According to All Africa:
SOUTH Africa and Zambia have disconnected power to Zimbabwe because of its failure to service substantial accumulated debt, a parliamentary report tabled in the Senate last week shows.
The country’s total power consumption is about 2200 megawatts, but local generation has peaked at 812 megawatts. According to the report, domestic consumers use about 24 percent of the total national requirement, with the rest consumed by industry. The power crisis was due to low generation at power stations, shortages of foreign currency for imports, shortages of coal, sub-economic tariffs, lack of new investment and the vandalism of ZESA equipment and infrastructure.
“It is estimated that businesses are operating at less than 30 percent of capacity. Mines are operational for only four hours out of the 24-hour schedule. Gold production for 2007 is expected to be at an all-time low of below eight tonnes, in comparison with three years ago when the country managed to produce 21 tonnes.
“The communication networks have been experiencing continued congestion, partly due to power shortages, adversely affecting business.”
“The poor wheat harvests of 2007 are partly attributed to the shortage of electricity, which affected irrigation. The situation is making it difficult for companies to plan. It has become difficult for households to plan.” Presenting the 2008 national budget statement last Thursday, Finance Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi said the joint venture between ZESA and Nampower would see an additional 100 MW being produced this month.
Read the full article at All Africa
- Nobody wants to be in their situation, but at least they grow their own food… Huge cities globally have to import food to sustain the city from starving. I cannot imagine if there was a power failure in the city…
I often do a trick to remind myself how venerable we were living in urban build up concrete jungle, by simply closing my eyes and imagine myself in a total black out.
Let’s imagine I am writing my blog when this happened, the screen of my 19″ LCD monitor simply blacked out and I no longer feel the cool night air blown to me by the fan. The silence was deafening, usually my fan gives out a buzz that I always imagine it as the sea waves, but now slowing down to a silent halt. I rampaged through my things and found my mobile phone half charged but it was bright enough to be able to light my way around my room.
I rushed out finding my father already in the living room asking if I am alright, sweat started to flow from my temple not knowing if it’s the excitement making me sweat or the lack of working fans. He tried to reset the main switch box but it failed to bring back the power.
We look out of the window to our amazement that even the street lamps were off and we could hear people talking from above, and some were excited voices and some were complaining loudly. We switched on the old portable radio only to hear massive black out in the whole country, affected street names were called one by one and not surprisingly our street was among them. The DJ tried to calm us down with soothing music and updates of the latest status of the big black out.
We seat in the living room sweaty and with all our windows opened but the night breeze can’t seemed to cool us down, the land lines was still working so I dialed my mother who was working outside then.
She was hysterical and claimed that the traffic lights and street lamps were all off leaving roads in semi-chaotic state, many cars switched on their high beam to light the roads but does not really helps the traffic jams. She can’t seems to get a taxi home and the bus interchange in Clementi were in total darkness, she says she will be staying over at her friend’s house nearby instead as the lift at the her house was out too and she stayed at 22nd floors. My parents divorced when I was young and my mother stayed in a different house.
The radio again broad casted reports of the turn of events to businesses disruption like the food going bad in freezers that were off in coffee shops, fishes health affected when the air pump for aquarium shop were off, the factories that work night shift were forced to send their workers home and the list keep coming in.
The first crime was reported in the early morning when everyone goes back to work with news started pouring in, the newspaper were not printed only the radio was the only source where we get the updates.
All Offices were closed as there were no power for the computer needed to do our daily jobs, we have to do whatever we could and were forced to take no pay leave after updating clients via land lines that we were currently not having any power to do the job.
Then my mobile phone battery went dead, I cursed myself that I had forgotten to copy my phone list out in time. As technology becomes too embedded in our lives, we tend to be too dependent on it. I had fallen victim to those who don’t remember people’s telephone number as I don’t dial it anymore but instead use the phone book memory to dial to my family and friends. Nobody in the streets wants to borrow their mobile phone battery as it’s precious to them as well.
The power was still out until evening comes and people were starting to panic. Supermarket were filled with hoarders who literary cleaned out the shelves of food and batteries. Not a single candle could be found in any shops nearby! Black markets started to spring up selling essentials from batteries, candles, rice, duck tapes to long Japanese sword for protection at much higher prices.
At night, it’s surreal…I can’t see even my own fingers as I wandered into my neighborhood almost knocking someone else over. I could hear whispers and noises but can’t see anyone until up close and personal, old people were downstairs gathered in groups gossiping about the latest news and updates. Shouts and quarrels could be heard from far away as people were screaming their lung out for electricity to their electronic addiction.
No more Air Conditioning, no more television, no more internet connection, no more hot water to bath, no more lights, no more microwave, no more fridge, no more fans, no more charging of hand phones and certainly no good night sleep.
The second nights were scary with noises below made by screaming by victims while being robbed in the darkness and painful cries of someone being hurt somewhere. Running sounds could be heard that sounds like large group of people chasing another large group of people with loud shouting and clanking of metallic objects. Nobody dares to help anyone in complete darkness…
The silence after the commotion were even more scarier…
The next morning came and we could see cleaners washing off blood all over the void decks with no bodies to be seen, either the paramedics or undertakers were fast to remove those victims. My father were worried for my safety going out alone in broad daylight, I assured him that I will take care of myself but fear still lingered in my mind but my hunger took over. Food, I need to buy some food to eat! Anything! Anything at all!
One glance across the coffee shop I know we were in trouble, 90% of the stalls were closed and most of them vandalized with their locked fridge forced opened and emptied. A burly huge man with a metal rod stand guard at the drink stall instead of the usual friendly shop keeper to greet me and take my orders. Hastily welded bars were making the shop to look like mini-jail for the stall owner but I don’t care anymore….I needed that kopi-O and breakfast quick.
I realized then that the prices of food had jumped in price almost 10 times more then 2 days ago and this not even the black market!! It was unbelievable but unfortunate….I bought one loaves of cold bread spread with precious kaya and a small lump of butter at $20 and that coffee cost $5 per packet. I sighed and left happy with the food and I started to walk briskly back home….
As I crossed the roads “jay walking” as there were no more working traffic lights. Suddenly, I witnessed a motorcycle sped right in front of me missing me by few inches but the lady beside me was not as fortunate. Her sling bag was snatched and she fell down holding on to it desperately, I shouted to the motorist to stop but kept on dragging her via the hand bag’s sling until the robber gave up about 10 meters away and sped off without their prize. The lady left a trail of bloody mess and I don’t seems to be hungry anymore, my hand wandered to reach for my mobile phone but realized It’s not with me as it died previously…but I wanted to call the police and get the ambulance since I remember the plate number of the assailant …I ran everywhere to find all the public phones were badly vandalized…
I ran home with a heavy heart hoping to reach home as soon as possible but only to meet with 5 thugs demanding my food in exchange of a safe passage through. They look mean and hungry, I relented as I want to call for ambulance for that poor lady. I handed over the food and made a quick exit through them.
When I reached home opening my metal grills and wooden door constantly looking over my shoulder to see if I am being followed but luckily no…those thugs were too busy threatening other victims for their belonging or food. I had explained to my father how I lost the breakfast and the previous incident of the injured lady and rushed to use the land lines to call the ambulance. To my horror, the lines were busy and it seemed to put me on hold to some sickening music and an automatic voice saying that my call was important and will get to me shortly. I tried waiting for another 2 hours before hearing the ambulance coming…and gave up the wait and slammed down the phone.
I went downstairs to see if the ambulance reach the poor lady but to my horror, there were even more victims lying everywhere in the neighborhood with knife wounds and bloody heads. One victim, a uncle known to me as Uncle Tan used to sell fish ball noodles downstairs staggered towards me with a bloody head mumbling about being robbed “pa chew pa chew” in Hokkien.
From a far, I could hear multiple screams and rumbling of heavy furniture upstairs in the flats above. Sound of big heavy glass breaking into smithereens and loud painful wail for help pierce through the air like butter.
A the corner of my eyes, I noticed a group of youngsters armed to the teeth with bloody knifes and metal rods marching towards me. I ran for my life, the very first time in my life that I felt that my heart was in my mouth, I could hear my heart thumping wildly as I quickly ran up to my home via the staircase trying to escape that group of criminals or murderers…I really don’t know. I sighed a relieve when I heard their foot steps slowed down below, then I heard some shouting and a loud thud, a ear piercing wail of pain and agony hit me like a brick wall. Fearing for my life, I ran.
A week into the black out with no power and cheap food, there were rumors that pets were being hunted for food and the pet’s bones were left in the public to rot and this time no cleaners to clean it up. My portable radio died on the second week, the last news that I had heard was that martial law was declared and curfew were strictly imposed on the people. No more walking outside in the night after 7 p.m., not like anyone would dare to.
We started to see soldiers arriving in military tanks and humvees parked at multiple road blocks with razor wire barricades surrounding the neighborhood. The military had knocked on everyone’s door to ordered everyone to come out for food vouchers distribution in the public area and my father and I had to go down to collect the vouchers.
The soldier argued loudly with me that my father also need to go downstairs to collect the vouchers even if he is weak from lack of food, he explained that the vouchers were distributed equally per person and cannot take more for others that were not present. When we reached downstairs, we saw super long queues of people queuing up from one end of the void deck to as far as I can see. It took us 20 minutes to walk to the end of the line and it was moving alone at snail’s pace.
By the time it reach our turn it’s night time and the soldiers turn us away because of the strict curfew, we resigned and gave up while some others behind us were kicking a din on wasting their time queuing up for nothing! The soldiers promptly took the man away and loaded him on to a 3 “tonner”" military truck with some other disgruntled people…one of which I recognized as one of the youngsters that terrorized the neighborhood previously.
Temporary food stalls were set up and only accept the vouchers in return for food and other products and these stalls were heavily guarded by the military….peace started to recover back into the neighborhood until the ominous automatic gun shots were heard…
It’s like a rebellion or something, one rumor was there were many angry people attacked one of the guards and taken his weapon and looted the stalls and the looting followed by hundreds other and another rumor was that a group of military soldiers had defected and formed their own gangster group with caches of weapons and food storages originally for the whole neighborhood, these gangsters started recruiting youngsters to join them to rein terror. To them, that is the only way to survive.
One thing started another and the chain reaction of disaster happened one after another…some parts of the country hold massive protest and turned violent with scores of civilians crushed by massive tanks to military shoot out between the Government controlled Army with the heavily armed “rebel” or “terrorist” group.
Then out of nowhere came the electricity, lights brighten up the streets and buildings starting to filled with lights. Everyone paused and stared at these blinding lights in awe and wonder…the guns stopped shooting and people started to cheer loudly, some crying their hearts out. Large crowd starts gather in the streets to hug each other including young children and old people.
Then the lights goes out…this time permanently. The blood shed will be one of the few recorded history as the “Power Down Massacre December 2012″ or “PDMD2012″
All these may just be a part of my imagination as what might happen if a prolonged black out in the city could do to the people. This is a fictional story with some parts of it inspired by my personal experience in the big black out in 29 June 2004. The story also assumes that everyone were Not Prepared with renewable energy, food supply and essentials which otherwise might have a better ending…….be prepared!
