ZESCO Managing Director Victor Mundende has fired five top Directors at the state run power utility.
In an internal Memo to staff dated Friday, December 02 2016, Mr Mudenda fired the Director Human Resources Laston Mumba with immediate effect and replaced him with Mrs Rhodah Mwale in an acting capacity.
Mrs Mbile Vukovic who was Director Legal Services and Company Secretary has also been fired and replaced with Mr McRobby Chiwale.
Mr Rodgers Chisambi has also been fired from his position as Director of Finance and replaced with Mr Saidi Chimya.
Mr Mundende has also fired Mr Besty Banda who was until now Director of Strategy and Corporate Services and replaced him with Mr Changala Nswana.
Mr Muntungwa Mugala has also been fired from his post as Director in charge of Distribution and Customer Services and replaced with Mr Dennis Banda.
The ZESCO M.D has since wished his former colleagues the very best in their future endeavours.
Hope he also fires himself.
BA PF how much is 25kg of mealie meal ? Ba PF is loading shedding finished ?
Job opportunities are here. If you are on right side, this is the time.
But nothing will change.
Isn’t the job of the Board to do that?
Loading shedding has engulfed Zesco!
I hope he was not merely tempted by the sad tradition that has been created, that each time you come out of election then management must change.
We are looking for time when these institutions can be more stable and predictable.
Firing is the Zambian style of management. If you can’t make better what you have, you won’t be able to make better what you will get. If firing is the solution, start with yourself – resign. Don’t try to cover ineptitude with ineptitude, thinking you are impressing us. You are not.
But what is Mundende himself doing in that job? He has no idea how ZESCO should be run. Honestly can one compare Mundede to the MDs that KK used to appoint, like John Kaluzi? Lets look at how Mundende got that job: 1. At UNZA, Mundende was best friends with the Late Reuben Kaseba, brother to Dr. Christine Kaseba. After Reuben’s death Mundede remained loyal to Christine and became as good as Reuben’s replacement ( a dear brother to Dr. Kaseba). And it was through Mundede’s friendship with Chitundu that he (Chitundu) was made ZESCO MD. A fall out between Mundede and Chitundu got the latter fired and replaced with the former. So; fact No.1 – Competence and suitability was never the criteria for Mundede to become MD. It was the SATA connection.
2. ZESCO’s competence levels and continue…
ZESCO’s competence levels have continued to deteriorate due to the preference of CADRES over COMPETENT people. Firing FIVE directors at once is a REGIME CHANGE to get stooges who can best tow the corruption and looting culture. ZAMBIANS and INVESTORS can be assured that the DAILY 8-HOUR LOAD SHEDDING will remain a PERMANENT FEATURE OF OUR ECONOMY. So, how does Mundende strengthen his looting machinery? It’s by getting rid of everyone that understands the business of ZESCO better than him – obviously to the DETRIMENT of ZAMBIANS AND THE ZAMBIAN ECONOMY……CRY MY BELOVED ZAMBIA!!!!!!
They should have replaced them with Chinese directors.
SO, WHY DO WE ZAMBIANS JUST SIT AND WATCH OUT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS BEING MESSED UP IN THIS WAY?
1.IS IT MERE DOCILITY?
2. IS IT OUR LOVE FOR OR ACCEPTANCE OF MEDIOCRITY?
3.IS IT JUST IGNORANCE OF OUR RIGHTS?
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR RIGHT TO PROTEST?
CAN WE HAVE A DAY OF BUSINESS SHUT DOWN TO PROTEST AGAINST THESE BLACK OUTS PLEASE?
The board relives Directors. The MD like all directors are at the messy of the board.
Just privatise this whole thing. This is mockery.
Thanks
BB2014
Five at once? Were they planning a coup against him? They will sue and public coffers will be drained again
@Cry for Zambia you are a liar. Mr Chitundu was promoted on merit. He’s a man of integrity, He was also made general manager at Kariba north bank power station on merit. Mr Chitundu didn’t need connections to get his job. Just ask any who have saved under him.
This is the most banal form of management ever. Now that they have finished chewing all the Euro bond money, they are talking about firing “X” and “Y” and “Z”, each of whom, as we know, is going away smiling because their pockets are full. Then they will bring in a new team, just as clueless as those they have fired; and each, coming in with the maximum number of empty pockets, ready to do the clean-up and take away whatever the other group left behind. Before long the PF government will be no more. But we will still be left with a huge mountain of the Euro bond money to pay! Since when did we last hear about Zambia Railways? As soon as the money they had allocated to that entity disappeared, the fighting stopped. It’s now all quiet. That is business as usual in Zambia. That’s…
That’s PF at its best.
That is the carbohydrate diet PF is feeding us on.
How eternal George Orwell – “Some animals are more equal than others.”
And how masterfully astounding Benjamin’s cry: “F00LS, FXXLS, FYYLS, F00LS, THEY ARE TAKING BOXER TO THE KNACKERS.”
To their shame, the animals awoke from their stupor rather too late, their song: “GOODBYE BOXER, GOODBYE BOXER” suddenly turning into a war cry! But it was a war they could not fight, because, though they strenuously raced their way to the gate, they found it already closed – bolted against them. Boxer was gone!
It’s hard to believe, it was not Zambia, George Orwell had written about; hard to believe, Animal Farm is not earnestly our story.
As usual crappy Zambian reporting. We are not told why these people have been fired despite the fact that they are top management in Zambias biggest parastatal. Mr Mundende sometimes becomes Mr Mudenda and the editor thinks this is alright.
@Pedro, I meant to share with Zambians the truth that you DON’T know. Not what you’ve been told or THINK you know. We know and understand both these people and ZESCO better than you. They found us here and they’ll leave us here. These facts about them will never change, whatever amount of beer they buy you… Am talking about people we’ve known since they were STUDENTS mwana…
@Pedro, for your own information, ZESCO has NO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, so I challenge you to prove Chitundu’s or Mundende’s MEASURE OF MERIT or achievement and against which TARGETS? Book an appointment with me for a FREE lecture on ZESCO…
@Cry, I hope you also share with Zambians Vido’s (sorry Mr. Mundende’s) progression within ZESCO so that they can have enough information to see through your lies. It’s funny you even lie that Chitundu’s promotion was based on his friendship with Victor. Why wasn’t Victor promoted then instead of Chitundu?
One thing I understand though is that without a ‘Performance Management System’ at ZESCO, you have really stagnated and maybe are beyond improvement, such that you are always looking for ‘connections’ so you can get some promotion of sorts.
Please, away with your lies…!
@CRY,
“…We know and understand both these people and ZESCO better than you. They found us here and they’ll leave us here…”
This statement from yourself really gives you away as a very frustrated, stagnated and only-waiting-for-payday employee with neither ambition nor drive!
Get out of ZESCO, you are the reason for ‘ZESCO’s competence levels deteriorating’…!
@peace for Zambia, You maybe right about Reuben and Mr Mudende connection. Speculation is not facts. Those stories about how Mr Chitundu got his job are from chibuku tarven and are hearsay. Mr Chitundu was in Zesco management and later became general Manager at KNBPS long before Sata became republican president.
Mr Chitundu had all the qualities of a good manager except he wouldn’t allow PF to employ cadres at Zesco.
He was relieved of his duties for resisting the plunder of the Eurobond by the Zesco board.
Good morning folks. Thanks for your comments and responses to my postings ( by which I strongly stand by the way). Somone says I’ve stagnated in ZESCO, and they’re right. But stagnant moon is the least of my concerns – the truth is that ZESCO can only thrive in productivity if it’s run by people that understand and can best apply the SCIENCE and BUSINESS of electricity. This is what both myself and many others like me at good at. And all we ask for is to be listened to by those in positions of power, so that they can run this company in the best way it would our people and economy – we don’t want those positions. Now, what you’re advocating for is for the few of us who are competent and have ZESCO’s institutional memory to leave like most other experienced engineers have ( and of…
He has also fired state house director of vodka Edgar Lyungu and replaced him with Gaiza Zulu, who was director of corruption
This shows that zesco has more directors than cabinet ministers.
I can’t wait to hear Edgar has fired 5 ministers.
Any reasons please, five at once? this is serious
You are RIGHT! Five at once?
That will make no difference at all. It should have been five thousand at once. Maybe then these incompetent lazy bungling freeloaders would WAKE UP and get serious about fixing the LOAD SHEDDING that is destroying Zambias economy!
As for Mudende, you should be arrested and prosecuted for sabotage
Xactly what im asking about crappy Zambian reporting. We are not told why these people have been fired despite the fact that they are top management in Zambias biggest parastatal. Mr Mundende sometimes becomes Mr Mudenda and the editor thinks this is alright.
Fired for opposing to sell Zesco? Mundende will rot Mundende(Jail) if he is forced to make a wrong decision of selling Zesco by his Masters.
Is it a coincidence those surnames been put in those positions?
Banda has also been fired please
Lol Director Finance was imposed by cartel Fred Mumembe he was until his job at zesco a kawayayawaya on the streets of london this good riddance. As 4 director legal this waa the biggest wina azalila joke as hussien yep the peddler who sneaked into zambia had his foot prints imbedded in her appointment go well
Zesco is top-heavy and needs restructuring. You don’t need IMF to know that it is extremely imbalanced with too many ill qualified administration staff( cadres,relatives, girl friends of politicians).
Those fearing restructuring are in the above group.
MORE FIRING!!?
5 directors fired,at a sport they must be something serious.please mundende we need an explanation.
What’s the function of the ZESCO Board of directors.? Isn’t this one of the issues they must have oversight on. It should NOT be that a CEO can fire his directors without the Board sanctioning it. What corporate governance standards do we have as a country.
Half the country was cut off from the national grid and the Head of state doesn’t not see that as a catastrophe for the country. The MD of Zesco should have been called to account and step aside or should have been dismissed .
It’s deplorable that a Zambian owned , (note Zambian to read the citizen so) firm is being derived into the ground by a few incompetent cadres. It must time for some action from the citizens- they own this firm!
Not in Zambia, there is no accountability or transparency!
And I ‘ve fired the tribal leader with immediate effect and replaced him with the former man of god.
No mention of names here.
Do you mean “anointed” embezzler?
Just wondering how many directors zesco has and how much they are paid monthly…! Share waste of resources..!
Note how of all new appointments there is no Tonga, Lozi, Lunda, Kaonde or Luvale.
There you go again! What’s so special about tribal balancing? Besides Mr Mundende is not Bemba so I don’t see what your problem is.
What tribe Mwana, Scottish, Spanish or Italiano?
What tribe is Nswana, Scottish, Spanish or Italiano?
Nswana could be Lamba or even Kaonde.
Please hold your breath. Is everything now about tribe. I thought Nswana was a Lunda name.
Nswana could be a Motswana or a Martian! Who cares! The Zesco Board must be full of dullards. A CEO cannot fire a Director without justification to the Board. Firing 5 directors at once is corporate sabotage, unless they were involved in a massive corruption scam and the Board signed up to the decision. Otherwise these employees should sue Zesco to hell for unfair dismissal.
a) Kariba North bank Ltd needs to be delinked from Zesco. Clearly Zesco has failed to manage water consumption at Kariba Dam
b) The Chinese turbines & generators at Kafue Gorge need to be uninstalled & the British made turbines re-installed in order to restore the original power generating capacity
c) Repairs at kariba Dam urgently need to be done wwwDOTdailymaverickDOTcoDOTza/article/2016-11-30-op-ed-a-clear-and-present-danger-of-kariba-dam-collapse/
d) Hydro-power sites in less drought-prone Luapula need to be exploited. Why should development be concentrated only on N/W Rhodesia? It only encourages migration of Bembas & Nyanjas to N/W Rhodesia.
e) Zesco needs to diversify from Hydro as we have seen it’s not reliable in times of drought
f) Conduct a study on transmission losses…
CONT’D..
f) Conduct a study on how to curb transmission losses. Zesco loses as much as 50% of the power during transmission
g) Appoint me as Board Chairman
I hope he was not merely tempted by the sad tradition that has been created, that each time you come out of election then management must change in government institutions.
We are looking for time when these institutions can be more stable and predictable.
Firing is simply a symptom of an undisclosed disease. ZESCO is sick.
ZESCO is very complex to be run by few individuals M.D did what is rightfully right for the Zambian people let us not take our high positions for granted there is a saying that the greater one is the greater the responsibility.
Oh no, I smell danger! Five at once? The truth will come out sooner than later. As president HH has continuously insisted, ZESCO is managed by a horde of cadres and this firing doesn’t give any hope for a changed institute because it is common knowledge that more knee jerk carders will be employed….sadly.
So Hon Minister of Finance, is this the beginning of restructuring or unbundling whatever you have been talking about?
@ Terrible donkey
Nothing drastic. Compliance with IMF ultimatum. Just getting ready for privatization.
@11, your tongas are top heavy in government ministries. Maybe they dont like challenging jobs or jobs where they are not able to practice tribalism.
Just a thought, but let the chief of upndonkeys think for you after he finishes with his mission of subversive activitues.
You full are what’s wrong with Zambia, imbeciless like you with polluted minds belong in the chibuku tarven
You mother should be ashamed to have a child like you or rather your upbringing was mediocre!
Am a Northerner and hate to see suckers like pick on other tribes. Grow up and be productive with your time you asinine full!!
Chisambi got the job of Director of Finance through his friend Mmembe. Now that Mmembe is finished and Sata is dead, Chisambi is also finished. The only difference this time is that he has amassed a bit of loot so he won’t wayawaya like before.
What is going at Zesco is non of my business. My business is that ECZ has not paid me for the vehicles I provided during elections. Foreign trips, tapu tapu, to pay us even though contract said one month seems a big challenge
You fool I hope you don’t get paid.What is happening at Zesco is your business coz these are symptoms of leadership failure. It is because of leadership failure that you have not been paid.
The problems at ZESCO are technical and I do not see how the firing of mostly non technical directors will solve it. The problem at Kariba North Bank has nothing to do with Chinese machines but the fact that the power station was expanded by 50% and started operating at full speed without taking into account the availability of water. Refer to Scott’s speech in parliament who commissioned the extension. Paraphrasing what he said, “Do you have enough water?”and ZESCO said yes.
Anyone thinking that a state run company can do better are living in a phools paradise. State fail not just because of political interference, but also the poor attitude by employees. When the mines were partly owned by government and headed by European managers production was both high and qualitative. But as soon government acquired 100% shares and Zambianized all positions things changed for worse. Familiarity, tribalism, nepotism, abuse and other evils crept in. Bottom line is we don’t care because profit or no profit we will still get our salaries. Same applied to UBZ, NIEC, Contract Haulage etc. We’re only interested in getting and not in putting in. Just employ whites as Directors, Town Clerks etc and you’ll see quickly and efficiently things will move. Churches are not…
Pathetic self-hatred! I am sure there is a Bemba saying to support such stoopidity. Why should a white man do better than you apart from your pathetic rotten thieving culture!
I talk the truth. Several times I’ve tried to correct my subordinates only for them to complain ” it’s not his person company …” Also know that if you’re not proud of your tribe, it’s not my fault that you were born in that tribe. Your insulting other tribes will not add value to your “inferior ” tribe.
Politicians too have a huge bearing on their poor performance. Just listen to my favourite politician HH, his understanding of piwer shortages is shocking for an economist, and his diagnosis of power problems is at best witchcraft. Now imagine he was thepresidwnr of Zamvia, stubborn and senseless as he is, who would give him advice? I mean the bloke would want to run the Zesco wires himself. And of course procurement for obvious reasons with his GBM.p
At least HH has some ideas. Lungu has none apart from threatening and bribing judges. Lungu has no clue about what to do as State President. His sole aim in life is to be President of Zambia without knowing what to do with the country.
Was it because of the recent power outage in northern province?
Zesco’s service providing to it’s customers leave much to desired.
just after election load shedding is back.Customers are not notified before power is switch off.
Stories of connecting to Mamba grid to boost power supply no advise yet.
Excuses of low water level is an outdated reason.When will Zesco stop load shedding?
.its obviously because of that.
It is not obvious. Why should the back-office directors (HR, Finance, and Company Secretary) be fired for front office/technical issues? I can understand why Director of Distribution had to go but not the others. This is the equivalent of your top management team dying in a single bus accident. Unforgiveable and stoopid.
To fire five directors at one time is alarming. Don’t tell me that the five are incompetent or is it just a cleansing exercise to bring in those who are aligned?
But after all is said and done, normal organisations don’t change their directors on a scale and frequency like Zesco. Unless the appointmenrs were wrong in the first place, which then points to the appointing authority itself. Incompetence? Poor assessment of candidates? Political interference? Allegiances? Stab in the back? Paranoia? Tell us please!
Very suspicious dismissals; Legal, Finance and Human Resources…I can only assume the reasons have nothing to do with Business Development as he himself would have been fired!!
@26 Jay Jay
It’s what a dummy who ascends the echelons to the top of the food chain does.
The board was disolved so probably the new handpicked cadre stooges picked by Dora are more interested in just sucking the cash cow dry and employing more cadres!!
Every employee at ZESCO should have their PAY CUT in equal Proportion to the number of hours of LOAD SHEDDING we have every day!
So if we have 8 hours of load shedding in 24 hours, for that day they should only receive 2/3 pay.
Then we will very quickly find out about who is behind this mess! The hard workers will point out their useless lazy incompetent fellow workers and the DEAD WOOD can be CLEANED OUT!
The so called DEAD WOOD can not be touched because they have political connections and that is the biggest problem Zesco is facing.
these deadwood are highly connected and even get away using ladies excuses, child not feeling well, taking children to hospital? Please
Can’t wait for a comment from the only person in Zambia who thinks, though his thinking is always ALWAYS way way from the actual problem! You know whom.
Another dummy at the top of the food-chain. Firing people is all he knows and what he does best. POWER CUTS is what we are concerned about, not PEOPLE CUTS.
Firing 5 at a go must be serious business. Could they have been planning to get rid of him or what. Five at a go is a smoking gun …
Does a ZESCO managing director have powers to fire his officers?What’s the role of the ZESCO board and its chairman?
The Directors were not fired by Mundende, he is just a vehicle. There is a hidden hand in all this. You can’t just fire 5 Directors at once from an important parastatal like zesco without giving reasons! This incident comes hot in the wake of a blackout that paralysed 5 provinces for close to one week. HH said this was due to incompetence by zesco while the company blamed lightning. If it was due to natural causes, why fire the directors? We need to be told the truth.
May be it is part of those under investigation, you may not know.
Sooner or later Mundende’s time is come he should realise that icilipa munobe ecilipali iwe.He has failed to run the power utility company while nothing will change by these dismissals.Like many others have said about ZESCO’s poor performance,he is simply a fool if he is being used or has been influenced by the forces of ruling PF GOVT CADRES.
THE QUESTION IS; IS RB REMOTE CONTROLLING THINGS? IS ZESCO ON THE VERGE OF BEING SOLD OFF AND THESE DIRECTORS HAPPENED TO CREATE A BOTTLE NECK TO THIS AGENDA? WHAT ABOUT ZAMTEL? WHAT ABOUT ZAMBIA AIRPORTS CORPORATION? TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON PLEASE, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY AND A FEW SELFISH INDIVIDUALS SHOULD NOT REAP WHERE THEY DID NOT SOW!
If I was President Lungu I would fire the MD as well, he fires five colleagues he too should go there is something wrong at ZESCO.
so the guy is that powerful? He fires his colleagues even before a new board is appointed, something is not right here.
He knows he is also going very soon! Dracula syndrome at best!!
Firing is simply the game they play to erase any trace of the Euro bond money which they have all shared and dispersed with. When the questions will begin to be raised, there will be no trace of where they money went; and no trace who it was who had taken it. A completely new team will be in charge of ZESCO then, none of whom will be able to unravel the mystery. That old man, Alex Chikwanda, vacated his throne as minister of finance, just as the last drops of the honey were being drained-out of that rich hive, leaving Felix Mutati with an empty coffer so he could start making bricks without straw!
The firing is a facade simply to blindfold the gullible.
And if someone is fired, it does leave the impression that justice has been administered. Individuals thus punished, are less likely to be called upon to account for their sins retrospectively – end of story.
No wonder the company is inefficient, this how you select directors in Zambia like the company is a corner shop? Why not advertise the position in an open manner? Or did PF select the candidate and the MD is just a mouth piece to deliver the message? I feel so sad to be Zambian because the country has become so bad and corrupt. Hope one day the truth will come to light so that bad people will be exposed.
Under Lazy Lungu everything is run like a Katamba…he fired his Chief Gov’t Spokesman BUFFOON CK (Chi Kambwili) without giving any reasons…really appalling leadership!!
Okay Good Move Vic Malo palya it was slowing down in creativity , Augsburg mukali doing well at Kafue Gorge , na ma webi for those lines,umutungwa performed also in distribution but Dennis could carry on, mark is also eloquent legal but aka mupeleniko good something and sure it should be balanced though cheque book needs carefully market promotion
Commercialisation as opposite to sell still should remain like most utilities global and regional
What about ZR ?
Fire Lungu too
Lungu should be fired together with Mundende. Five days in four provinces with out power.
You guys seem confused. The Board only appoints the CEO. The rest are appointed internally.
They are follow the ranks of promotion as the HR policy provides for. Its however, very unprecedented that before replacing the directors even the HR director got fired at the same time.
At least tribunal Bestty has been long servicing and served well Its only fair that he is commended
At least His royal highness Nswana Changala is also a Good and dedicated intelligent engineers
Good move but cheque book is wrong and should be aligned The contagion effect
Replaced by his tribal brothers like what happens to Chitundu eastern now is in control
I’m a Bemba by tribe according to my research we are being used by the people from eastern province and we are busy insulting our brothers in southern province. we need to work up we are sleeping. look today a percentage of people who have been appointed are from eastern province. in fact those people they did not help us in all elections in the history of Zambia we have been having. Chiluba was not voted for they voted for UNIP Kaunda from Malawi same to Sata they voted for MMD because of Rupia Banda. If I take you back during election between Sata and Rupia after the death of Mwanawasa. Rupia was preaching to the people of Eastern Province that wako ni wako meaning your tribe’s people is your people again he did the same this year to Edger Lungu. why is that Rupia and Kaunda is…
Privatise it and all the power outages will cease. GRZ will be shown how to run a business not a charity ZESCO has become
The problem in Zambia is that “governance” of organizations has been left at the mercy of party cadres. The MD CANNOT fire fellow directors, it is the Board of Directors to do so. The MD can only comment on the performance of the Directors! if there is no Board, then the PS of the line Ministry must do so, not the MD. It is messy in Zambia, people don’t know the role of the Board, the role of the CEO. CEO is subordinate to the Board and NOT vise versa.
Actually Mundende is Lozi/muunda means, “in jail”. That’s where this chap is going right from ZESCO. By the way, I thought directors are appointed by the board and not the MD. So these chaps are little tyrants in their own domains too eh, just like Chagwa waking up one day and dropping the bomb on Chimbwili’s gurumutu. Zero notice at all, apuu, ki nyamaluyoyo!