One of the very few upsides to the lockdown, besides the fact that you can walk around in your pyjamas all day long, was the constant electricity. Coming off more than a year of intensive load-shedding that saw us spending around 18 hours without power (ZESA) this was a welcome relief. Now it seems the honeymoon is over as ZESA has started loadshedding.

First it was a couple of people saying they had lost power for a few hours. Early reports were dismissed as faults but more and more people in different surbubs experienced what can only be described as loadshedding yesterday. People in Mbare and Kuwadzana as well as adjoining suburbs reported that they lost power early yesterday evening during what is normally the peak hour.

My wife said she heard it on radio this week while going to work. Apparently some official said that as the country reopens we are going to start experiencing some loadshedding. They also mentioned winter demand.

One resident we spoke to while were buying LP Gas

While there is not official word from ZESA as far as we can tell, winter is usually where power demand is at its peak and given the fact that our power situation has barely improved, the reopening of the industry was bound to plunge us into the darkness from whence we came. Ordinary customers will not mind powercuts much as modem fridges can handle a few hours without power. Small businesses, however, will be dreading them as they will mean very expensive backup power will be required.