From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: ZIMBABWE: ENERGY EXPERTS BLAME GOVERNMENT FOR POWER CRISIS
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 07:57:14 GMT

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, eastern
Reference: Energy
Title: ZIMBABWE: ENERGY EXPERTS BLAME GOVERNMENT FOR POWER CRISIS


an inter press service feature

by andrew zhakata

harare, sep 26 (ips) -- zimbabwe is in the grip of a critical
power crisis and energy experts argue the drought currently
ravaging the southern african country is not the only culprit.

the country needs more than 1,500 megawatts of electricity a
day and is already facing a 40 percent shortage in electrical
power.

''drought may be the main cause of our power shortfall but
the government is also to blame for its lack of forward-planning
and gross mismanagement of water resources'', says peter dale, a
engineer based in the capital, harare.

the devastating drought afflicting the entire southern africa
sub-region has drastically reduced the water level at lake
kariba -- zimbabwe's only source of hydro-electric power --
resulting in a reduction of the lake's generating capacity.

with a power crisis looming the country had no choice but to
import 140 megawatts from its northern neighbour, zambia.

but at the end of august, zambia was also hit by a power
crisis as the water supplies at its hydro-electric plant, kafue,
had begun to dwindle, forcing it to withdraw power exports
to zimbabwe.

zimbabwe has since turned to zaire to provide 120 megawatts
of electricity. plans are also underway to import 500 megawatts
from south africa.

in addition, the zimbabwe electricity supply authority (zesa)
has initiated a a stringent power rationing exercise which may
spell disaster to the country's economy .

bill moore, president of the confederation of zimbabwe
industries (czi), says because of the combined effects of
drought and power crisis, zimbabwe could suffer about 20 percent
reduction in the gross domestic product with the loss of 65,000
jobs during the next 12 months.

''it is estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 people will be
retrenched this year alone because of the power shortfall'',
moore told ips.

addressing more than 100 delegates comprising engineers,
industrialists, farmers and economists at a recent one-day
symposium on water and energy in harare, dale criticised the
government for disregarding the advice of experts. (more/ips)


zimbabwe: energy (2)

''if over the past six years our government had not ignored
advice by energy and water experts on the conservation of water,
today zimbabwe would not be in this power quagmire'', says dale.

peter robinson, a consultant economist, blames the government
for its bureaucratic delays in approving foreign currency
allocations much-needed to import spare parts and equipment for
zesa.

apart from kariba, zimbabwe depends on four coal-fired
stations for its energy. the largest of them is the hwange
thermal power station in western zimbabawe.

but according to engineers in the private sector, the
situation at hwange is ''absolutely horrifying because of the
serious shortage of spare parts.

''because of the bureaucratic bungling, it is taking too long
to import the spares desperately needed to avert a disaster
waiting to happen at the station'', says a government engineer
who declined to be named.

''in zimbabwe, we do not have a technical problem but a
political problem which has instituted a fierce bureaucratic
machinery which is hampering development in the country'',
robinson told ips.

even before the power crisis reared its ugly head in
zimbabwe, the country was already in the grip of a deep
recession caused both by drought and by the harsh effects of a
tough programme to deregulate business and resuscitate growth.

the drought has crippled the agricultural sector, forcing the
country to import huge quantities of foodstuffs and raw
materials to keep its industries running.

food imports necessitated by the loss of agricultural
production involve a foreign exchange cost of more than 60
million u.s. dollars.

''this importation of foodstuffs has resulted in diminished
agricultural export revenues of at least 1.3 billion zimbabwea
dollars'', says eric bloch, an economic analyst.

apart from straining the balance of payments, adds bloch, the
drought has also set back by up to three years, any progress
that may have been achieved on the five-year economic structural
adjustment programme (sap) launched in 1991.

''today the zimbabwe economy is suffering a serious diarrhoea
from the drought, sap, spiralling inflation and a severe power
crisis'', says bloch (end/ips/az/tvh/92)

Xref: sparky soc.culture.african:5013 sanet.talk.politics:47