Lusaka, December, 30, 2020, ZANIS—The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has in the last year improved its performance as compared to the year 2019.

ERB Director General Langiwe Lungu has attributed the improved performance to non-adjustment of fuel prices since December 2019 despite the outbreak of COVID-19.

Ms Lungu stated that the board has this year not effected any price change on petroleum products in the country despite the fluctuation of the US dollar.

‘’Fuel prices were maintained despite the turbulent events experienced during the course of 2020, specifically the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and fluctuation of the kwacha to the US dollar,’’ Ms Lungu noted.

Ms Lungu was speaking today during a press briefing at their offices and explained that the board reviews petroleum prices under a 60 days cycles whenever petroleum feedstock is imported into the country.

She further explained that the price change is only effected if the wholesale price is more than 2.5 percent threshold.

She however noted that the movement in the exchange rates had negative impacts on the benefits of a reduction in the pump prices that should have accrued to the county.

In a related development Ms Lungu disclosed that the organization issued 289 licences against 117 in 2019 attributing the increase to private sector participation in the energy sector.

‘’Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased to report that ERB issued a record number of licenses at 289, against 117 licenses issued in 2019,’’ She said.

She said the sector experienced an increase in demand for energy products and services but had challenges of supply.

Ms Lungu also highlighted that the board made adjustments on electricity tariffs for domestic customers that are supplied by ZESCO limited, North-western Energy Corporation (NWEC) and Zengamina Power Limited.

She said ZESCO Limited had this year increased tariffs by a weighted average of 113 percent.

“At the beginning of the year, tariffs were increased for ZESCO’s customers by a weighted average of 113 %. However the increase did not affect customers with power purchase agreements and the mines whose tariffs are directly negotiated with ZESCO and approved by the ERB,” she explained.

Meanwhile ERB managed to score above target in revenue collection of more than K2. 9 million for the year 2020 against the target of K1.5million

The United Party for National Development (UPND) Secretary-General Stephen Katuka has said that the changes at the Police Service now confirm and is an admission that the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government, through the Zambia Police, murdered the innocent citizens, hence trying to launder their tattered and reckless image.

In a statement released to the media, Mr. Katula described the changes as as cosmetic and meaningless if the real killers are not brought to book and face justice.

Below is the full statement

PRESS STATEMENT
30th December 2020

CHANGES IN THE POLICE COMMAND MEAN NOTHING IF THE KILLERS ARE NOT ARRESTED

We have taken note of the changes Mr. Edgar Lungu has made in the Zambia Police Service following the brutal murders of Nsama Nsama and Joseph Kaunda last week by the Zambia Police officers.

In the first place, these changes now confirm and is an admission that the PF government through the Zambia Police murdered the innocent citizens, hence trying to launder their tattered and reckless image.

But as UPND, we view these changes as cosmetic and meaningless if the real killers are not brought to book and face justice.

If anything, these changes of merely dropping the deputies while leaving the top commanders such as Inspector General of the Police Kakoma Kanganja, Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo and Mr. Edgar Lungu himself, are a complete joke to the Zambian people.

How could the junior officers have executed instructions of whatever nature without the knowledge and authority of the top commanders who include Mr. Edgar Lungu himself?

In fact, the firing of the top police officers justifies what we have always been warning officers in the security wings; that Mr. Lungu is just using you, but can dump and sacrifice you when things go wrong for him, hence the need to be professional in their day to day work.

The sad part to the serving and dismissed officers and all civil servants is that while Mr. Lungu will use you when it benefits him, he will dump and sacrifice you and be made to live as ordinary citizens facing the same communities that he commanded you to brutalise or abuse.

To us, the real culprit is Mr. Lungu himself who is on record issuing very serious threats on his opponents such as “I will fall on them like a tonne of bricks”.

The dismissed top police officers are mere sacrificial lambs while the main culprits have been left off the hook and there are no signs of bringing justice to the killers of the innocent citizens.

We also note that Mr. Lungu has given Inspector General of the police Kakoma Kanganja six months contract in which he reorganises the police.

We wonder what Mr. Kanganja can do in six months which he could not do in many years at the helm of the Zambia Police service. Even worse, we wonder how Mr. Kanganja will reorganise the police when he is unlikely to get any respect from his juniors who now know he is being fired in six months time.

We take note of the elevation of an overzealous police officer Charity Katanga to the position of Deputy Inspector General of police in charge of operations. To us, we are now convinced Mr. Lungu is not interested in peace, but has basically declared a blood bath on the Zambian citizens.

Ms. Katanga is well known for her open hatred against the opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema and his party going by her past conduct.

Zambians should now brace for more brutality under Mr. Lungu and Mr. Kampyongo and their only option as citizens is to unite and remove the brutal regime in 2021.

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has said that he will not step down as Home Affairs Minister following last week shooting incident where two people lost their lives.

Responding to calls for him to step down, Mr Kampyongo said that he was appointed to serve Zambian people and not to please politicians like Fred M’membe and Hakainde Hichilema.

Mr. Kampyongo also disclosed that Government has unearthed a scam in which a team of foreign nationals has been engaged by the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) to cause havoc ahead of the 2021 General election by concocting propaganda stories meant to tarnish Zambia’s reputation to the international community.

The Home Affairs Minister ordered what he called the foreign mercenaries, who have been hired as campaign managers for Mr. Hichilema to leave the country immediately and warned that security and law enforcement agencies will have no choice but to hound out the foreign mercenaries if they fail to heed his directive to leave the country on their own terms, adding that Government works with well-meaning foreign nationals as partners to bring development but will not tolerate those with bad intentions.

Mr. Kampyongo accused UPND of sill have a colonized mindset and cannot lead the country in the right direction because they are in bed with the imperialists.

“All those foreigners trying to use propaganda and false statements working with some desperate opposition political parties to agitate anarchy in the country will be hunted down and flashed out of the country by all means,” he warned.

He said his Ministry is mandated to maintain internal security and will not allow anyone to risk the lives of Zambians.