Friday, March 29, 2024

ZESCO refuses to restore power to Itezhi-tezhi Police Compound till govt settles bill

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Itezhi-tezhi police officers have appealed to government to urgently intervene in the continued power outage in their police camp which has affected more than thirty police officers homes without power for three weeks.

The Police officers have said that the continued lack of power supply to Itezhi-tezhi police compound is posing a serious security risk as thieves are reportedly taking advantage of their fate by patronizing their compound.

Police officers who sought anonymity said that there is a growing impatience among police officers in Itezhi-tezhi by the delayed settling of ZESCO bills by their authorities which compelled the electricity utility company to cut power in a bid to recover billions of kwachas owed by government to the institution.

They said that the growing deterioration in security in the police compound has heightened tempers among officers who are also blaming ZESCO for cutting power despite its knowledge that police officers’ electricity bills are paid by government.

The visibly angry police officers said there is an urgent need for the government to bail out the Itezhi-tezhi police compound from ZESCO power cut which has entered week three.[quote]

“The continued electricity black out has created a save haven for thieves to be patronizing the police compound, we cannot live like this, the power cut is actually making us look like we are irresponsible people who do not pay bills to the utility company’ said one officer.

‘Its only us in Itezhi-tezhi who are still cut from power supply, in Namwala ZESCO cut power to police compound but within a week power was restored, what is wrong with us here in Itezhi-tezhi ”one of the police officers said.

The police officers said that the power cut to police compound has demoralized the working morale of the police officers in the district.

‘The power cut has really disadvantaged us, you know we do not pay electricity bills by ourselves, it’s the government which takes care of our bills, we are entering week three and yet nothing is being done about this desperate situation”

The police officers further said that power cut has also disturbed their businesses and their studies at night.

And Itezhi-tezhi Acting District Commissioner Hampende Hichilema told ZANIS in an interview that his office communicated to Southern Province Police Command about the plight of the police officers in Itezhi-tezhi.

He said that Mr. Lemmy Kajoba who admitted that police owes huge sums money to ZESCO met the Inspector General of police who assured him that the issue is receiving active attention.

“ZESCO has adamantly refused to restore power until the bills are settled, they claim that they have information that Ministry of Finance has been releasing money to ministry of home affairs which caters for such expenses’ he said.

He further said that Southern Province Permanent Secretary Darius Hakayobe who is aware of the problem has liaised with his home affairs counterpart over the need to settle the bills to alleviate the inconveniences created as result of the power cut.

ZANIS

20 COMMENTS

  1. This is what will be happening to government wings when ZAMLETL is sold off coz govt will not negotiate to settle bills when it genuinely has got no money. When HH ( MBA UK, Privatisation Thief ) and his boss and mentor Sata take over, these are the issues they should seriously look in esp the ZAMTEL deal.

  2. The problem with the zambians is that they just waste things when they are not the ones paying for them. Europeans are very conscious of payments in every institution. For example, at the university a student will just turn down the heater or switch of the light because there’s no need to have them on any more. Zambians, even at embassies, the phone bills are higher that those in very big european institutions. They call all their relatives and friends using office phone, ati kabili ba government bakalipila. Zambians we should change this mentality and start living consciously. Naimwe ba government be responsible for once, atase.

  3. #6 Kwathukummawa ,,,”The continued electricity black out has created a save haven for thieves to be patronizing the police compound” Kuti waseka. If the camps are now safe havens forthieves whatmore the compounds ?!!!

  4. When Zamtel is privatised, all government offices will be without phones and internet access.The new owners will take a stronger line on unpayed bills. This is what Nyama Soya has forgotten to think about in his haste to line his own pockets. Considering our government does not pay bills on time, we are in for interesting times ahead. I am sure Zesco will be forced to restore power to this police establishment.

  5. The best appraoch is to put prepaid meters so that they learn to be reponsible as well. That is why when these people retire they fail to cope with life because they are used to free things – even toilet paper to an extent that ngabacita retire they change kumiseba yamataba for failure to use other alternatives such as the paper that digs deeper since they are getting it free as well.

  6. #11 Ba LT, I used the word t.o.i.l.e.t paper mwanchinga, yashani iyi? Okey nomba nacinja kuli “shinda paper”.

  7. NATIONAL Union of Communications Workers (NUCW) Ndola branch chairman Mwepa Chilyobwe has refuted assertions that the partial privatisation of Zamtel was supported by all workers. Reacting to NUCW president Patrick Kaonga’s statement that workers were the first to get the news of privatisation of Zamtel, Chilyobwe said that was not true because the employees were left out of the whole process.
    “As the Zamtel workers, we have never been given a platform by our union where we could air our views but we were surprised when we read in the Daily Mail newspaper dated August 5, 2009 that we were of the idea of partial privatisation of the company. Our president Mr Kaonga is not telling the truth because we have been left helpless after the [planned] partial privatisation of our company as…

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    According to information available, president Banda flew in about 14 hours on Friday just about the time when journalists were starting to demonstrate against their harassment.

    When phoned for confirmation this morning (Sunday), president Banda’ spokesperson Dickson Jere said the president came back ‘a long time ago.’
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  9. Zesco I recommend you guys. Don’t give these guys free power. Let them pay if Zesco were to run profitably. We don’t want these MMD-thieves to come say no Zesco is being sold to chinese coz it has a lot of debts. Tell these thieves to stop misusing Zesco power. They must pay for it period.

  10. Dr Maureen and Kwathukummawa, I was also crying with laughter that the article. Are the police that useless that thieves are even targetting them for ‘treatment’??? Bravo Zesco, just keep the chaps switched off. In fact implement this policy in other parts of the country and to other govt departments. Useless, lazy, liars!

  11. I wish to differ from anyone saying that gvt should. Gone are days when many people used to depend heavily on gvt. Gvt should not pay for electricity for the ba kapokola cos they are paid monthly salaries. Why not pay electric bills out of these salaries. And help put sense on how to be careful against using electricity. When I visited Kaoma last yr lights could be see on in broad daylight. This is carelessness. let every electric user pay on their own. They are the consumers and must meet all expenses.

  12. I agree with most of you. Until such a time that we start to think of Zambia as our own and not government’s, things will continue to get worse. Each one should pay for his own bills from his own pockets!

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