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Fungai Lupande
Mash Central Bureau
What started as a hesitant career path in the refrigeration industry turned out to be a dream job for Farai Matanda from Mutare, who is now employed by a large chain in Mutare.
In an interview during the training of trainers’ workshop for the Minimum Energy Efficiency Programme (MEPS) in Mutare, Matanda initially aspired to become a teacher, but faced rejection after several unsuccessful applications.
She then attempted to pursue electrical engineering at Mutare Technical College without success.
However, after being advised to consider a refrigeration course and seeking guidance from her pastor, Matanda embraced the opportunity and began her journey as a refrigeration technician.
She described the course as challenging, especially as she was pregnant with her second child at the time.
Despite the difficulties, she and 14 other women graduated.
Matanda was subsequently employed by a hotel in Mutare after initially working there as a volunteer for four months.
At this hotel, she is responsible for refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical work.
She serves as an inspiration for other women, urging them to seize life skills training opportunities.
“Training as a refrigeration technician is not enough. It is important to have knowledge and appreciation of how MEPS limit maximum energy consumption and global warming potential and ozone depletion potential of refrigerants,” she said.
“During this workshop, we were equipped with information on MEPS as a policy instrument to promote energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts of using appliances
“It is our duty to protect consumers from purchasing inefficient appliances fridges and freezers, and this will ultimately lead to reductions in national energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.”
The refrigeration industry faces challenges with untrained personnel who may pose safety risks due to a lack of knowledge, skills and awareness.
Even experienced technicians can pose a safety risk if their knowledge has not been updated in line with the changing standards and protocols.
In Zimbabwe, the certification of refrigerant technicians is regulated by Statutory Instrument 49/2023 section 11, which outlines the requirements for certification.
This certification is crucial for technicians, trainees, engineers, semi-skilled workers, and operators in proving their proficiency and competence.
Zimbabwe, as a signatory to the Montreal Protocol, has phased out the use of hydrofluorocarbons in cooling systems to protect the Earth’s ozone layer.
This led to the adoption of hydrocarbon refrigerants, such as R290 and R600a, known for their energy efficiency and low global warming potential.
However, the use of hydrocarbon gas, which is highly flammable, requires proper handling, leading the government to introduce a mandatory hydrocarbon course for all technicians to ensure safe installation, servicing, maintenance, and disposal.
The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) Association operates a regional training, certification, at a recovery centre in Namibia.
The association aims to provide technicians with regional certification that aligns with global regulations, allowing them to work across SADC countries.
The certification process is supported by a web database hosted by SARACCA, an association in South Africa, ensuring the verification of certified technicians.
Efforts are underway to synchronise the curriculum of the SADC RAC association to enable technicians to transition seamlessly between countries.
SADC RAC president, Mr Caign Manyukwa, said certification leads to regional compliance and the promotion of the ease of doing business.
“This process brings harmony in obtaining contracts. This also makes it easier to get equipment through the borders,” he said.
He said efforts are being made to have the curriculum synchronised so that technicians are not short-changed when they seek jobs in other countries.
“The idea of the SADC RAC association started at the end of August 2022, the brainchild of Mr George Chaumba, a Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife ozone project manager.
“Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe came together and drafted a memorandum of understanding marking the beginning of the RAC association,” Mr Manyukwa said.
By October 2023, other countries such as Malawi, Eswatini, South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho came on board resulting in the creation of the SADC RAC.
The main objective of the association is the training of refrigeration and air conditioner technicians as technology evolves.
“Our mantra is refrigeration without borders, and energy efficiency is the future. We are benchmarking our certification with South Africa because they have higher standards,” Manyukwa said.
“The South African government allowed us to use their training manual. We want to replicate the training centres in every country so that experiments and innovations can be championed.”
He said the training on refrigerant management is critical so that technicians know about environmental issues and how cooling systems contribute to global warming, ozone layer depletion, and climate change.
Turning to the cold chain, he said the SADC RAC association wants to establish proper cold chain management in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
“Most of our economies are agro-based and for produce to reach the market, we need functional cold chain systems,” he said.
“From harvest to the consumer produce passes through refrigeration. Research has shown that our hunger is not because we do not produce enough but because we lack proper post-harvest management, which contributes to 75 percent of the losses.”
Developing cold chains, Manyukwa said, could lead to value addition, improved livelihoods and marketing of agricultural products in local and regional markets.
Zimbabwe’s adoption of MEPS contributes to a cleaner environment and aligns with global efforts to combat climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
This initiative to adopt MEPS aligns closely with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) ambitions, outlining a roadmap for sustainable development and economic growth.
The Ministry of Energy and Power Development has spearheaded the development of a National Energy Efficiency Policy, which is currently undergoing Cabinet approval.
Once approved, all necessary regulations to enforce the MEPS standards will be promulgated, ensuring comprehensive compliance and effective implementation.
Online Reporter