In the community

‘Electricity can go anytime here’: how Zimbabwe’s iron men ran out of steam

Published

3 years ago

August 12, 2022

VicFallsLive

BY NYASHA CHINGONO

Inside a grimy flat in the heart of Mbare, one of Zimbabwe’s oldest townships, steam billows from a hissing iron.

It is 7am and Nhamo Chari, 42, is racing to finish ironing a client’s clothes before the power cuts out.

“Electricity can go anytime here. We are lucky that today power is still available around 7am. It normally goes at 5am and is restored in the evening,” Chari says.

Zimbabwe has been reeling under crippling power shortages since the start of winter in May. Some of the country’s ageing power plants are being repaired and the rest are struggling to cope with growing demand.

The country has the capacity to generate about 2,240 megawatts of power, but is producing just 1,300 megawatts.

People in Mbare, in the south of the capital, Harare, regularly go without electricity for more than 17 hours a day.

The shortages have hit Mbare’s ironing businesses, which are becoming a popular hustle in the suburb as unemployment and inflation rates soar across the country.

Almost 60 people run their businesses from the Matapi block of flats in Mbarel before the power cuts they were earning up to $100 (£83) a week. They support a booming secondhand clothing industry in the area. Chari and his colleagues are inundated with orders from used clothing dealers who want their goods ironed before selling them on.

“Individual traders and companies come to give us work, especially those who manufacture school uniforms. But mostly individuals selling secondhand clothes are our biggest business. I got at least $20 a day, depending on how much work I get,” he says.

However, due to the power cuts, Chari, who started his ironing business when he lost his job eight years ago, now earns just $3 a day – hardly enough to buy a loaf of bread and some milk.

“Things are tough. Electricity is our biggest problem here as it comes and goes, with no actual timetable. But during the few hours where electricity is there, I try to work as hard as I can so that I feed my family,” says Chari, adding that the money he has earned from the business has helped him put his two children through school.

To make his income stretch, Chari runs a pool table where he charges 150 Zimbabwe dollars (about 34p) for a game.

“At least it is something, I can supplement the little I get when the electricity is back,” he says.

Tafadzwa Nyakurewa, 35, rents two ironing tables inside a warehouse in the township, but because of the power challenges spends most of his day carrying loads of clothes and goods for traders, rather than ironing them.

“Power cuts have made us redundant. Business was good before this mess,” Nyakurewa says.

“This is where we survive and if power is switched off every day we are stuck. I have three children to feed.”

Japhet Moyo, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), urged the government to act.

Energy minister Soda Zhemu couldn’t say when the crisis would be over. “We would not know … because currently we are working on aged equipment. We can only give assurance when Hwange power station is up and running … That is when we will have self-sufficiency from internal generation,” he recently told parliament. Hwange coal power station, a leading supplier, has been under repair for more than a year. Two new units are being built to increase output, but they are unlikely to be in operation until the end of the year at the earliest.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), more than 2.8 million people work in the informal sector in Zimbabwe, compared with 495,000 in formal employment.

Nyakurewa used to earn about $25 a day. Now “if I get $6, I would have worked very hard”, he says.

“I spend my time mending shoes now because during the day, we do not have power. It is a side job to make ends meet.” – The Guardian

In the community

Painted Dog Conservation and Uncommon bring free coding school to Gwai Valley Primary

Published

5 days ago

October 2, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), in partnership with technology-driven organisation Uncommon, is set to establish a free coding school at Gwai Valley Primary in Lupane District, marking a new chapter in community empowerment and education.

Speaking during an interview with VicFallsLive, PDC operations director, David Kuvawoga said the initiative stems from the organisation’s long-term work with local schools through its children’s bush camps.

“In our quest to find solutions to the poaching crisis, and building on the work we’ve done with schools over the years, we identified Gwai Primary as a good location to start a coding school,” he explained. “We partnered with Uncommon, which already runs facilities in Harare and Victoria Falls, to bring this opportunity closer to rural communities.”

The school will be housed in container units equipped with computers and other necessary technology. According to PDC, the project will be led by youths from the Gwai community who underwent year-long training in Victoria Falls and are now prepared to teach children — and adults — the fundamentals of coding.

“This is not just for schoolchildren,” the operations director said. “Anyone in the community with the passion to learn can join. What matters is the interest and commitment, not formal qualifications.”

Importantly, the programme will be free of charge. Both organisations confirmed that tuition, equipment, and running costs are fully covered through fundraising efforts.

“No one is going to pay a cent,” he said. “Just like our bush camps, which host over a thousand children every year without charge, this coding school is fully funded. All the community needs to do is embrace it.”

PDC has previously supported communities through projects such as boreholes and gardens, but this marks its first major investment in technology. The director said the initiative has the potential to address unemployment, improve education, and give local youth world-class digital skills.

“Coding is a highly sought-after skill across the world,” he noted. “If young people here can learn it, they can secure jobs or even create employment for others. This is a brick in the foundation of uplifting Lupane, Hwange, and beyond.”

The coding school is expected to open in December at Gwai Valley Primary.

In the community

Lupane police officer sentenced for tampering with mbanje evidence

Published

2 weeks ago

September 26, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A 21-year-old constabulary officer in Lupane has been convicted after admitting he tampered with evidence in a drug possession case, effectively helping a suspect conceal part of the stash.

The officer, Nqobile Mutale, was on duty at Lupane Terminus Base on the 18th of September when he arrested Thulani Sibanda, who had been implicated in unlawful possession of dagga/imbanje. Instead of handing over the full exhibit, Mutale struck a deal with Sibanda and hid part of the recovered drugs behind the police base.

Detectives later uncovered the hidden dagga, with Mutale leading them to the site during investigations.

Standing before the Lupane Magistrates’ Court, Mutale pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice. He was handed a 24-month sentence, with nine months suspended. The balance of 15 months was also suspended, provided he completes 525 hours of community service.

In the community

Avoid nightime movement and stoning elephants, communities told

Published

3 weeks ago

September 17, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Following a recent spate of human-wildlife conflict incidents, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has urged communities to exercise caution when encountering wild animals.

Farawo emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontations with elephants, particularly when they encroach into community areas. “We would like to urge members of the communities to avoid throwing stones at elephants,” he said. “This action agitates them, leading to attacks on people.”

In addition to avoiding confrontations, Farawo advised community members to minimize movement at night, as this is when wild animals are most active. “We would like to urge communities to avoid moving at night to minimize casualties,” he said.

Farawo’s comments come after a 79-year-old man from Hwange was killed by an elephant yesterday. The incident is still under investigation by rangers. This is the second fatal incident in the area, following the death of another man who was attacked by an elephant while on his way to work in Hwange town several weeks ago.