About

Zimbabwe power cuts. Tracked.

What is Zimbabwe Loadshedding Tracker?

Zimbabwe Loadshedding Tracker (ZLS) monitors the current loadshedding stage, daily schedule by area group, and historical hours of power cuts — sourced from ZETDC announcements and ZESA published schedules.

We track stage changes, alert subscribers when the schedule changes, and maintain a historical record so businesses and households can plan around Zimbabwe's loadshedding patterns.

ZESA, ZETDC, and ZPC — what's the difference?

Zimbabwe's electricity sector is divided across three distinct entities that are frequently confused:

When you hear "ZESA says loadshedding will continue," the announcement typically comes from ZETDC but is attributed to the ZESA group. The root cause (generation shortfall) sits with ZPC.

Why does Zimbabwe have loadshedding?

Zimbabwe's electricity shortage has structural and seasonal causes:

• Kariba dam water levels: Kariba South Hydroelectric Station provides roughly 40–50% of Zimbabwe's generation capacity in good years. Lake Kariba's water level is highly seasonal — low rainfall years dramatically reduce generation capacity. The dam is shared with Zambia (Kariba North Bank, operated by ZESCO), creating competition for the same water resource.
• Hwange Thermal Station age: Hwange Thermal Power Station's older units (Units 1–6) are decades old and suffer frequent breakdowns. Units 7 and 8, expanded recently, add capacity but also require maintenance outages.
• Transmission losses and debt: ZETDC struggles to recover revenue from a largely informal economy, limiting capital for infrastructure maintenance. Zimbabwe also owes outstanding debts to power importers from neighboring countries.
• SAPP import limitations: Zimbabwe imports power from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) — primarily from Mozambique (HCB/Cahora Bassa), South Africa (Eskom), and Zambia — but import capacity is limited by transmission line capacity and payment terms.

Loadshedding stages explained

Kariba dam levels

Lake Kariba's operational level is critical to Zimbabwe's electricity supply. The dam is considered at operational risk below 475m above sea level (the minimum operating pool). At full storage, the lake sits at approximately 489m. ZPC and the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) publish water level updates — we track these as leading indicators for loadshedding escalation.

For current Kariba water levels, see Zambezi River Authority (zambezira.org).

The SAPP regional grid

Zimbabwe is a member of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a regional electricity trading market with 12 member countries. During surplus periods, Zimbabwe exports; during deficit periods, it imports. SAPP members include South Africa (dominant exporter via Eskom), Mozambique (Cahora Bassa), Zambia, Botswana, and others.

Zimbabwe's SAPP import capacity is limited by aging transmission infrastructure on the Mozambique corridor and South Africa–Zimbabwe interconnector, and by payment arrears to regional utilities.

Data sources

Who built this?

Zimbabwe Loadshedding Tracker is an independent data publication. Not affiliated with ZESA, ZETDC, ZPC, or the Government of Zimbabwe.

Questions? hello@zimloadshedding.co.zw