred by inflated costs and procurement irregularities, as cited in numerous Auditor-General's reports.
Equipment is often sourced at several times its market value, while contractors are paid in advance for work that is either delayed or never completed.
These corrupt dealings have crippled the sector, diverting funds that could have modernized Zimbabwe's power infrastructure or expanded generation capacity.
Instead, citizens are left in the dark - both literally and figuratively - while a few individuals enrich themselves at the expense of national progress.
Even worse, this reflects the contempt with which those in power regard the everyday suffering of ordinary citizens.
Electricity has become a luxury in a country that once had one of the most reliable energy supplies in the region.
This regression is unacceptable.
We must stop normalizing this suffering by hiding it under sanitized terms like "load shedding."
We must name the problem for what it truly is: an energy crisis driven by systemic dysfunction.
Until we call things by their rightful names, we will remain trapped in a language that numbs our outrage and delays our demand for real change.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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