Comments on: Zimbabwe’s power situation: a closer look

By: David McFadyen

David McFadyen — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:08:53 +0000

Mr Chairman,
Appreciate you understanding and sharing of information.
A few thoughts for you.
A Our company refurbished your planned maintenance planning board, which we designed and supplied by us over 10 years ago, and have been given to understand was never used during this period. The refurbishment was supplied with about a 9 month gap, the time taken for funds to be supplied. I am in accord with thoughts on your purchasing section.
B I suggest you look to Botswana to investigate their very wide use of solar, in particular on all signage and supplied with all housing at the BASIC level, complete with the necessary plumbing for hot water.
C One thing you failed to mention was the preferential treatment given such as MPs and people with “friends” in high places, when in it comes to power cuts. These are the very ones whose failure to perform has contributed to the situation in which the country now finds itself, and is very much resented by the man in the street.
D The power cut situation is like water – no smooth flow in the pipe line, only turbulence!!
A look at the monthly data on my own schedule shows cuts of hardly two days in the whole month where cut-off sessions are the same. This indicates a completely random picking of times, therefore no objective management.
E I have a suggestion for your consideration: in the UK there was major problems on supply of coal when they had a miners’ strike about 1970. Ergo, minimum power. The days were divided into 2 periods – 06.00 to 12.00 and 12.00 to 18.00
The whole country was divided in half, and a week at a time each half alternated times.
Further, preferential treatment went to very few, such as hospitals etc, not to those who thought they were God’s gift to the people.
The result was a system seen to give equality, and a system which was seen to be reliable, in that switching was done at the indicated times every day – and everyone could plan how to meet their own problems without being switched off randomly.
A last comment – there is no system for people to liaise with those who control on-off. This is unnacceptable and an insult to the Customer who pays; and sometime earlier this year – as I remember the time – a policy was introduced so that your telephone people no longer were given information they could pass on to enquirers of when they were likely to be switched back on. In fact, having personally spoken to a number of your telephonists I commend their control.

By: Va Makonese

Va Makonese — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:46:42 +0000

Thanks a lot – very helpful information and best of luck with all your plans.

It’s always encouraging to start from a clear understanding of the problem; the solution becomes easier.

Solar power stations – expensive to build but very ideal in the long run ???

By: Munyaradzi Kusema

Munyaradzi Kusema — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:17:53 +0000

Mr Chairman

I read with interest your write up on the power situation in Zimbabwe at present and into the future.My only wish is for us as Zimbabweans to help each other out with the resources at our disposal.This is only a suggestion which you are free to asses and consider or ignore.

You talked about Kariba and cracked turbine blades which currently are being repaired by OEM, You may want to talk to a local company Air Zimbabwe.They happen to also work with turbines (for airplane engines).I believe they have the technical know how, but just need to have a look at your generators and turbines and see if its possible to fix the cracks.you could talk to management invite a team of Air Zim engineers to make an assessment.

Then the issue of boiler feed pumps,I don’t believe we cant fix them locally.Not only would that save us time but also forex.Unless someone somewhere is getting kickbacks.

Have a nice day.