Meikles Hotel operates without air conditioning, turn to buckets for warm water

Top flamboyant Harare hotel Meikles is operating without air conditioning in rooms due to electrical faults that developed in the Central Business District (CBD).

The Five Star hotel’s General Manager Tinashe Munjoma announced the development in a statement to customers urging them to turn to buckets of warm water.

“Please be advised that the hotel has been operating on generator power since Saturday, June 11th, 2022, due to a fault that developed within the CBD. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is working around the clock to try to fix the problem,” read the statement.

“Considering the above, the air conditioning in the rooms and public areas is not working, and there is no hot water. If you require hot water for bathing, please contact our housekeeping department on extension 82, and a bucket will be delivered to you.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences caused.”

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has since apologised to the affected communities.

“The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to apologize to its valued customers in Harare Region for power outage due to an underground cable fault,” ZETDC said in a statement.

ZESA is struggling to cope with the growing number of faults, mainly falling poles, trees falling on overhead cables, water seeping into underground cables and lightning striking critical equipment during rainy seasons.

The faults are also caused by dilapidated infrastructure. Delays in some repairs has also become an area of concern with the authority claiming shortage of manpower.

In Harare, areas used to experiencing electrical faults include but not limited to Warren Park, Kuwadzana, Mufakose, Good Hope, Cold Comfort, Tynwald, parts of Greendale, Strathaven and Marlborough.