Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
Ministers responsible for energy and water in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region have called for urgent and united action to address the worsening water and energy crises that threaten regional development, economic stability and social progress.
Speaking at the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers Responsible for Energy and Water held in Harare, Energy and Water Development Minister Dr July Moyo said the region is at critical crossroads and must act decisively to secure the future of its people.
“This meeting comes at a time when our region is under immense pressure from energy and water insecurity caused by rapid population growth, ageing infrastructure, climate change and underinvestment,” he said.
“None of our countries must be left behind. The time to act is now.”
He said Zimbabwe alone was losing an estimated US$4 million annually due to transformer theft, with vandalism of infrastructure causing serious disruptions in both energy and water services.
Minister Moyo urged the region to adopt stricter law enforcement, deploy surveillance technologies and conduct public awareness campaigns to combat such criminal activities.
Despite efforts to boost domestic electricity generation, Minister Moyo said Zimbabwe continued to face severe power shortages.
The country’s demand exceeds 2 000 megawatts, while the achievable capacity ranges between 1 200 and 1 600 megawatts.
“Our energy mix remains heavily reliant on coal, and we must scale up investments in renewable energy to meet the growing demand,” he said.
“Currently, 38 percent of Zimbabweans still lack electricity access, but we aim to close this gap by 2030.”
Minister Moyo said regional energy integration was a priority and called for the completion of key transmission projects that will connect Angola, Malawi and Tanzania to the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
He said this would allow all mainland SADC countries to trade electricity, improving energy access and reliability.
The minister added that regional cooperation was key in cross-border fuel pipelines and the development of multipurpose dams to strengthen water security and support agriculture, industry and domestic consumption.
SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi praised Zimbabwe for hosting the summit and expressed appreciation for the country’s leadership in advancing regional integration.
“We are meeting at a pivotal time as our region grapples with intertwined water and energy challenges,” he said.
“Despite progress, including the commissioning of 2 885 megawatts of new generation capacity in 2024 and 2025, we continue to face a shortfall of more than 4 500 megawatts.”
