Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO )Limited has connected 174 grass thatched houses to power at Luangeni Village in Chipata District in Eastern Province.
The project of connecting power to grass thatched is earmarking to benefit 361 houses at a cost of K1.6 million.
Both Luangeni Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Zulu and ZESCO Spokesperson Henry Kapata disclosed on Monday that the project was meant to reach out to the low-income communities.
Mr Kapata said he was happy that the project was going on well adding that out of 361 grass thatched houses earmarked for connection at the village, 174 have already been connected since the project started.
He explained that the project had also seen the connection of power to nine schools in Luangeni.
Mr Kapata said the project which was also being implemented in Mwansabombwe would be an ongoing for the benefit of the low income community.
“So far we have connected power to 174 grass thatched houses at Luangeni village out of 361 earmarked for the project. This is at a cost of K1.6 million and we have also connected power to nine primary schools which includes Nthombimbi,”he said.
The ZESCO spokesperson has also dispelled fears that there was no effect in the connection of power to grass thatched houses.
He said ZESCO was installing earthling cables to the houses benefiting from the project as well as other appliances which could determine the short circuit.
Mr Kapata said beneficiaries were happy that the project of such magnitude was being implemented.
And Mr Zulu who is former Energy Deputy Minister expressed happiness with the project.
He said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was accelerating the provision of electricity to all households.
Mr Zulu also pledged that he would work hard to ensure that developments were executed in Luangeni constituency.
While this project is commendable, I feel we need to empower these people by providing them with durable roofing sheets. A scheme can be devised where roofing sheets can be exchanged with some bags of maize or tobacco since most of these people are peasant farmers. The area MP and the council can spearhead this project. The days of people living is grass-thatched houses are long gone.
You might be right there but it depends on what kind of housing these people prefer to live in some prefer to live in a traditional type of housing for example I remember in the 80s we visited a village in Zimbabwe with my family, they had electricity in some huts and it was really amazing and the people preferred to live like that.
The conditions for electrifying houses must pass a minimum safety standard that standard must not allow thatched houses to be electrified.
Lets encourage people to have better houses in any case how do you expect people to pay bills in a village? This utility company has a way of wasting money!
When they lit up like xmas trees…i wonder who will be blamed as a mud hat doesnt satisfy Building Regulations.
Instead of tying millstones around the villagers’ necks with useless so-called modern materials, we must help them incorporate sturdy building principles in their very traditional settings. After all don’t we have tourists coming all the way from overseas to live in well constructed, thatch abodes? Now for this power connection, what is the cost and who will pay it? Can it be sustained beyond the year 2021 when heaven knows what may happen?
Look the aim of course is to electrify rural areas. However, to us in UPND we dont see any gain from using millions of kwacha to connect these areas only for them to have load shedding day in day out. Long term it probably works out cheaper to invest in solar energy at least then we can utilise a free source of energy. This is why we in UPND have decided that one of our main aims is to invest in alternative energy sources especially for rural areas. We thank you
NEZ
CHief strategist of UPND
Incoming best blogger 2016
These PF antics are sheer stoopidity. Will those villagers afford the cost reflective tariffs when Lungu introduces them? Why not concentrate on providing power to those already connected and KEEPING PROMISES like no powercuts over Xmas instead of load shedding people as usual?
Good for the people, but these people still need to be forewarned that they are dealing with an institution called ZESCO which is moribund, inefficient and down right incompetent. Their spokesperson lied at some point through the teeth that they were not exporting power just to be overruled by some body called a minister. If the face of the organisation can lie, what else do we expect. I am fed up of living here
It’s now going to 15 30, how come we don’t have power in Riverside, Kitwe since 9 ,30. There is no maintenance work which we have been alerted on
These PF antics are sheer stoopidity. Will those villagers afford the cost reflective tariffs when Lungu introduces them? Why not concentrate on providing power to those already connected and KEEPING PROMISES like no powercuts over Xmas instead of load shedding people as usual?
So you light up a thatched mud hat like in the photo…the owner now conjures up plans to connect an element for cook and there you have he is just one spark away from a bonfire!
This is intended for schools kids it will help them to study
while this sounds good, how is the wiring done, I am not convinced on the earthing, what tariff are they on, will they manage to pay for electricity? just asking!
The earthing is the owner whilst they are indoors!!
Oh… is this why theres been a brownout since 2 pm…
No wonder PF Zesco could not keep to their promise of two days around Xmas without loadshedding.
I am very pleased that Mr. Kapata, Mr(MP) Charles Zulu and ZESCO have accepted to connect electrics power to thatched house in luangeni village in chipata, and are joining our people.
Your experience and vision will be a great asset to this group, and I know that the group is looking forward to working with you.
Encourage them to set up a fire fighting group and use of power tools.
First of all it is a crying shame that this is actually happenning and we are bragging about it. Grass thatched houses went obsolete with end of colonial incarceration tools, or so you would think. They were not safe or viable then and are not now. Basically ZESCO is saying here are the fuel and matches, light up when you want fools! Secondly Luangeni is the de facto capital of the Ngoni people of Paramount Chief Mpezeni and as such should instead be substantially modernised and set precedence of the outlookof a modern village, brick homes with climate appropriate roofing with proper sanitation and be eco friendly. come on this is the 21st century and we have some of the best graduates and planners in Africa. This is a slap in the face for ZESCO to portray this as its long term goal. Why…