Harare - Zimbabwe's power utility company has launched a new 300-megawatt coal-fired unit with Chinese finance to try to ease repeated power outages the country has faced for years.
The Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), said electricity started entering the national grid late on Monday from the unit at Hwange Power Station in the north-west.
"Power will be progressively fed into the grid until it reaches 300MW," the company said.
The company plans to open a second unit in October to boost production by 600MW.
The two units will cost $1.4 billion, with 85% of the cost financed by China's state-run Sinohydro.
The southern African country is reeling under severe power shortages with not less than 16 hours daily load shedding which has crippled businesses and left households stranded.
Zimbabwe has long battled with outages but the problem has worsened in recent months with its main supply, a hydro plant at the giant Kariba Dam in the north, struggling with very low water levels caused by recurring droughts.
The hydro-electric hydro plant at the Kariba Dam, has been struggling with low water levels caused by recurring droughts. File picture: Philimon Bulawayo/ REUTERS
In December, power cuts were extended to up to 19 hours a day.
Hwange is the country's largest coal-powered power station but it is currently operating at below half capacity due to poor maintenance.
The nation generates less than half of its 1,700 MW power demand for a population of 16 million.
Zimbabwe has been in economic crisis for more than 20 years. Electricity, fuel, food and medicines are all in short supply amid galloping inflation.
By Reza Hendrickse and Prieur du Plessis
The more things change, the more they stay the same. For investors, with 2020 still fresh in their minds, this year has been yet another case in point.
With so much having changed this year, it is easy to believe we’ve entered a new paradigm.
But although much has changed, the future is no less certain than it was a year, or two, or even ten years ago.
Investing today is equally challenging, because we’re still looking to make portfolio decisions in hig..
Have you been giving out a collective sigh whenever load shedding hits?
And have you ever wondered what to eat when there is no electricity, or googled load shedding dinner ideas?
Instead of going hungry, or making the regrettable decision of ordering takeaways, try these recipes that will curb those cravings.
Avocado smoothie bowl. Picture: Supplied
Avocado smoothie bowl
Ingredients
1 avocado
½ cup spinach
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp honey
2 dates
Almond milk
Method
Blend everything together.
Add enough milk for consistency.
Serve chilled.
Tabbouleh and falafel salad. Picture: Supplied
Tabbouleh and falafel salad
Ingredients
Salad
1 cup bulgur wheat, soaked in boiling water and strained.
A handful of mint, dhania, and parsley
¼ cucumber, cubed
¼ red pepper, cubed
¼ red onion, finely cubed
Falafel
1 tin chickpeas
Handful of dhania
¼ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ onion
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
Mix all salad ingredients together.
Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Top with falafel and serve at room temperature.
To make falafel: Mix all ingredients together and deep fry.
Recipes by the Chilli Chocolate Chefs.
Fattoush salad. Picture: Supplied
Fattoush salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 tomatoes, chopped into chunks
¼ cucumber, deseeded and sliced
½ red onion, sliced
1 small head of romaine lettuce, shredded
A handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
A handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped
2 pitta breads
1 tsp sumac
For the dressing
½ garlic clove, crushed
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Juice ½ lemon
Method
Toss together all the salad ingredients except for the pitta bread and sumac. Make up the dressing and season to taste. Leave these separate until just before serving.
Next toast the pitta bread on a braai, until lightly golden (can be used without toasting). When cool, tear it into pieces and combine it with the salad and dressing. Spoon into two serving dishes and sprinkle over the sumac.
No cook spicy bean and vegetable open wraps. Picture: Supplied
No cook spicy bean and vegetable open wraps
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 x 180g tubs of marinated chargrilled vegetables (available at local supermarkets)
2 x 400g cans of butter beans, drained and rinsed
200g tub tomato salsa
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 tbs red wine vinegar
2-3 tbs chopped red chillies, plus extra to serve
Small bunch of coriander, chopped, plus extra, shredded, to serve
2 ripe avocados, stoned and diced
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 small red onion. Finely chopped and rinsed
8 medium soft flour tortillas
100ml soured cream or double-thick yoghurt, to serve
Salad leaves, to serve
Method
To make the filling mix, tip the drained marinated veg into a bowl with the beans. Stir in 2 tbs salsa, half the lime zest and juice, the vinegar, onion, chillies, and half the coriander. Set the mixture aside.
Put the avocado in another bowl with the remaining lime zest and juice and the garlic. Roughly mash everything together with a fork, then season and stir through the remaining coriander.
Spread the crushed avocado mixture over the tortillas, then top with the fajita mix, remaining salsa, soured cream or yoghurt, extra chillies and extra coriander. Serve with salad leaves lightly tossed in olive oil.
Recipes from chefs Asif Mughal and Ofentse Morake.
Read the latest issue of IOL Food digital magazine here.
Cape Town - The vigilance of Law Enforcement officers patrolling the Cape Town CBD in the early hours of Tuesday morning led to the arrest of a hijacker who turned out to be a police detective.
According to the mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, Law Enforcement, and the area west teams had a busy night in the CBD.
While officers managed to bust several abalone poachers shortly after midnight, Smith said vigilant officers noted a hijacking in progress at a Caltex..
Pretoria - One of the people accused of allegedly defrauding members of the Enlightened Christian Gathering alongside fugitive prophet Shepherd Bushiri, Willah Mudolo, may not leave Gauteng for now.
Mudolo may only leave the province pending the outcome of the high-profile trial when it eventually gets under way.
The director of public prosecutions launched an appeal earlier this month in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, against an order issued by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court granting Mudolo..
Cape Town - The Albertinia community in the Southern Cape is in an uproar following the arrest of a 53-year-old man who hid the bodies of 9-year-old Jacorine Maurelia Vaaltyn and 10-year-old Sharon Arries in his shack after he had suffocated them.
Police confirmed the suspect had been arrested on Friday after the gruesome discovery of the two little girls’ bodies at the suspect’s residence in Jan Fiskaal Street on Thursday evening.
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said: “A 53-year-old suspect… ..
Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has raised its concern as it sees a spike in trauma and assault cases reported via the City’s Emergency Communication Centre (PECC), week-on-week.
It said the spikes, unsurprisingly, coincide with public holidays and pay day weekends.
According to the mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, a cursory glance at the comparative weekend statistics recorded by the PECC shows not only an increase in overall incidents but also an increase ..
Durban - The truck driver in the fatal Pongola crash that claimed the lives of 18 people has abandoned his bail application.
Sibusiso Siyaya, 28, made a second appearance in the Pongola Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
In court today, Siyaya opted to abandon his bail application, and the matter was adjourned to October 25 for further investigations.
On September 16, a total of 20 people died in a head-on collision between a truck and a light delivery vehicle.
The horror crash claimed the lives of 1..
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