By A Correspondent

Zimbabweans should brace for intensified electricity outages, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has warned, citing fresh breakdowns at Hwange Thermal Power Station and a fire at a critical substation in Harare.

In a statement issued Monday, the state-owned power utility announced that it is currently struggling to maintain consistent power supply due to “technical challenges” at Hwange—one of the country’s main sources of electricity generation.

“Due to a fault that occurred at Hwange Power Station, generation capacity has been significantly reduced, resulting in increased load-shedding across the country,” ZESA said.

The situation was made worse after a major substation supplying Harare’s southwestern suburbs reportedly caught fire on Sunday night. “One of our key substations was severely damaged by fire, affecting power supply in parts of the capital,” a ZESA official revealed under condition of anonymity.

Energy analysts, however, argue the problem goes far deeper than technical glitches. They point to the aging infrastructure at Hwange and the wider economic crisis that has hindered long-overdue maintenance and investment in the energy sector.

“We’ve warned for years that Hwange’s machinery is outdated and operating on borrowed time. This isn’t a new problem—it’s a ticking time bomb,” said an independent energy consultant based in Harare.

Despite ZESA’s efforts to downplay the long-term implications, many Zimbabweans are already feeling the pinch, with rolling blackouts lasting up to 12 hours in some areas.