10 HOURS OF POWER IS HERE TO STAY, WE’RE IMPORTING FROM MOZAMBIQUE –  GOVT

10 HOURS OF POWER IS HERE TO STAY, WE’RE IMPORTING FROM MOZAMBIQUE –  GOVT

CHIEF Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa says citizens will continue to receive 10 hours of power supply, stating that government has continued to put in measures to mitigate the energy deficit.

And Mweetwa says President Hakainde Hichilema would win the elections by a landslide bigger than the one he achieved in 2021 if the elections were to be held today.

Speaking when he featured on Sunday interview, Mweetwa said ZESCO was able to provide 10 hours of power supply because the country is importing more power

“This power is being imported from across into Mozambique, by and large. You’ll recall that the last time I appeared on this programme, I had said that there are certain issues that we may not be able to talk about that are inhibiting us to bring in more power into this country because some people were thinking that it was deliberate. The President put it plain when he was addressing the nation last week to say, he had to perform a trip to go and meet his brother in Zimbabwe so that they, as a sovereign country, allow us to use their infrastructure to evacuate more power which we are importing into this country and that is what is happening today in this country. So that 10-hour power [supply] is here to stay and we can only look for more,” Mweetwa explained.

“The number one question that has plagued our people, that has given untold suffering to our people in 2025 has been the question of loadshedding. I’m glad now, it’s no longer a secret that the President, in addressing the nation, on the day he was assenting to Bill No.7 into law last week, reminded the nation of these challenges. And that he and his administration do empathise with our people but that he’s not just sitting by, he’s taking every action necessary under this administration to mitigate this situation, including now, what people have seen, 10 hours of power and I think that better things are yet to come”.

Mweetwa noted that despite the opposition being in ‘disarray’, he was confident that citizens would be able to offer credible checks and balances to government.

“I can tell you that if elections were called tomorrow, President HH is going to win, I think with a landslide bigger than the first one. Not just because the opposition are in disarray, no, we need a strong opposition to continue to offer credible checks and balances. But we have consolation in the knowledge that the biggest opposition that offers credible checks and balances to a government is the ordinary citizens. So President HH will have huge campaign machinery out there from the women,” Mweetwa highlighted.

“He’s the first President to respond to their call, that NGOCC, they should leave what they are doing [and] join the campaign, join the commander kwishiba, join the students in campaigning for HH because this is a man who has not come for politics. This is a missionary who has come to change a country, particularly the way we think and our attitude towards decent hard work and honest in public life that when you are entrusted [with] resources, they are not yours, they are for the people, they are for the vulnerable”.

He further said PF acting president Given Lubinda has no right to expel PF MPs who voted in favour of Bill 7.

“We are not going to [have] any by-election because we are a government of laws, not a government of men and women. So those emotional utterances that were given by Given Lubinda, honourable, my elder brother, he was blowing political hot air to the nation. My colleagues, the members of parliament, those who are now purportedly to have been expelled cannot be expelled because the constitution of PF, just like the constitution of UPND, is subservient to the Constitution of Zambia that. I think it is Article 3, which provides that this Constitution is [the] supreme law of the land and any written law, whether an Act of Parliament or in this case, a constitution of a club, because at law, a political party, we call it a club, is inconsistent with any provisions of this Constitution, that other law, to the extent of the inconsistency, is null and void. That is why I said those
are null and void,” Mweetwa said.

“In fact, void Ab initio, meaning that even at the time of contemplating them, it was a sheer waste of time, it was just simple politicking. You’ll recall that we had honourable Siamunene, honourable Njeulu and honourable Monde, when they defied party position and became ministers, did you hear that we had convened a national management meeting and purportedly expelled them, because we knew the law and we let them be. We said the people will deal with them”.

When asked whether government was speaking on behalf of the PF members, Mweetwa justified that it was his responsibility to defend the three arms of government, which includes the legislature.

“I want the public to know that me, I’m Chief Government Spokesperson for the Republic of Zambia, I am a minister of information, that is one position. I have another position, Chief Government Spokesperson for the Republic of Zambia, Chief Government Spokesperson of Government, what is government? Government is Parliament, the National Assembly, the Executive [and] the Judiciary. So, when Parliament is being interfered with by aliens, that is what we call someone who is not a member of parliament at law, when aliens want to interfere with the operations of parliament, it is my duty, not as a minister of information, not as a party spokesperson of UPND but as Chief Government Spokesperson to come to the defence of one of the arms of government, which is under siege unnecessarily,” said Mweetwa.

“In the like manner that if someone is going to attack the Judiciary, you may not hear anyone from the Judiciary respond, I will respond as Chief Government Spokesperson. So, there is nothing like interfering with the internal operations of the party and secondly, the only reason I commented is that that expulsion is rooted into the operations of parliament and members of parliament, it stems from the work of parliamentarians”.

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