The United Party for National Development – UPND Chairperson for Energy Eng. Charles Kaisala has called for the restructuring of ZESCO to help with operations, autonomy, and efficiency at the power utility company.
Eng. Kaisala stated that among the many urgent solutions to be sorted out by the government was the restructuring of the debt that ZESCO accumulated during the previous regime.
Speaking during a media briefing this morning held at the UPND Secretariat in Lusaka, Eng. Kaisala said that as promised in their Party manifesto, the UPND have delivered through the contracts that the Head of State has signed in the United Arab Emirates where he signed a Two billion United States Dollars contract to be injected in the energy sector.
“The UPND government is eager to end load-sheading in the country, as the country has been subjected to perennial loadshedding, and as a party in power we uphold it with total contempt as it is negatively affecting businesses, hospitals, schools, households, industries and national productivity as a whole,” he said
He advised those that are commenting on the issues surrounding the current load shedding that is affecting the general populous because of the alleged low water levels at the Kariba Dam to desist from making comments over issues that they don’t fully understand.
“Of let we have seen everybody becoming an energy expert, talking about even things that they fully don’t understand, as this has brought confusion in the nation as a lot of people who are not properly qualified and without authority on the subject are making statements as though they knew the subject matter to the full, this is a sad situation that needs to be examined to avert economic sabotage and misleading the nation on such clear situation like the current situation, ” he said
Eng. Kaisala mentioned that this loadshedding has always been experienced in Zambia, adding that in 2015 and 2019, loadshedding was there because of insufficient water at the Kariba Dam just like it is now, but nothing was done in the past to avert the recurrence of such a situation.
“In 2015 we had a serious anomaly where we were exposed as a country that dependence on hydro power is not sustainable anymore , we needed to diversify by doing an energy mix, and from 2015 nothing has been done,” he said
He added that the UPND government in line with their manifesto are taking steps to ensure that energy efficiency is attained in the country to address the current 86 percent dependence on hydro power generation with adequate power generation from other sources.
“We are a listening government which is proactive and are working hard to end loadshedding as seen in our party manifesto with solutions to the many problems,” he disclosed
Eng. Kaisala alluded that there are measures that previous regimes were supposed to undertake to prevent the current power deficit.
“Our colleagues who have been in office since 2015 where not focusing on the diversification of the energy mix, by bringing in other technologies like solar, wind, biomass, geo-thermal and waste to energy type of technology,” he stated
Eng. Kaisala has since urged the government to go for solar energy, but not forgetting the hydro power which should also be revamped to mitigate the current demand, adding that other relationships that the major power supplier ZESCO had with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation – CEC, the New Dawn Government managed to rebuild the friendship which was broken down in the past.
He disclosed that load shedding has only taken effect for less than a month but the government has already undertaken a lot of measures to help the users have power at all times.
Eng. Kaisala has since advised the Zambians citizens to switch and serve power as this will curb the wastage of the power that is in high demand in the nation, especially by those that operate small businesses such as barbershops, saloons, and many others.
Why do you say debts accumulated by the previous regime, you used the same power yourself which was bought on Nkongole.
I’m still waiting for the end to loadshedding so stop giving us bulltihs
It’s now official….ZESCO is about to be auctioned…..mark my words….this is has been their idea from Day one……..remember what happened to ZAMTEL and Lapgreen…at first it was “restructuring”…and in the end boom “sold” for pennies
As usual loads of nonsense from this most unlikiest of party in power.
When is the loadshedding cometo an end it’s affected groceries and many other things
Very dull Engineer. I wander which night school he attended.So you want citizens to keep quiet when there is load shedding because UPND have unworkable menifesto in place and people should remain mute.Serious work and commitment required from you guys.
As for ZAMTEL LAPgreen they only realized that they sold it for pennies and they was too much corruption and kickbacks involved with the Libyan company…it turned out the Libyans were going after struggling Teleclms companies in Chad,Mali, Gambia, CAR and Zambia….now we are dealing with the elite corrupt Arabs…the Emirates…these ones are the worst….they will milk Zambia dry….remember Zambia had to pay back more than US$300 million to Lapgreen..