Government has commended ZESCO management for improving the efficiency at the state owned power firm.
Energy Minister Christopher Yaluma said government is impressed with the operational changes that the management team at ZESCO has employed.
“The ZESCO of about nine months ago is totally different from the ZESCO is see today,” Mr. Yaluma said.
Mr Yaluma was speaking Saturday night at the launch of the Power Alert System at the ZESCO stand during the ongoing Agriculture and Commercial Show.
The Power Alert System is a mechanism through which ZESCO will send a timely alert through radio and TV to electricity consumers to switch appliances which they do not need to use to reduce pressure on the supply system.
The Power Alerts will be sent through ZNBC TV, ZNBC Radio 1 and 2 during electricity peak hours between 18 Hours and 22 Hours.
“Clearly the ZESCO of today is far much better than the ZESCO we had before. We have a focused management team and the fruits are beginning to show. The ZESCO I see today has totally changed in terms of customer service” Mr Yaluma said.
“You know the biggest problem with that you never know what ZESCO is doing until when you have load shedding but I know that these guys are busy planning on how to serve you better.”
“But here tonight I can say ZESCO is doing a very commendable job. ZESCO has ambitious programme, a basket of things, approved and not just a basket of wish list but approved projects to improve electricity supply,” Mr Yaluma said.
Mr. Yaluma also commended ZESCO management for reinvesting in new infrastructure projects to improve generation and supply.
‘So let’s support ZESCO, let’s give them some time and see what they are trying to do for Zambia and am positive that we will soon see a totally transformed power supply in this country.”
Mr Yaluma said government is happy that ZESCO has finally implemented the Power Alert strategic which he said has been successful in other countries such as South Africa and Namibia.
And ZESCO Managing Director Cyprian Chitundu said the power utility is hoping to reduce load shedding by 200 megawatts using a cocktail of demand side management.
Mr. Chitundu said an energy saving culture can help release the system capacity and significantly reduce load shedding.
He said ZESCO currently has a power deficit of 120 megawatts using peak hours.
I can’t agree more.Well said.
Yapping as usual at the poor journalists who never question authorities and make then accountable for misleading the public. PF made many promises and are yet to prove what they have honoured so far?
He was better off just shutting up! This is like a man claiming credit for buying toilet roll in his own home.
1.2 Theorist, don’t you think its a huge step forward for a ZAWA officer in Mumbwa to supply toilet paper to replace The Post Newspapers in his latrine?
What is the measure of efficiency here…my residence had 5 blackouts in one day last week excluding the usual load shedding times!
Praising fish for swimming… Laughable!
Please Mr Yaluma don’t rush to blow your own trumpet, let the people be the first to comment if at all there is any positive change worth talking about. The people are the best judges.
Christopher Yaluma is another minister who has an impressive CV BUT when it comes to implementing of progressive policies he becomes just another educated non entity. What is there to praise about a WWII system such “Power Alert System” this just conjures up memories of boarding school for me. Surely how can ZESCO of about nine months ago be totally different from the ZESCO is see today when the CEO is still the same man Cyprian Chitundu….ZESCO promised consumers that load shedding will be a thing of the past 15 months ago (that deadline came and went) and it still continues.
The gov’t should be more transparent and publish the salaries of these CEOs in public companies and the allowances of their boards as people are getting a raw deal. Power-cuts are bad for SME businesses.
Jay jay, why do i always get the feeling you are ZWD editor pf’s most wanted?
Jay Jay spot on brother, my internet cafe became a ntemba after being frustrated and having to replace power supplies on the machines. At first even Zamtel didnt want to connect us, the reason they gave us was we where a new business with no track record..lol. Now we have tomatoes and veg at the front of the shop.
One of the Few Ministers that are level headed. Love this Man, Dr Joseph Kasonde, Wylber Simusa for there professionalism.
Would reccomend you continue serving in government even under the leadership of Given Lubinda. Think this cadre mentality we’ve witnessed lately will vanish, and replaced with proffesionalism.
You won’t know professionalism if it was seated on your lap…Professionalism when he was cheating to you that all was okay during ZRL “Chriwa Vs Board” debacle…do you have any idea how much time and money was lost just because of that? This man was at communication and what did he do there nothing people are still being subjected to shambolic services by the network cartels.
WAKE UP!!
@OldRugs: Such sentiments as yours are most often the easiest route to self-destruction. If you were close by, would have rather given you a Wake-up slap…
Guys, I always distinguish between proffesionalism and politics. Will give credit where it’s due and and critisize when necessary.
Jay Jay – I commented a lot and will not on Prof Clive Chirwa. Those were mere politics ochestrated by Fred Mmembe whose borrowed huge sums of money’s to finance his Post Courier business.
We need Professional Engineers in key positions and YES, will recommend CHRISTOPHER YALUMA to continue serving in the next government when Given Lubinda becomes PF President.
@Old Rugs, you rugged head, Lubinda will never be president, just like Dr Scott. Our racist constitution wont allow it….lol
Ngombe ..why are you talking on my behalf ? dnt tell we are in the same boat.
.Lol, Zesco useless.
Surely, even a simple thing like this has to be launched by a minister? Don’t these guys have more important things to do?
Amazing ! The minister should discern what is important and petty. It’s shows serious lack of developmental projects.
Chiluba used to commission street lighting !!
Good evening
Much as they need support, I think ZESCO also needs some competition. I’m thinking here in the lines of renewable energy, solar and wind power.
It has been observed that a company will naturally be forced to improve it’s services and maintain the quality of it’s products whenever there’s competition on the local market. Otherwise, as a sole supplier, one rarely sees any flaws in sharing the benefits amongst it’s employees instead of re-investing into new management methods, skills and technology.
Nine Chale. Great point. One source of power creates laziness. We need another player in Energy supply so that there are kept on their feet every time. I always fell to understand how Zambia with all this water has power cuts. There is some thing terribly wrong
Yaluma, don’t insult our collective intelligence with your rhetorical gusto! ZESCO has improved? What manner of nonsense is this?
This is a case of a Bemba patting another Bemba’s back. Miles Sampa did the same when the Euro Bond was being apportioned to ZESCO. He called Cyprian Chitundu “comrade”. Comrade in arms and in “alms” indeed. Atase!
@Sgt Gunduzani,u are an unobjective person only representing other fo . o .lish Zambians.
I hope so sir, you seem like you are that man who means bussiness, so i will give you that benefit of doubt, otherwise, keep it up if all you are saying is true. I wont criticise you for i dont know the facts and the extent to which you seem to have revamped Zesco unlike my other colleagues here who always cry foul even if they have no idea or facts being talked about , so far so good because i have never heard any complaints of power shortages during important soccer competitions, thats a sign that things are under control, well done sir.
ZESCO,SCHOOLS,HOSPITALS ETC ALL THESE INSTITUTIONS HAVE NUMEROUS CHALLENGES. VISIT THEM TO APPRECIATE EFFORTS PEOPLE RUNNING THESE INSTITUTIONS PUT IN. I FIND IT DISGUSTINGLY PRIMITIVE TO BLAME OTHERS BLINDLY. BLAMING LITERALLY EVERYTHING EXCEPT ONE’S STUPID PRIMITIVE.
GIVE CREDIT AND APPRECIATION WERE THEY ARE DUE AND NOT ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT NURSES,ZESCO,MINERS,SCHOOLS,ROADS ETC
its sad that you put it that way, Zesco is a multi million company in the business of energy. Zesco dont not give out power freely. The customer pays for the service!!!!! i do commend the work done in our Hospitals and Schools even with little resources.
Yaluma is just one of the 70 morons whose cumulative intellect does not match that of Sata, a well known scatter brain himself.
Kay – am surprised you take whatever Kabimba says to heart. Do that at your own detriment.
Wynter always compares his intellect to that of himself, and yes Pres Sata will be to 70 Wynters. He obviously didn’t consider Ministers like Chri Yaluma, Dr Kasonde, Wylber Simusa and a few others. Proper Proffesionals.
So what will the people be switching off when they se the alert? The cooker, and do the nshima later?
Mr. Minister,
Stop yapping. Zesco is drifting to disaster. You have an access to internal report that highlights the time bomb that ZESCO is sitting on. Let me enumerate a few of them, lest I be blamed for blabbering while calling the Minister a Yapper
1. Kariba North Bank Dam is developing cracks that need investment of over 250,000,000 dollars but your government is ignoring it and has not budgeted for the same. Any release of water resulting from the cracks will result in loss of life (internal report mentions it at 1,250,000 people directly affected by flooding, cattle and property worth trillions of Kwacha lost)
2. Turbine Number 3 has leakages and any breakup of water pumps will result in explosion and loss of 1/3rd power generation capacity of Kariba North Bank.
3. Itezi…
3. Itezi Tezi Power commissioning is delayed by 30 months for wrong planning and financing hick ups
4. Turbine 4 being constructed by the Chinese was not planned properly and shortcuts used by the Chinese contractors have resulted in weakening of structures and other turbines. The situation is grave.
5. Distribution lines and transformers are in dilapidated stage.
In what parallel universe?
With the abundant natural resources we have and after nearly 49 years, we should have been entirely self-sustaining in terms of power. The population is small and quite a large part of the rural areas do not have electricity. Yet we still ration even for the few areas and industries that have to be supplied. An ‘alert system’ is progress? You might as well install WWII sirens around the country to compel people to switch off appliances when they sound.
A whole minister launching a gadget for telling people to stop spending money because of inadequate supply? Styupid business move. At this stage he should have been launching power generation projects.
Load shedding every day!
I rememba taking Mr Yaluma 2de airport wen he was workin wth Mr Long.I ws drvn a vry simpo corolla
Yaluma is a cadre not a minister,
You Fire all Tongas and you replace them with your own when they have not done anything and you say you productive even when people still face load shedding? Are you serious Yaluma?????
Who watches ZNBC
Is it progress to develop a faster alert system that tells customers not to consume more? More consumption means more money in Zesco pockets, not so? Real progress is having more capacity to satisfy customer needs, not telling them to switch off tv! Extend the same alerting technology to milling companies and see if it works.
Of course he will praise ZESCO because he has seen significant improvement in his household
i use to give respect to this man,with these comments i have revisit my ranting on him,am very dissapointed with your comments mr yaluma,every sunday mazabuka has load shedding and nearly every day around 18-19hrs,which improvement is it from bad to worse?
Stop hallucinating u baboons.
And my mom has blackout every evening in Lusaka. Improvement like more money in our pockets
A better Zesco should NOT be connecting power to any structures that are illegal..they should ask for title deeds and confirmation from council.
I hope the houses built on the railway line between Chawama and Lilayi will not be connected by Zesco because they are illegal.
Good work chitundu .People never appreciate .keep it up
Hallucination indeed. How can this Yaluma praise Zesco while us the consumers are complaining? Yaluma’s comments are based on what he saw on paper. But here we are talking about what is on the ground. Let Yaluma sample the public’s views on Zesco and he will be shocked. He will realise that he is just fooling himself by praising a company which all of us know has over-employed. There are so many cadres working for Zesco and earning good money just for belonging to the PF. These are the issues we want to hear about; not assumptions. We have to call a spade a spade if we are going to improve service delivery to the people. We should not rely on wishful thinking and hope things will sort themselves out. Yaluma must be honest and stop patting his fellow cadre on the back. We the people know…
Minister Yaluma, I’m glad Zambian Gvnmt managed to spot, recocgnise & redeploy proffessionals in no’cadre’s field. Keep doing GOOD 4 Zambia.
Some birds are not ment to be captured, SA learned a lot 4rom ur leadership Sir.