Government has commenced implementing measures aimed at transforming Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) into a more viable public utility company.
This is contained in a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday by Secretary to the Cabinet, Roland Msiska.
Dr Msiska, who is also Chairperson of the ZESCO Reforms Implementation Team, explains that in the recent past, ZESCO has been experiencing serious operational challenges.
He added that in 2017, Cabinet commissioned a technical study, which accordingly made recommendations to improve the operational performance of the utility company.
Dr. Msiska said arising from the study report, Cabinet, at its meeting held on 16th July, 2018, approved the recommendations and directed that an implementation Team be constituted to carry out the accepted recommendations.
The Secretary to the Cabinet further stated that the overall objective is to turn ZESCO into a viable company that efficiently generates, transmits and distributes electricity to both domestic and industrial clients as well as the export market.
He said in accordance with the Cabinet directive, the implementation Team has since began its work in earnest and will regularly update the public and other stakeholders on the progress made.
The chief mourner will again claim that zesco has been sold to Chinese!!
Obsessed with one man while the nation goes to the toilet under another man’s watch. I hope you find the personal gain you derive worth the suffering many have and will continue to endure. Political officers amassing more than we spend on educating adults at UNZA. Leaving a nation far behind the developed nations we hope to catch in areas of development. Challenge yourself to see beyond HH for crying out loud.
Zesco’s transformation begins and ends with tariff hikes. The company is full of dunderheads and engineers who can’t even assemble a baby’s stroller.
We need this intervention so badly. Energy is so critical to the development of this country and if we can sort the sector our including Zesco then we are on our way to achieve even greater things in this country. We are so blessed with so many energy sources and it is about time we smartly embraced this God given position. It’s all up to us and thank God GRZ has realized this. We have been asleep in this area for 50 years. It’s indeed time to wake up & let us not waste any more time despite what political commentators say. This is so critical to Zambia’s future. God Bless Zambia!
– Forcing Zesco to import emergency power from has brought it into bankruptcy. It’s been forced by PF crooks to buy power from Electridade de Mozambique and reselling it to Zambian consumers at a loss
– Govt should stop subsidizing power to the copper mines
– Increase in tarrifs is essential to attract private investment in renewable energy & drought-proof thermal power stations
Mark my words, the Chinese (Sino-hydro) will buy the generation part of Chesco to recover their loan for Kafue gorge upgrade.
These deals have already been signed they’re just waiting for the right time to avoid riots
If this transformation plan will involve Chinese money, like the Top star deal then we are doomed. These mafias will not stop at nothing but selling or leasing all our key infrastructure to China. Were is our sovereignty as a country? Were is our independence? If Chinese will employed in ZESCO when will our young Zambian engineers work? I leave it PF Goons to answer my questions.
Danielle – As you know what those recommendations these foools are implementing …I mean they themselves do a Technical feasibility which comprises of empty tins and unknowns make conclusions without making anything public then state that they are implementing. Who can blame me for stating that ZESCO is being sold with such unaccountable morons..they best they would have done is select an independent team to do a feasibility study.
too many carders and peoples girlfriends are employed at Zesco that’s why it fails.
Is this transformation about listing ZESCO on the stock exchange or something else?
Ine I don’t see were it explains what this transformation will be.
ZNBC was equally a viable company the transformation we saw was selling it’s 60% ownership to top star, even when it could have been listed on the stock exchange.
So my appeal is if we want to transform public institutions let them be listed on LuSE so that Ordinary citizens’ lives can also be transformed. Same goes for Times of Zambia, Daily Mail, it should just be ZAFFICO like you allege.
Correction: it shouldn’t just be ZAFFICO like you allege.
Zesco has managed to move from Load Shedding to Load Management which to a layman means the same thing! How long does an upgrade take? We have now gone back to the old days of “talking in tongues” using new vocabulary or rather playing with words.
In layman’s language, they are preparing to sell it off or “list it on the stock exchange”. That is what he is saying!
True that, the word public in the statement is a tell tell sign
The problem with ZESCO just like other state owned enterprises (SOEs) is lack of corporate governance.Too much political interference,the CEO or Managing Director is a presidential appointee and often is not accountable to the board.Its a company that can operate for months without a board in place and a quick human resource audit will reveal a bloated and indeed unncessary workforce.It has never declared profits and yet its a monopoly.And since its a monopoly,its inefficiency is transferred to consumers in form of unwarranted electricity tariffs.The transformation of ZESCO should begin with dismantling it into separate entities i.e Generation and Distribution/Supply and decentralise it into pronvincial units.Its just to centralised to be efficient.
…..Its just too centralised to be efficient.
Sharp shooter you said it all. This is another futile effort for as long as the elephant in the room is not addressed.
Comment:Things fall apart
Critical substance is missing bwana Msiska. What does the ZESCO transformation plan entail? Is it overhauling the system to bring about operational efficiency or are you unbundling it to create independent operational units that might bring about operational efficiency. What is the plan?
Attention and please listen for once… What will ever be Zambian in this land tapapata. Leave certain assets to the Zambians. Surely, I am saddened that even the so called technical, economic, social and indeed environmental experts seem not to see the tail end of such actions.
Avoiding to tell the nation that they are selling ZESCO. Do you mean that the Cabinet has more competence than the engineers at ZESCO…………. Frank Bwalya was one time a ZESCO Board Chairman chosen by Sata.. The man failed to perform and resigned…..Crispin Chitundu was fired under the watchful eye of Lungu…. Chitundu was more competent than Mundende( current MD)……
ZESCO has been a cash cow for politicians starting with MMD and ending with PF…..
If I may ask who conducted the transformation plan for ZESCO?
It is either you tell us that selling ZESCO is one of the many conditionalities to procure IMF loans or you are guaranteeing ZESCO to the Chinese /Indians for the loans you got from China and India….
Surely everything in Zambia is for sale………….Shame on you…
“Zesco has been experiencing serious operational challenges”. We (the public) do not know the contents of recommendations rising out of the commissioned technical study. And the Government has gone head implementing the recommendations without the input from the public as if the government knows everything. Most of ZESCO’s problems started when MMD came to power and the problems has continued up to date. The conception of 360MW Kariba North Bank Extension, which was started by MMD has cost ZESCO billion of dollars and has a negative impact on operation of ZESCO. The extension plant is almost a White Elephant because of bad decision by the government. ZESCO distribution has marginal maintenance, most electricians who install buildings and houses are unqualified, no city inspectors. So…
I seek not to divulge more information…… take my word the PF gentlemen including IDA and Mosho are incompetence for this undertaking………….. it will be another disaster…. or it is already…… watch the space…… who ever shall query may visited by shushu guys…… You cant run a country like this…
DR Congo is where it is today because of bad leadership………..Do you know that the biggest hydro station in the world is in DRC but the country is 19% lit……
Currently Mukula is heavily harvested by chinese in DRC and the leaders are benefiting only….So is in Chambia ——————
Fixing ZESCO should start with firing the entire staff including the CEO. There is no transformation with the lazy lot still in their jobs. ZESCO is rotten to the core. A small utility like ZESCO generating just over 2000 MW should have a lean and efficient management team ,a small number of support staff and a technical department with modern skills who use the latest technology. Currently you have directors, deputy directors,managers, deputy managers, senior managers, senior assistant managers, assistant managers, assistants to the assistant managers and so on. Its rotten.
…….assistant managers, assistants to the assistant managers and so on…..lol Now thats duplication of duties and you expect a company to make profits.
Why would Dr. Msiska be the Chairperson for ZESCO Reforms Implementation Team when he doesn’t fully understand the operational challenges of ZESCO? Is Dr. Msiska a chairperson because is a Dr. ? The challenges starts from conception of the project, siting, maintenance and making right decisions. If the government wanted to know why ZESCO is having problems, it could have appointed people who have broad and specialized knowledge in electricity industry, utilization, installation and the electrical workers. In addition to that the public. Zambia has not lent a lesson from selling ZCCM. Had the government wanted, it could have made ZCCM become profitable. If the government is thinking of selling ZESCO it is unfortunate.
Dont underestimate the sheer stupidity callousness and incompetence of PF and Lazy Lungu…he merely asked ZESCO MD to go out and do a technical study about themselves and report what is wrong…really laughable..its like asking the Police to investigate themselves in the UNZA student’s death and expect them to include Police brutality and heavy handedness in the report.
Zambian are not dull we know ZESCO is up for sale,the distribution will be given to the Chinese that’s were more profit sits.While the generation will still remain with GRZ.This is part of paying for our loans from China.Look at ZNBC GRZ got the loans and are now hiding behind Topstar to collect money from private TV station to pay off the loan.GRZ has no money hence borrowing and leasing out GRZ strategic Companies to Chinese.The Zambia we know will soon be Chambia.Cry my beloved country.thats what happens when you vote poor and weak people in Government.
But Zambians are docile and dull as this is happening right in front of them!!
please make those recommendations known to the public so that we use them as yardstick for your performance. otherwise this is another financial scam
I am sure the Technical feasibility study was conducted by ZESCO management themselves …really laughable..I mean we never heard of any UNZA professor being appointed on any study. They already knew the conclusions …what can that chap in the photo know about Change management? Who can blame me for stating that ZESCO is to be sold when there is nothing made public or report to download.
What transformation? You don’t want to divulge information and when people speculate you accuse them of spreading negativity.
it seems that everyone here knows the problems and the solutions,
the split will bring efficiency to the utility company,
generation sector will be opened up even to more independent power producers so that zesco remains the sole distributor of electricity in the country, we need a 25 percent tariff adjustment to make electricity cost reflective,
having each unit of the utility company have its own management structure makes them profitable with more liquidity to pay debt.
Where is the report of the study found? Why should we be led as if we are blind people? Give us iwee – it is our report.