Some residents in Kafue have expressed concern at the manner in which the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation(ZESCO) is arriving at monthly electricity bills..

Scores of residents, who stormed ZANIS offices in Kafue today, complained that they were receiving inflated bills from ZESCO in the name of estimates.

The residents have threatened to hold demonstrations against the company and stop paying the bills if the company does not explain to them why their charges have become abnormally high.

A resident who spoke of behalf of others, Mr Albert Bowa said resident in Kafue Estates were shocked when they received bills based on estimates instead of actual readings when all along they had been receiving bills on fixed accounts.[quote]

He noted that last month residents received bills ranging from K50.000.00 to K70.000 and were now astonished to learn that ZESCO had changed the system without their knowledge and have now received bills ranging from K500.000.00 to K800.000.00 based on estimates.

Mr. Bowa explained that when residents went to ZESCO offices in Kafue Estates to seek an explanation on the situation, all they were told by the accountant was that the directive was from ZESCO Head office and that there was nothing the local office could do.

Mr. Bowa has appealed to ZESCO Head office in Lusaka to meet the residents and explain the situation to them before the residents stop paying the bills.

He described the move as unfair to residents especially that ZESCO has just hiked the electricity tariffs.

Mr. Bowa appealed to government to consider bailing out ZESCO so that the company can be efficient and start operating according to the expectation of its clients..

Mr. Bowa also appealed to the Minister of Energy and Water Development to intervene in the matter before the situation goes out of hands.

He said residents feel this is daylight robbery being exhibited by ZESCO management especially that such issues were done in a Christian nation.

ZANIS

A Copperbelt based Philosopher Thomson Chalubemba says the acquittal of former president Fredrick Chiluba give impetus for more people entrusted to run public funds to steal more from the public scoffers.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Ndola yesterday, Mr Chalubemba said the court verdict on Chiluba’s corruption charges lacks credit and denies the Zambian people justice.

Mr Chalubemba said the acquittal will also reduce the donors’ perspective of Zambia’s strong stance in the fight against corruption.

He added that the acquittal of the Dr Chiluba by the local courts also puts the credibility of the Zambian judiciary in question in the eyes of the international community as the case of Dr Chiluba was highly sensitive and was followed by most countries on the globe and international organisations.

He said if the intention was to pardon Dr Chiluba in an effort to promote unity and reconciliation in the country, it should have been done that way instead of freeing him through a questionable acquittal that has now made most people loose confidence in the judicial system.[quote]

And Mr Chalubemba has commended the Task Force on Corruption for appealing against the acquittal of the former president.

He urged government to ensure that the judicially is not interfered with and allowed to work independently so that justice prevails.

He said the fight against corruption should continue and friendship should be put aside in the fight against the scourge for the sake of the country.

He said it was sad that 45 years after independence the country is still walloping in abject poverty.

The senior citizen said leaders should be striving to improve investment in the country, improve road infrastructure, improve sanitation, and the agriculture sector among others instead of promoting adverse vices such as corruption.

Last week former republican president Dr Fredrick Chiluba was cleared of all corruption charges by a Lusaka magistrate court.

But his acquittal has been received with mixed reaction from various sections of society and the Task Force on Corruption has since appealed against the Acquittal.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has says Zambia is committed to implement the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy in an effort to promote communication in rural areas.

President Banda said this is to create a wider impact at all levels of development in both rural and urban communities through the net effect of the ICTs gains.

In a speech read on his behalf, by Communications and Transport Minister Professor Godfrey Lungwangwa, Mr. Banda said government has instituted policy options aimed at achieving rural connectivity in an attempt to fulfill the implementation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the Vision 2030.

He said this during the on-going 4th Annual Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization Conference at Livingstone’s Zambezi Sun Hotel yesterday.

Mr. Banda said government has engaged all stakeholders in designing and implementing solutions that include training and development of ICT training institutions in outlying communities in order to meet people’s demand.

“Connecting rural communities in Africa is urgently required as worldwide developments point towards a society where information out to be available anytime anywhere, with integration of multi-disciplinary solutions for global problems, involving rapid technological development.

” Hence, best practices for the new economic order looking at sustainable rural development in a holistic and innovative perspective in this area are needed in order to fit the demands of our citizens at all levels,” he said.

He implored international delegates and local participants to take advantage of the forum and address bottlenecks in the area of communication connectivity as well as digress on the impact of the global economic crisis in the communication sector.

Mr. Banda observed that Zambia has suffered setbacks in ICT development due to factors that include high illiteracy levels in rural communities; obsolete fixed line infrastructure relative to high cost of replacement; perception of low economic benefits in relation to high cost of investment for private sector; and sparsely populated rural areas and relative too high deployed costs for facilities.

He said there is need to have a strong and sustainable means of communications that would result in the promotion of information and knowledge based society as a basis for creation of wealth.

“ICTs today are more central to the development process more than any other time in history. Without the means of communication, it is practically impossible for the world to be what it is today in terms of politics, commerce and trade, social networking as well as personal well being,” he said.

The president observed that there is not only need to give provide ICT access to people but also to consider giving youths, women and men an opportunity to become drivers of national development.

Meanwhile, Communications and Technology Permanent Secretary, Dominic Sichinga has said that government is aware of the role that ICT continues to play in wealth creation, job creation and poverty reduction.

Mr. Sichinga said government appreciates the great effort that Communication Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization has been doing through interactions in Africa to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas and between the rich the poor people.

ZANIS