fat cat

Power -- or the lack of it -- gets everyone talking. This week I've read several good pieces on the cuts. (Which is saying something: load-shedding's been happening since 2001, so finding something new to say about it is no mean achievement). One letter-writer to the Manica Post blamed the cuts for the resurgence of diarrhoea and kwashiorkor in the townships: he said the lack of power meant housewives could neither cook healthy meals nor heat water for bathing and washing. A blogger said his TV had become "like a carpet", something to sweep and dust rather than something to watch. I particularly liked Nevanji Madanhire's defence of Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) chief Ben Rafemoyo. Writing in the Zimbabwe Independent, Madanhire blamed the cuts for his pet's sudden weight gain: his cat, he said (and many Shona people are still wary of cats) "is getting fat on sour milk."