Associated Press
Monday, January 21, 2008

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Jan. 20 -- Power outages shut down basic services across Zambia and Zimbabwe as anger mounted in South Africa over power cuts that have wreaked havoc in the continent's economic hub.

There was no immediate explanation for the nationwide blackouts, which hit Zambia and neighboring Zimbabwe almost simultaneously early Saturday evening. It was unclear whether there was any connection.

Power was restored in Zambia about eight hours later, but long-suffering Zimbabweans remained without electricity, water, telephones and traffic signals for much of Sunday.

Power and water outages occur daily in Zimbabwe's crumbling economy but not on a national scale. Zimbabwe's state radio, running on generators, reported a major breakdown but did not elaborate.

Zimbabwe imports about 40 percent of its power from neighbors and is in arrears in hard currency for most imports. It is suffering chronic shortages of hard currency, local money, food, gasoline and basic goods.

Power and water outages have dramatically worsened in Zimbabwe in recent weeks. A main power supplier, South Africa, is having its own blackouts. South Africa's state utility company Eskom said Sunday it had stopped supplying electricity to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia because of the dire shortage at home.