Even as we enter the festive season, our spirits should not be dampened by the lack of power likely to be experienced during or in preparation to our festivities!
We can still sail through with this survival kit (or not)……
- A partner to spend the dark nights with (I am reminded of the late greatest PK Chishala’s Webushiku Ulalepa…)
- A stash of dried groundnuts to nibble on
- Nocturnal vision to see through the darkness
- A friend with an inverter to go charge your fondest gadget (your cellphone)
- A grandma to keep the young ones preoccupied with storytelling!
- Half drum Braai stand to Braai all your perishable meats bought on bulk discount
- Inshimbi/ simbi ya pa mulilo to atleast straighten your favorite “outfit” to still look presentable
- Utilise Public space lighting (check how safe it is to work under the solar streetlights that are coming up)
- Acquired skill to make briquettes from waste material (this you can learn through YouTube videos on internet prior to the loadshedding)
- Acquired skill to start a fire using the friction method (only the best girl guide/ boy brigade could possibly ever do this!) (remember your used teabags soaked in paraffin/ kerosene to start your fires with)
Or maybe this survival kit appeals to you better……
- Prepare slow perishing meals in advance and store in cool place.
- Stock up on dry foods that can make a full balanced meal.
- Ensure to fully charge your cellphone, laptop and tablet when there is power (can later use fully charged laptop to recharge a cellphone for emergency communication).
- Use thermos flasks to store boiled water for use later.
- Pre-Freeze water in bottles or plastic bags and store in deep freezer to help keep food cold.
- Make fewer visits to the fridge/freezer to avoid escape of cold air/ ingress of warm air.
- Invest in solar-powered battery-backed ‘Pico power systems’ such as torches and lamps for lighting or invest in a backup solar home kit (such as a SolaricTM 3G solution)
- Visit your granny to recover that old traditional primus stove (trust me, it still works!)
- Invest in alternative cooking sources such as small LPG heating ring or briquette – using efficient cook-stoves to prepare or warm up already prepared meals or in solar thermal cook stoves & ‘wonderbags’ for cooking.
- Invest in solar thermal systems such as thermosyphon solar water geysers for hot water supply ( you could actually use this hot water to steam up/cook noodles and not starve the little one
By Chisakula Kaputu
NO. I don’t Agree with this. Zambians should rise against ZESCO, period. People, this is a public institution that we should hold accountable. why are we finding this load-shedding nonsense acceptable? don’t people wake up everyday saying twaya kunchito (meaning ZESCO), and receive handsome tens of thousands of Kwacha every month? What are they receiving this tax payers’ money for? Let’s stop accepting this culture of incompetence and lack of accountability.
NO. I equally don’t agree with you. Zambians can not rise against Zesco but rather against your incompetent government. Too many cadres at ZESCO employed by Chagwa and Co.
I also don’t agree. We should not accept mediocrity as normal.
Go and urinate in the Kariba dam you cow dung *****. When Kariba North Bank rations the water in the Dam you still think its PF government. Amafi yangombe yalimikola ba swine imwe.
It IS this PF government!
They have lied to Zambians that the LOAD SHREDDING is due to lack of water in Kariba. This is total bull sh!t.
The TRUTH is that the load shredding is directly due to PF wasting millions on roads instead of investing in power generation because it is easier to steal!
PF cancelled Katie Lower only to reinstate it four years later!
THAT IS WHY WE HAVE LOAD SHREDDING!
I disagree with all those that disagreed. The problem is that Lusaka water and Sewerage is not supplying enough water to ZESCO for power generation
ZAMBIA, UNDER EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU IS A FAILED STATE. THINGS ARE FALLING APART IN ZAMBIA.
When people start accepting abnormalities, just know that things have fallen apart.
I like your article Mr Kaputu. Well written. I’d be interested to read your views on what steps the government can take to mitigate the issue at hand and how large a chunk it’ll take off our earnings…not forgetting how much more it’d add to the debt.