Business feels pain of power blackouts

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BUSINESS has implored the government to treat the availability of adequate electricity in the country as one of its top priorities.
This comes as Zimbabwe is facing fresh and brutal power cuts — which the government has ascribed, in the main, to critical maintenance works at Kariba Hydro Power Station.

Speaking to The Financial Gazette this week, the chief executive of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), Chris Mugaga, said the country’s erratic power supply was having a major negative impact on business and the national economy.
“We are facing a double whammy of challenges with regards to both hydro and thermal power stations. The cost of alternative power is pushing up operating costs by about 25 percent.