The University Teaching Hospital was forced to use candles to light some general wards due to the power blackout that left Lusaka and other parts of the country in the dark.UTH Assistant Public Relations Officer Natalie Mashikolo confirmed in an interview that UTH had no power from 19.39 hours to 23.00 hours.
She stated that the medical personnel had to use oxygen cylinders for the patients who needed oxygen and UTH had to use candles to light some general wards as they do not have generators.
She said, however, the hospital’s sensitive areas such as the Neonatal ICU that utilizes incubators for the premature babies and the operating theatres were not affected by the power failure because the hospital has backup generators. She said the institution managed to run relatively smoothly despite the power failure.
Meanwhile, the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, the country’s major port of entry was also plunged into darkness after the power blackout. The Airport was using standby generators that supplied electricity to other facilities such as the control block, runway, taxiways and navigation aids during the power blackout. Passengers aboard a plane that landed in the midst of the blackout were made to wait inside the plane for a long time while airport staff conducted things manually.
Yesterday, a nationwide power outage hit Zambia for close to four hours, following a national blackout after power went out across the country with the exception of Southern and Western Provinces, that continued receiving power from Victoria Falls Power Station. The power outage is said to have been caused by a system failure at the Kafue Gorge Power Station, following a fault at Luano Power Station that resulted in a protective mechanism that switched off generation machines at Kafue Gorge and others.
Shame to Zescoro and especially UTH. Using candles in wards after 50 years of independence in one of the country’s biggest Hospitals? If I was President of Zambia, I would resign in shame and embarrassment!
Massive blackout hits Zim ahead of SADC summit
Harare – It couldn’t have happened at a worse time: with a SADC summit underway and an international arts festival about to kick off, Zimbabwe was hit by a countrywide blackout on Monday night.
Power flicked off around 19:45 – and in some parts of the country was only restored about 04:00 on Tuesday. Reports said neighbouring Zambia also suffered a blackout.
Zimbabwe’s state Zesa power authority chief executive Josh Chifamba told state media that the main Hwange and Kariba power stations went down “because of a disturbance on the interconnected system”, the state-controlled The Herald reported.
Welcome to Zambia the real Africa. Even UTH does not have standby generators or solar power?
Zambians & “Zimbabweans are used to frequent cuts after years of power shortages. But the first inkling that this was something more serious than regular “load-shedding” came on social media.
Journalist Nqaba Matshazi tweeted: “Looks like a massive blackout in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Couldn’t be a worse timing. SADC meeting, Trade Fair and HIFA [Harare International Festival of the Arts, which begins on Tuesday].
Even the state ZBC broadcaster stopped broadcasting.”
hope there was no disaster at UTH
“Zimbabwe business mogul Nigel Chanakira tweeted: “Ordinarily tho in Zim a national power blackout does not [cause] a blackout of our broadcasting services. Somebody asleep @ d wheel””
Our small Hospital had power supply through its ancient Generator which worked through out the night. It gobbles a lot of Diesel though but we conducted many deliveries without any hassle. Our Government is a working government.
“Guests in the plush Rainbow Towers Hotel in central Harare used cellphones and torches to find their way around, the Herald newspaper said.
‘Real cause’
Parts of the second city of Bulawayo were spared because their supplies come from South Africa’s Eskom
Residents of Mutare, on Zimbabwe’s eastern border with Mozambique, told News24 they heard loud bangs, likely from a nearby electricity substation.
Chifamba told the Herald: “We are yet to establish the real cause but I have been speaking to my counterparts in Zambia who indicated that they were experiencing the same problem.”
Some Zimbabweans woke up to no power on Tuesday morning. It was not immediately clear if this was because of a scheduled outage or because the fault that caused Monday’s blackout had not been…
comments on power cuts
“Jeremy Thewasp – April 28, 2015 at 12:26
There should be an international law where politicians are tried in the Hague for running a country into the ground whilst enriching themselves – not adhering to their fiduciary duty
Both Bob and Jacob should be on this list.
Mugabe & Zuma are not fit to even be dustbin boy’s
“Ryan Zander – April 28, 2015 at 12:34
Guests in the plush Rainbow Towers Hotel in central Harare used cellphones and torches to find their way around, the Herald newspaper said.
You would think by now they would have generators installed after their YEARS of blackouts?
I think the 1000mw Eskom restored into the grid overloaded the freeloaders in Zimbabwe shorting their systems out.”
Zambians be ….singing
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…and go on to make more babies in the dark!! hahahahahahahaha
Welcome to Africa the Dark continent!
Tongas an Lozis are the real owners of Zambia. Bembas are monkeys while their so called causins from Eastern Province are rats because they enjoy eating rats.
Tongas and Lozis were not affected by the black out because they are the true owners of Zambia, not the foolsthat surround government.
Bemba is a stupid tribe whoc must be chased from Zambia.
?@Malambo Limata
Why are you so shallow minded? That kind of thinking won’t let you progress.