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 Naison Gumpo, a journalism student studying in the capital, knows
this only too well.
“I was mugged right in the central business district and lost my
jacket, wallet and passport. I long ago stopped walking in the city
center at night,” said Gumpo, recalling what has become a familiar
story in this city of more than 3 million.
With streetlights going out in regular power blackouts, “Harare
streets have become havens for muggings, even motorists are not
safe,” he said.
According to a website that monitors crime in Harare, in January
2015, only a little over 20 percent of the city’s residents said
they felt safe walking alone at night.
But an ambitious city lighting program by the municipality could
provide the relief many residents seek.
Harare City Council is installing solar-powered street lights that
will illuminate the central business district at night, with plans
to extend the project to other parts of the city.
The country is increasingly turning to the sun for its energy
requirements, with the government hoping to build billion-dollar
solar plants countrywide if it can find needed investment.
COST SAVINGS
According to Harare municipal officials, solar street lights will
reduce electricity bills and save the city about $200,000 each
month.
The $15 million solar streetlight project is a partnership with a
Zambian firm. The first phase of the roll-out is in the central
business district, with plans to extend the project to provide
citywide street lighting, according to city town clerk Tendai
Mahachi.
Solar energy projects are also expected to be developed in other
cities, with Gweru, the country’s third largest city, also planning
to install solar-powered street lights.
Michael Chideme, Harare municipal spokesperson, told Thomson Reuters
Foundation that the two-year project will see the installation of
4,000 solar street lights in the city.
“We are starting with the central business district then we will
move to other parts of the city,” Chideme said.
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The solar switch comes as the country continues facing power
blackouts, which affect street lights and create heightened
opportunities for crime when streets are dark at night, residents
say.
Harare has however shelved the installation of solar-powered traffic
lights citing lack of funds.
'SUN IS FREE'
“It makes sense turning to solar because the sun is free and most of
the municipality is failing to service public amenities citing lack
of funds,” said Collins Mabaso, a vendor who hawks fruits, sweets
and mobile phone recharge cards in the central business district.
“I work late and I know the darkness of these streets. It’s even
worse in the townships,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The energy development ministry says broadening use of solar energy
will help ease the country’s long-running energy crisis.
In February, Meeco, an international firm that has partnered with
local players, announced the government had granted the company’s
planned $400 million solar plant “national project status” which
means Meeco will be exempt from duty, while a joint
Zimbabwean-Chinese company also has plans to set up a $1 billion
solar plant in Lupane, in the southwest of the country.
However, there are concerns that the capital-intensive solar
projects could be delayed as government struggles to attract
international partners and investors for the projects.
(Reporting by Madalitso Mwando; editing by Laurie Goering)
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