From Bulawayo Agenda . . .

Traffic police in Bulawayo and commuter omnibus crews are in an undeclared war. The police are reportedly harassing commuter omnibus crews because one of the Imot’ etshontshimali (BMW) was stoned in Makokoba yesterday. Police went on to blockade the Egodini terminus under the impression that they are searching for the culprits. This led to commuters facing transport woes with workers and school children reporting late for duties. Traffic police have been fleecing commuter omnibus operators since acquiring BMWs in early December 2010. The cheapest ticket is reportedly in the range of US$80.

Yesterday I attended a presentation on Human Security by Farai Maguwu, a Zimbabwean human rights activist.

Over the years, many states have focused their security strategies on defending and protecting their nation through the use of the military. In Zimbabwe the defense Ministry has done exceedingly well in this regard, considering we have never been attacked by any state since independence. However, the blueprint surrounding the word security has since embraced a new aspect, which is human security. Human security expresses the basic needs of an individual in terms of secure systems of education, health, shelter and job structures.

Thus the ‘security’ that nations should provide for their citizens should go a long way beyond having safe borders to protect the nation at large to having individuals needs met within that secure environment. Human security in Zimbabwe is dilapidated. This is evident in the number of Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora who have failed to get a job in their own country, who have failed to get medical health care, who seek better education systems and whose freedom of expression has been violated. It is also evident from the number of street kids we having living in the streets, who have failed to secure a shelter over their head, a basic birth certificate (which is a right), education, and food to mention a few examples.

I personally fear that one day I might fall ill and fail to pay for my medical bills. Student at universities fear not getting a job after completing their studies. Pupils in schools,, both primary and secondary, fear that one day their parents will wake up to tell them there is no money in the house to pay for their fees or examination fees. The internally displaced communities and a majority of citizens have failed to put a roof over their heads. This, like the presenter put it, will lead to structural violence which he defined as the slow death of an individual through being deprived access to basic material needs.

What measures should we undertake as a nation to make Zimbabwe secure?

Riots which have swept through Tunisia started when a young man set himself on fire after police had confiscated merchandise he was selling on the streets. The young man had a degree from university and he was jobless. He resorted to selling fruits and vegetables on the streets and had his stuff confiscated by police. Through frustration and anger the young man set himself on fire. That same week in December another jobless man electrocuted himself to death. Before he torched himself he shouted “no to misery, no to unemployment.” Unemployment in Tunisia has an official unemployment rate of around 14%, but it is believed to be much higher in some areas.

With Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate reportedly standing at over 90% at present, one wonders what would be the fate of young people in this country. Every year thousands of graduates are churned out from Zimbabwe’s tertiary institutes. Most of them are jobless and some have trekked down to South Africa hoping for the better. Right now we have university graduates who are on the streets selling airtime cards, and some have resorted to becoming commuter omnibus conductors.

After having a chat with one of my friends, who is a college graduate, he said he really missed “the high rate era.” Though he hated the high inflation era, at least the days he spent on Harare’s street corners as a money changer provided some food on the table. But now after dollarisation, he said, “life has become tough.”  Most youths have resorted to drug abuse so that they can forget that they are not working. I know some can deny this but it’s a fact. These youths may look calm but soon their patience will be stretched to the limits and we shouldn’t be surprised when Harare becomes another Tunisia.

Like a virus spreading this wave of youth uprisings will reach our country and door steps. Time will tell.

The statement below published by the Bulawayo Agenda will be a shocker to many Zimbabweans. If you thought traffic police were chasing after commuter omnibuses to get bribes to line their pockets you might want to think again . . .

Traffic police in Bulawayo have virtually closed all entrances into the city centre from the suburbs. Commuter omnibus crews had to drive around the city in a bid to gain entrance. Some commuters were dropped out of town as crews avoided being arrested by the police, who were on both feet and on patrol vehicles. Some allege that the police have been instructed to raise money for elections, which President Mugabe wants as soon as possible.

(Bulawayo Agenda is a civil society organisation that conducts advocacy on issues of democracy. It is committed to providing an apolitical platform for people to express their views and debate on matters that affect their lives. It has active chapters in Gweru, Gwanda, Plumtree, Victoria Falls, Matopo, Hwange, Binga, Nkayi, Lupane and Tsholotsho.)

The weekend’s media carried several articles regarding Afrobarometer’s most recent survey titled     Zimbabwe, the evolving public mood. Interestingly the survey reports that 70% out of a sample of 1192 persons responded yes to a question that asked: “Do you think that Zimbabwe should hold elections next year, that is, in 2011?”  The report also notes that relatively few people favoured deferring elections to a later date.

Of this the writer of the report theorizes: That seven in ten would-be voters are anxious to freely elect leaders of their choice, even in an atmosphere where security forces and party militias are again on the move, is testament to the impressive depth of Zimbabweans’ commitment to political rights.

That’s a nice thing to think about Zimbabweans, but I don’t believe it. The same survey reports an increase in reluctance to divulge political party preference and an increase in reported support for ZANU PF. Consider our last election, in which gangs of young men went about rural Zimbabwe beating and raping innocent men and women who were only rumored to support MDC. I don’t think these people are brave, or selfless, or committed to democracy. I think they’re scared.

ZANU PF may not be all-powerful in the low-density suburbs, or even in the rest of the city, but in rural Zimbabwe, it’s Orwellian. It’s difficult to be completely honest with an unknown person whose word cannot be verified. Anyone who has ever conducted a survey will tell you that people will tell you what they think you want to hear. And with a ruling party that bears an uncanny resemblance to Nineteen Eighty Four’s Big Brother its very difficult to shake the feeling that they’re watching you. The ‘thought-crime’ of harboring ideas in your mind such as democracy, the right to vote and secret ballots do not go unpunished.

Information on the power situation in Zimbabwe:

1700 hours  8th January 2011

I address this message to users of electricity in Zimbabwe and all other stakeholders who may be interested.

Recent Status of Generation in Zimbabwe
Over the Christmas period the country experienced a much improved availability of power. All six units at Kariba were working as were five of six units at Hwange and Munyati Power Station was generating between 20 and 40 MW. In addition, with much of industry taking a well deserved break, there was additional power on the grid for those customers on line.

Shortly after Christmas one of the, larger, units at Hwange was lost due to failure of certain components. On the 28th of December we had to take out a unit at Kariba for two weeks of routine maintenance. On the night of the 5th January we had to take out a second unit at Kariba which twins with the unit already under maintenance. These two units share a transformer on which components had to be replaced – this was planned for this period.

In summary customers will be experiencing excessive load-shedding in contrast to  the Christmas period, as  there has now been a sharp drop in generation just as industry is coming back to work.

Looking ahead over the next two weeks. Every effort is being made to bring the unit lost at Hwange back to service during this weekend. The fifth unit at Kariba should be on the grid on Monday with the sixth returning to service by mid-January.  This should bring the country back to a “normal load-shedding regime” by the middle of the month.

Looking ahead this year
It is important to advise customers of the realities at Hwange Power Station. The supply out of Hwange remains fragile in spite of significant progress having been made to stabilise supply during 2010. We still need to undertake major works on: the raw water supply line from the Zambezi River, work on the two large raw-water reservoirs at the station is underway; urgent and significant work will be undertaken during the first quarter of this year on the Ash disposal system (a new specialised pipeline has been ordered and is under manufacture).  Further to this, the units themselves at the station need ongoing work to optimise their output. To assist us with this “project related work” as well as to train and mentor staff at the station we have engaged a blended team from India and Zimbabwe under the management of WAPCOS – a highly respected Indian-based organisation in the energy field. This team will be on-station early in February. We are optimistic that there will be a consistency in supply out of Hwange Power Station by the end of the first quarter 2011 followed by a gradual increase through the year.

Kariba Power Station should remain at full capacity except for the isolated occasion when the station is forced into “sudden shut-down” due to exogenous shocks which can occur on the grid – these can emanate from the region or sudden failure of local transmission lines.

All three Small Thermal stations (Harare, Munyati and Bulawayo) will be brought back into service during the first quarter of this year. The cost of generation from these stations is high due to both the distance from the coal fields and, in some cases, the need to use higher quality coal. As a consequence power from these stations can only be sold to those companies who have dedicated power lines and who are willing, and able, to pay the higher tariff. However this additional power will help boost the economy and create additional employment in the process.

Beyond 2011
It is important to note that once we have achieved stability in supply and optimised our present installed-capacity the supply of electricity will still remain below demand. Ongoing efforts are being made to increase the importation of additional power from the region by our sister company, ZETDC. But there is a regional scarcity. In addition our economy will grow and hence demand for electricity. The only way to close this demand-supply gap is to build extra generation capacity, which will take at least three and a half years from the time funding has been secured.

ZPC’s planning and preparation are well advanced such that its can approach relevant investors and/or partners in pursuit of adding capacity at Hwange Power Station (top priority as a  “base-load” station) and Kariba (to add to “peaking demand”). We have the full and emphatic support of our ultimate shareholder to secure investment for the generation sector. In addition we plan, over the next two years, to retrofit the Small Thermals in a bid to increase the energy sent out and lower the costs.

In Closing
I take the opportunity to thank the entire staff of ZPC for their commitment, hard and long hours of work during 2010 – most often with constrained resources. Particular gratitude is extended to those who worked over the Festive Season – day and night. I also extend a note of thanks to our Ministry for their candid, progressive and demanding support.

I thank all our customers for your patience and understanding. I encourage you all to keep paying for the units of electricity that you use. In addition please could we all take all possible measures to reduce our usage – it is good for your pocket and for the Nation.

Best Wishes The Board and management of ZPC are determined to stabalise and increase the generation levels in 2011 to well above those levels achieved in 2010.

I wish you all, users of electricity and the staff of ZESA as a whole, a safe and fulfilled 2011.

R. Maasdorp Chairman ZPC     (chairmanZPC ( @) gmail.com)

Only relevant and constructive emails will be replied to from this address.
All other queries should be directed to the Zesa email address of: pr ( @ ) zesa.net
For daily updates on the generation and load-shedding status visit the home page of www.zesa.co.zw