GOVERNMENT has directed Zesa Holdings not to effect load-shedding at venues of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) summit in its efforts to leave no room for embarrassment during the indaba.
Zimbabwe is currently experiencing crippling power cuts, with some areas going for several hours without electricity as a result of antiquated power stations, an El Niño-induced drought and a myriad of other challenges afflicting the investment-starved southern African nation.
In a letter addressed to Zesa executive chairperson Sydney Gata, Energy and Power Development secretary Gloria Magombo demanded that the power utility avoids switching off the New Parliament Building, Harare International Conference Centre and the University of Zimbabwe during the summit.
“Zimbabwe will be hosting the 44th [Sadc] Summit of Heads of State and Government on August 17 under the theme: Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustained Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised Sadc.
“Several meetings shall precede the summit. The ministry is, therefore, requesting Zesa, through ZETDC [Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company], to ensure uninterrupted power at venues during the Sadc summit period,” part of the letter read.
Government has splashed out millions of United States dollars in preparation of the hosting of the two-day Sadc summit at a time when the country is facing a ravaging drought that has left over half of about 16 million Zimbabweans facing starvation.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to assume the Sadc chairmanship and government has embarked on ambitious projects to spruce up the capital, with several projects at different stages of completion.
While government has remained tight-lipped on the amount of money it has spent on road rehabilitation, a source at one of the companies contracted to do roadworks put the total cost at over US$220 million.
Some trees along the roads that will be used by Sadc dignitaries have been painted.
Government has splashed out money on the construction of 18 state-of-the-art villas in Mt Hampden that will house heads of State.
Southern Africa presidents are likely to spend a maximum of two nights in the country.
A team of 500 experts from Switzerland was hired to construct the villas and most of the materials used to construct them were imported.
Government has also invested in marketing the Sadc summit with billboards on several buses plying Harare routes.