Friday, March 29, 2024

ZESCO has NOT increased Electricity Tariffs-Energy Minister

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Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa
Minister of Energy Mathew Nkhuwa

Energy Minister Mathews Nkuwah has refuted rumors circulating on social media that ZESCO Limited has increased electricity tariffs.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Nkuwah said there is no electricity tariff increase that has been effected and people should treat such information as false, adding that ZESCO only made an application to the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) seeking for authority to increase the tariffs.

Mr. Nkuwah who is also Chingola Member of Parliament added that the whole thing is a process which can take more than three months for a concrete decision to be made on whether ZESCO can partially increase the tariffs or not.

He said Energy Regulation Board will conduct public hearings were consumers will be given a platform to air out there views.

Mr. Nkuwah further called on the people to attend these public hearings once they are announced and air out there views before the tariffs adjustments are made.

Last week there was information circulating on different platforms of socal media saying ZESCO Limited has increased electricty tariffs.

25 COMMENTS

  1. Nobody is saying ZESCO has increased tariffs but that there has been an application to increase tariffs by 300% which is economic strangulation, the economy cannot sustain such an increase, its madness,such an increase will kill the Zambian economy.

    • We all know when Zesco suggests a tariff increase it’s going to happen regardless. So Mr Nkuwah needs to just zip his mouth.

    • Zesco benefited from the Euro Bond. The Euro bond has made Government run up and down waking sleeping taxes. That same Euro bond seem not to have paid dividends. We are already feeling the pinch the debt for Zesco. Are you joking right now?

    • This is a typical example of a government that does not pay attention to its people.

      There has not been a single comment from the public suggesting that the tariffs have been increased. We have been airing our views regarding the “proposed” increment.

      Speaking of a platform to air our views. Social media is our platform. Pay attention! This is where you will find views from the highest to the lowest lay-men. The people you should be listening to!

    • Just a few years ago, hon Nkhuwa’s business was making concrete blocks and running kama restaurant cooking nshima for SME surrounding the kcm plant area. So, he has now forgotten.

  2. When we say the economy is in the troubled water PF is quick to rubbish this claim. Actions by PF on the hand is saying yes the economy is in problem. Zesco managers believe they can break even only when they increase tariffs, wrong, mines has got no control over the price of commodity but they survive by looking at the cost component

  3. He’s being an id!ot this minister. What world is he coming from?
    An application by Zesco to increase tarrifs has never been rejected. We need that money to pay teachers.
    Don’t mock voters Mathews.

  4. Kind of silly to say it is only an application. It is a request to increase the rates and citizens have the right to protest in advance rather than wait until after it is implemented. MP has no credible argument against the report and related protests. But, what can we say or do? Police cannot arrest MPs for being stupid.

    • This minister is in Coitus interruptus and then is denying ever doing it! ZESCO’s application to ERB is enough expression of intent to increase electricity tariffs. What this minister should explain is the justification for this application to increase tariffs! I think it’s time the public took interest in the management of ZESCO! We cannot continue paying high tariffs to sustain the wage bill for cadres!

  5. “…such information as false, adding that ZESCO only made an application to the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) seeking for authority to increase the tariffs….”

    Done deal….

  6. Increase the prices to cost reflective levels otherwise, darkness beckons like in South Africa or forever it has been in Nigeria and Ghana. Subsidies simply cause constipation all over with disastrous consequences.

    Why up to now even new houses are not designed to use solar geysers? Why not cook cheaply with gas? Bad quality coal which can make briquets is being wasted away in the many collieries due to insufficient demand and cost disadvantage. Borehole pumps, security fences and automated gate motors can run off solar. Domestic users need a financial incentive on their backside to leave electricity for serious uses it is intended for. Mines don’t deserve any power subsidies. Neither do factories.

  7. Bane dont hurt yourselves these tariffs will be approved invest in solar you have more than enough sun in Zambia, for those who cannot afford Solar there are means to support them however I do not think the government will do that rather as citizens through our places of worship and the kind heartedness of mother Zambia we can manage and supply units to those who are unable to afford solar energy units all this can be achieved without foreigners and govt it can be done

  8. Sad sad indeed for ignorant PF cadres who just want to defend even nonsense, look we supported PF with Sata , even those who are running PF where in UPND , so donot mock us , this is too rubish and stupidity which we shall not continue to allow .

  9. Govt must have thought twice even before allowing zesco to propose an increase. People have not yet recovered from the effects of the last increase which happened less than two years ago. We still need you ba PF but if you ignore our cries, be rest assured that you will have problems in 2021 because no one will be willing to vote for you as we might just end up voting for the prophets of doom out of frustration. Life is already unbearable even for the working class but you still want to burden us with more problems. Come on PF, i know you can do better than this and please don’t give the senseless opposition ammunition to use against you in 2 years time.

  10. DON’T COMPLAIN, EXPLORE OTHER ENERGY RESOURCES;
    SOLAR FOR LIGHTING, TVs, etc…; GAS FOR HEATING AND COOKING (USE YOUR SEPTIC TANK FOR THIS IF YOU KNOW HOW); DIESEL POWER GENERATORS FOR WELDING, FRIDGES ETC…, AND DO AWAY WITH ZESCO.

  11. PFoools ministers, awe they should all just go back to their tuntemba…. what a fcuken joke…. these guys are utter useless.

  12. There is need for a law that says for instance, every 5 years ZESCO tariffs must be reviewed. 5 years is a good time to review either upward or downward adjustment on tariffs. ERB should only be chairing the reviews and ZESCO proposing adjustments, while societies like CUTS, some NGOs and the public be the reviewers.

  13. What a dull minister! No one has said ZESCO has increased tariffs. All we are saying is that the proposed tariffs for implementation on May 1, are ridiculous and should not have been contemplated in the fist place. Why should the public pay for sheer incompetence of ZESCO management and board?
    Many a time we have seen mining notifying the Labour Commissioner of intended retrenchments. We have also seen angry reactions from not only the public, but also government ministers, and the even President Lungu to such notifications. So what is the fuss about bwana minister? Stop exhibiting double standards. What we expect from a sane minister is public assurance that ZESCO will not be allowed to impose exorbitant tariffs considering the state of the economy.

  14. Erb is just a rubber stamp. Of course these tariffs are going to go up no matter how many people object in those fake erb hearings. The question is by how much are they going to be increased?

  15. Why minister told this? Zesco being a monopoly has taken its customers for granted. Why they don’t seek cost cutting measures? Where they take their share of the Eurobond?

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