Power restored after Zim-Zambia blackout

Power has been restored to most parts of Zimbabwe after a blackout that plunged the country and neighbouring Zambia to darkness for more than 20 hours on Friday.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) attributed the blackout to a “system disturbance” at Kariba power station on the Zimbabwean side and Kafue gorge on the Zambian side of the border.

Both plants use the jointly owned Kariba Dam to supply power to hydroelectric stations. ZESA said a breakdown at Kariba Dam disrupted the entire electrical grid and caused problems at secondary stations in the two countries.

Power was restored Saturday after engineers repaired five of the six units at Kariba. The blackout disrupted business and resulted in traffic jams in the Zimbabwean capital Harare as traffic lights stopped working.

Zimbabwe’s ageing power generation stations have been facing growing technical problems as a result of neglect due to years of economic crisis. African Press Agency

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