The increase of connection fees from K1,700 to K6,995, an over 400% price hike, and the cost of meter separation from K750 to K6,000, an 800% price hike, is nothing but pure capitalist corporate madness in a population where 65% of the population lives below $2.
This is according to Golden Party of Zambia president Jackson Silavwe, who in his statement went on to say that, as a country, Zambians have finally jumped from the frying pan into the fire with the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government in as far as the cost of living is concerned, adding that such interventions show that there is no attempt at critical thinking by those leading the country.
Mr. Silavwe said that looking at the fact that ZESCO is in the process of increasing tariffs, Zambia should have been moving towards ZERO CONNECTION FEES especially since electricity is a daily expense.
Mr. Silavwe said that with a food basket for a family of 5 standing at plus K9,000, the country has officially pushed many of the citizens into poverty with no relief at all.
“I appeal to President Hakainde and his Cabinet to arrest this wild corporate madness of increasing everything. The damage these moves are causing cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
“We need a Government with a Zambian human face. UPND Government is now sentencing our people to a lifetime of poverty with the high cost of living,” he said.
And Energy expert Boniface Zulu has said that the decision by ZESCO limited to remove subsidies on electricity connections will derail the attainment of the government set goal for universal electricity access for all Zambians by 2030.
Mr. Zulu has noted the need for Zambia to start producing equipment and components needed for electrical installations in order to cut costs incurred through the importation of such components.
Mr. Zulu said that the government should consider entering into a private partnerships that will help in ensuring that the components needed for electricity connection are produced within Zambia.
Meanwhile, the Green Party has said that the move by Zesco to remove subsidies on electricity connection fees is a clear indication that the new dawn government is trying to appease the International Monetary Fund in order to secure the bailout package.
Party President Peter Sinkamba said that Zambians should expect more of such decisions from the government as it is trying hard to meet the conditionalities set by the IMF.
In an interview with Hot FM News, Mr. Sinkamba said the move will make it difficult for people to connect their houses to the national grid.
Bally will soon open a genset and solar manufacturing plants.
2026 campaign slogan will be “free solar energy from town to rural”
And this just for connection. Customer to buy material. A three core armoured cable is K80 per metre from Chisokone.
Useless article patching pieces of political diahorrea. ZESCO buys power at 11 cents and sells at 7 cents. This is a severe OPEX deficit. Why should it spend/subsidise CAPEX on extra clients just to make the OPEX asymmetry even more severe. Mr editor please read a book on economics. Corporate finance will be too complicated for you.
@1 Deja Vu
am looking for 4 core amored cable…..about 190 meters total……ZAMEFA or Neelkanth
@2 Bashi Chite
you not being serious my dear friend….and your small god HH WAS AGAINST ANY INCREASE…whether good or bad..now things are getting even worse
STOP COMPLAINING SINCE INDEPENDENCE WE HAVE BEEN SPOON FED
THROUGH POLOTICS OF APPEASEMENT
ITS TIME FOR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION NOW
AND FINALLY TRUE INDEPENDENCE
I don’t understand why people worship this guy hh.sbyeayz the sooner we open our eyes the better.
Don’t be a blind follower of the current government ba Bashi Chite.. Any government is there to serve its people. How do you expect a poor man in Kalingalinga or Misisi to access electricity with such an abnormal increase in connection fees? The fact is the increase is unjustified and unacceptable. If such an increase was effected by the fallen PF government, people like you would have been in the forefront condemning it but now that it is UPND doing it, you support the increase. You can’t completely do away with subsidies if these benefit the common man. I love Bally and I want him to succeed. But if he is associated with high cost of living, he will lose the trust people had in him.
Zesco cannot and will not succeed unless it charges cost reflective prices. But you can charge Rolls Royce Silver Shadow prices, or Toyota Corolla prices. Both cars will get you from A to B, but one should be happy with the Corolla comfort rather than Zesco luxury. But there is a THIRD way – GO SOLAR!
Tikki, another blind follower of UPND. To him, everything UPND does, whether good or bad, he will support. I think Bally can do without such supporters. They don’t mean well for him. Such yes-men have a history of destroying presidents because they will always tell him “All’s well sir. People love you” even when the situation on the ground is different.
Articles this Deja Vu and Saulosi will drop everything their doing to comment first…really laughable!!
The charges are fair, we all know the charges were suppressed for long time. Zambia should, instead, fight for a living wage.
@Bashi Chite ZESCO doesnt buy electricity. It produces electricity
#9 Tarino Orange… I like no love it when I see your feathers being ruffled, then I know I have touched your Achilles.
Deja Vu – How are my “feathers ruffled” am I a member of the ruling party or the cabinet …let’s be very very clear here I detested LAZY LUNGU and PF because corruption and the moral decay they created that doesnt make me a supporter of UPND, I dont post populist comments for thumbs up.
@ 9 Tarino Orange
Yes brother…i just switched off my UBER app so i can read a few of Lusaka Times articles…Hows Spaka,,,,did he finish connecting to the ZESCO grid,,,,kiikikikkiki yabija makani
#15 Tarino Orange… nobody called you a member of the Upnd, you said it yourself. Let me tell you why I complain.. HH told us that he always updated on government goings on, which means he knew exactly the “damage” done by the PF. So when he told us he would fix things in hours, days and in two weeks we believed him. I won’t dwell on other details but the latest: Road Toll Gates, Upnd promised to remove them because they are a ” burden” on the traveling public. We were happy. But alas, they now want to charge us K38 from K20 the PF was stealing from us. The list is a.i.
Just go Solar and forget Zesco, They claim they want all Zambians with power by 2030 but they don’t have the power to sell us now with 35% households on the grid, where are they going to get the extra power for the other 65% in the future?
Some weeks ago there was report that only small percentage of the population had access to electricity in Zambia. The blame of course was heaped on you know who. Now with these hikes how do those who blamed YOU KNOW WHO for the poor distribution expect those to improve access by the unconnected millions?