Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe president launches 600MW coal-fired power plant
The president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa recently inaugurated a Chinese-funded power station, which he said would go a long way in easing power shortages ahead of national elections. The 80 year old Mnangagwa who is running for a second presidential term on the 23rd of August, has been on a ribbon-cutting spree as he attempts
Emmerson-Mnangagwa-Zimbabwe-president-launches-600MW-coal-fired-power-plant
The president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa recently inaugurated a Chinese-funded power station, which he said would go a long way in easing power shortages ahead of national elections.
The 80 year old Mnangagwa who is running for a second presidential term on the 23rd of August, has been on a ribbon-cutting spree as he attempts to portray himself as a go-getter and reassure voters about the state of the economy.
The coal mine was opened on Monday, then a clinic was opened on Wednesday, and all of it took place before heading to the north-western town of Hwange to officially launch the 600MW coal-fired power plant on Thursday.
In the midst of a crackdown on the opposition and a disaffected population battling hyperinflation, poverty and high unemployment, analysts expect a tense vote later this month.
Speaking to his supporters at a local stadium after the opening, the Zimbabwean president said the new plant would be “a critical enabler of development”, adding Zimbabwe was “open for business”.
The landlocked southern African country has for years been reeling under severe power shortages that at their worst late last year left millions of people in the dark for up to 19 hours a day. In July, the government declared a sudden end to blackouts even although most people still experience daily outages lasting a couple of hours.
The new power station has also given Mnangagwa the power to show he still has good friends in the international arena, where Zimbabwe is largely isolated. The plant is an expansion of a pre-existing station, and it is one of four energy projects undertaken with a $1.2 billion loan from China, with which Harare has ties dating back to fight for independence from Britain.
Chinese ambassador Zhou Ding at the stadium rally said: “China is always ready to help Zimbabwe to achieve its goal to uplift its people.”
Zimbabwe is not able to access financing from international lenders like the IMF and World Bank due to payment arrears and is the target of western sanctions over graft and rights abuses. For that, Mnangagwa has long blamed the punitive measures for the country’s dire straits — something the United States and Europe deny.
In Hwange he told supporters Zimbabwe would now be self-sufficient in its power needs and the government would continue to focus on growing the economy “by thinking outside the box”.
