Friday, March 29, 2024

Pilato writes to ZESCO over loadshedding

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Pilato
Pilato

Controversial musician Chama Fumba alias Pilato has written to Zesco over the current loadshedding expressing his displeasure over the blackouts.

DEAR Ba Zesco,

Firstly I feel you are a disgrace to this country bane and your conduct is likely to breach peace.

Electricity is the most essential element of our lives and the development of any country and you proudly left it to chance. So if the water levels are as low as you’d love us to believe, what will happen if we don’t receive enough rains this year?

If you depended so much on high and low water levels for electricity supply you were expected to pay extreme attention to issues of global warming and anything that would affect the water levels. After so many years of operation your CEO and his disciples should have by now planned of how to avoid the problem you are claiming now. In moments like this, I wonder how your CEO introduces himself kubantu… Ati Hi, am the Chief Electricity Outgoer for Zesco, I sit on the board for loadshedding country wide.

At first you asked us to buy those tuma energy saving bulbs which look like starving worms ati they will help stop loadshedding and we did kanshi Bufi. I hope this time you will not ask the fish to dig wells in the rivers or ask us ukulatuntila amenshi mufimana. With your loadshedding you are indirectly demanding that

  1. We cut more trees for charcoal production- but you and I know how this extensive cutting of trees will affect our enviroment even the rains you are praying for.
  2. Mining and manufacturing companies should reduce operating hours- but you know too well that this country’s economy depends on these sectors to survive so indirectly you are sobataging the economy. The office hours too are now reduced because imwe ba Zesco nabu Zesco bwenu could not plan.

So imwe guys, the millions you collect every day from us your clients you just pay yourselves and buy bundles for your big phones? Seriously naimwe without shame ati water levels are low… Mmmmmm even when we had a drought many years ago electricity was not our problem. If we are to trust your wisdom, the situation is beyond your control and we have no choice but to sit and hope for rains to come soon and raise the water levels…. I seriously hope it will raise your pride levels too. We are a peaceful people and you ba Zesco should not take that for granted lwenu. Anyway naleka apapene kuti yaya amalaiti.

66 COMMENTS

    • Well thought-out article Pilato! In one breath they tell us the country will have a bumper harvest. In the next they say we are load shedding because of low rainfall. What a bunch of stupid ldiots! How can you expect a bumper harvest with low rainfall??!!

    • GOOD REMINDER PILATO. WELL ARTICULATED ISSUES. MIGHT SOUND FUN, BUT HE HAS DRIVEN THE POINT HOME. THOSE WITH EARS SHOULD HEAR.

    • Pilato should be become CEO of ZESCO. He speaks more sense than the garbage coming out of ZESCO.

      If we have known that we are overly dependent on hydro, why not create more power stations, unutilised hydro power potential, coal, solar, etc. Why do you commit to export when you do not have ‘enough’.

      The socio-economic impact of erratic supply is devastating.

    • YOU CALL THIS BIG-HEADED. ZESCO DOESN’T HAVE THE WORD ‘PLAN’ IN THEIR VOCABULARY. WHERE ZESCO EXPORTS ELECTRICITY THEY PLAN AND THEREFORE HAVE NO LOAD SHEDDING. BECAUSE THEY PLAN THEIR ENGINEERS ALSO KNOW THAT SOLAR ENERGY CAN GIVE US LIGHTING, ETC. SO, BOTSWANA HAS NEVER HAD LOAD SHEDDING. 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE LOAD SHEDDING SHOULDN’T HAVE EVEN BEEN HEARD OF BY OUR CHILDREN. ZESCO MUST BE UN BUNDLED AND THIS CALL HAS BEEN MADE A LONG TIME AGO. ONE COMPANY SHOULD JUST BE FOR MARKETING, ANOTHER FOR GENERATION OF POWER AND ANOTHER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT. I HAVE NEVER SEEN PEOPLE PAYING FOR ELECTRICAL POLES OR UNDERGROUND POWER LINES IN OTHER COUNTRIES. EXTENSION OF POWER LINE IS DONE AS TOWNS GROW AND IT’S PART OF POWER INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT.

    • SOME DUNDERHEAD PEOPLE DO NOT REASON WELL IF THEY CAN ARGUE EVEN THINGS THAT ARE HITTING THEM. IF YOU STAY IN THE STATE HOUSE YOU ARE THEN BLIND OF THE REALITY AND THE PINCH ZESCO IS THROWING ON US.

    • When you have a problem, the sensible approach must be to ask the questions ,what has caused the problem and what are going to do about it? The PF government is not going to have solutions from heaven . They have to do something about this worsening crisis .We just cant be hoping for rain to fall in abundance to have enough electricity for our nation.

      We need to look at other sources of electricity such as wind farms, nuclear sources etc.Every Zambian knows that we are having a problems with electricity and government is busy blaming mother nature instead of acting to find some solutions to the problem.We need to start planting more trees to stop our nation from becoming a desert.

    • @Mwape, you are a F00l, look how many number of disliking your comment that tells you that you are so behind in thinking. Pilato is saying the truth, you are the same people want yo take him to jail for saying the truth in the song alungu anabwela, what’s wrong with us Zambian? we always don’t want the truth. Zesco is taking its client for granted and you want to say Pilato is big headed, only a shallow mind person like you would say that. It will always be like this in Zambia because of people like you. The government is going down, and we have people like you still saying ifintu ni Lungu. You must be from another planet to think all is well in Zambia.

    • so kuli imwe cleanliness is wearing the white mans imperialist suit and shaving your beard to the skin,not realising that the africans hear grows from the skin curled and not straight.so because of this phenomenon,once you cut it to the skin, it grows by first curling up a bit under your skin (remember our hair doesnt grow straight).this causes irritation of the skin.thats why the area where the beard should grow for most africans is darkened.irritation of skin (utupumba tulya utufimba nga wabeya).But white man hair grows straight, so it doesnt curl up under the skin trying to grow out and causing irritation. it just shoots out hence very little chances of skin irritation.
      African know yourself, we are different!!!let us tailor our lives according to who we are.not ukukopela fyonse

  1. Chachine, true, lack of planning plus appointing cadre CEOs to boards is the result of what the people are going through each day. Pilato, compose another song on loadshedding.

    • you dont’ know what you are talking about.your pilato, ni sign yakalyelye(rabbies), mufwaile umuti apo talatapmpa ukubosesha!!!!!

  2. Pilato’s article has a lot of points. It may sound as a joke of an article and probably too unethical but the points raised therein are worth noting.

    1. Do ZESCO have a business continuity plan? What happens if water levels never reach the safe limit even in the next few seasons?

    2. The effects of Deforestation are far reaching, the consequences are worse than we anticipate; continuous lapses in rainfall patterns, depletion of the ozone layer, unprdictable in wheather patterns, desertification due to bare land mutilation by winds.

    3. The industries are currently affected in their production levels, this eventually leads to increased cost of doing business, and ultimately loss of jobs.

    4. Do ZESCO have a long term strategic plan to diversify or expand not only hydro but solar,…

    • @Stephen Chinkumbi, m****** mwe be careful or what? This guy Pilato is saying the truth, what do you want him to be careful for. You be careful with your no thinking capacity comments. If you have nothing to post, you would rather stay back.

  3. Well, it is obvious pilato takwata sana amano, imiponto alikwata no doubt, but that does not help solve a problem. Pilato should also know that there are thousands if millions of illegal electricity connections countrywide which has also led to load shedding. It is a pity that we have developed this tendency of debating issues without facts and intellect. Writing such a letter to Zesco just shows how low his thinking is. He takes everything as jokes!

  4. Pilato for President!

    He is doing the job that Kachasu Lungu is failing to do!

    And without wasting millions on choppers and international travel!

    PF has failed the Nation. Time to kick them out NOW! 2016 is too far away.

    • Pilato is doing what many should have been doing standing up to injustices and demanding plausible explanations and advising against taking citizens for granted! This is within Pilato’s social commentary circles nothing out of place! If all good people could join hands and speak up than keeping quiet the country will change for better.

  5. This huge 220 volts for all electrical appliances introduced by the brits is a factor too. However this young man has some very legitimate questions that deserve serious answers.

  6. This young man is telling us the truth. The increased use of charcoal will lead to deforestation resultin in less rainfall . Zesco is just too big . It needs to be broken and the units privatised . This will ensure that no cadres are appointed to run these companies.

  7. I have no problem with what Pilato has written – the truth! We have very bad managers at ZESCO and in this country in general. If for two or three years we will have no rains, so what will happen? ZESCO, being the custodians of electricity in the country, should have research conducted by citizens, pay students to do research, instead of ever increasing tariffs and raising their workers pays. I believe that soon they will increase tariffs. If ZESCO can not manage electricity – GET OUT and let other people try.

  8. I agree with what this guy is trying to put across, we are all being affected by loadsheding but we shouldn’t use Insults or demeaning language to express our frustrations with zesco. Pilato you are taking your lucky too far tone down or else…

  9. Pleas GRZ, start a sanitisation programme with training and benefits for the public about solar power. You are leaving everything to the private sector. Show some leadership and grow some balls. Instead of doing important things you are all going to open a ka ma mall.

    • Just because you don’t like him does not mean he shouldn’t exercise his democratic right of expression … and he has raised some good points.

  10. It is really a shame for Zambia to be blaming water levels. Pilato is humorous but drives the point home; lack of planning by ZESCO and govt!

  11. I like the whole article but the last bit really says the guy is witty and you’ve got to give it to him and I quote “Anyway naleka apapene kuti yaya amalaiti”.
    In any other country where citizens are serious, ZESCO management or misManagers would have quit on their own and a real plan of action put in place to forestall further pain..

  12. Let Jameson tell the Nation, why he is exporting electricity, at the expense of Zambians, do we have a president bushe?

  13. The CEO positions for ZESCO, ZAMTEL,ZAMBIA RAILWAYS etc. must be advertised on the international market but guess what they are political positions…..SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. The young man Pilato is right on.

    It is really laughable to claim you have low water levels in your dam and yet you let too much of that precious water to go thru and spin the Turbines into overdrive, and thereby you generate too much power.

    And then you turn around and tell surprised stakeholders you have excess power and need to export. Hours later, you lie to the same bemused stakeholders that you have to switch off their power supply for hours because of the low water levels. Even your spouse, will be upset with you, or sadly conclude you are a now Chainama case.

  15. Pilato nao ifyakubosabosa! Electricity is certainly not the most essential element in our country. Doesn’t he know some people have never seen a light bulb or electric syove in their home despite 50 years of independence? Water is most essential. Ba Pilato Stop acting like you know when you are just as bad as Kambwili

  16. Pilato nao ifyakubosabosa! Electricity is certainly not the most essential element in our country. Doesn’t he know some people have never seen a light bulb or electric stove in their home despite 50 years of independence? Water is most essential. Ba Pilato Stop acting like you know when you are just as bad as Kambwili

    • This level of dullness should be treasonable! How far did you go in education for you to under estimate the importance of electricity to the national economy (that’s if you even know what an economy is!). Carders also!

  17. I think there is a lesson to learn both from Zambia and South Africa. Energy is one factor that can affect the economy especially when the economy is growing.Recently, new industries and plants have tapped into the power grid, so the power demand has exponentially grown,investment could have intensified into power both from private and public.Start thinking opportunity not criticism!

  18. On a serious note, whatever the cause, this load shedding in our Country is not going away anytime soon. So, we definitely need to look at ENERGY STORAGE as we go into the future. This involves every one of us with property in Zambia. This can obviously be at homestead level, community level, company level, and National level. Nothing new in this as some already know and have made inroads already, because its being done in other Countries, like here in UK. So no need to re-invent the wheel. Put in simple terms, we collect back-up water in various containers and household overhead Tanks etc..in case taps run dry. At times we collect rain water via roof tops. The good news is, with advancement in technology, we can now collect ‘energy’ from ZESCO ,(or from solar panels) in appropriate…

    • Cont’d ……in appropriate containers. E.g. a household can do with a 10kWh flat wall mounted lithium ion pack (Costs approx K30,000 ex-works, 10 year warranty, just over half the height of a door and as wide, 100kg, throw in an inverter.). A couple of these will do for a small factory. Can do three-phase of course.
      As a matter of fact you could treat this load shedding as an incentive to go into this sort of business.

    • @ Cactus, in the US the Electricity Supply Company will reimburse you the equivalent of the power harnessed once you install energy storage equipment and/or solar panels since you reduce demand on their supply. I can not imagine ZESCO doing the same.

  19. Remember last week zesco thru znbc stupid PF news said they want to be the power hub of the entire region. now marry it with what we are going thru. we missed the point. they meant to help the region at the expense of northern rhodesia kkkkk. we shud have asked how?

  20. Pilato has said the truth ba zesco if this problem continuesit wont be gud, pipo out here are putting the blame on the PF government,imwe ba zesco u ar da reason why dollar got dat high,we make money out of electricity now if loadshedding persists u’ll make us suffer more than this and we will not vote. Voting does not change anything in our lives we keep complaining everyday. We just heard dat u brought da sheep to supply us with energy but we ar stil experiencing da same problem again.
    SOLVE THE PROBLEM FAST

  21. is the water level the real reason why load-sheding…..ZESCO and the govt just tell the pipo the real crisis behind we are having!

  22. ZESCO…whats all this load-sheding…i askd the govt and u,said things the citizens will not comprihend,so tell the pipo where all our money goes….don’t belive u think like kids(gvt)

  23. Comment:i
    I won’t say much but all I say is………….
    A man’s own stupidity ruins his life
    And his heart the rages against the LORD!
    *imwe ba zesco imwe……one thing you should know is that Lesa kumulu ali tupela amano ayengi sana!! Plus ama resources and alternatives yengi!!!
    Now, I don’t get the reason why you people should be operating at 35% of what we have!!!!
    Think people…open your eyes and heads????
    *lack of guidance a nation falls
    *but with many advisers victory is surely there!!!
    So advise ilefuma kubantu…..if you’re not putting it into consideration lwenu!!! Will fall a thousand feet………to the soil!!!
    By the way, don’t be so dependent on one source of electricity!! Please, let there be diversity or bring in another utility company to give help by…

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