8 HOURS LOAD SHEDDING TO CAUSE SERIOUS ECONOMIC FRACTURES – KAMPYONGO
THE sudden implementation of the eight hours load shedding programme shall cause devastating economic fractures particularly on small-scale businesses such as salons, barbershops and wielders unless Government finds means of how it shall mitigate the suffering of citizens, Stephen Kampyongo has said.
Mr Kampyongo, the Opposition Chief Whip says Zambians are waiting for the miracles the UPND had promised while in opposition of abundant electricity and food.
Mr Kampyongo, the Patriotic Front Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament said in an interview that the 8 hours load shedding was likely to cause serious economic stress among Zambians unless Government went into the importation of electricity and sale it to citizens at a subsidised rate as a means of mitigation.
He recalled that while in the opposition, the UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema had all the solutions to the electricity challenges the country had faced in 2015 to the extent that they had proposed the construction of canals from Luapula to the Kafue River for power generation.
“Zambia is in trouble. People are waiting to see the miracles they were promised by people they believed were the messiah to their economic challenges. When the PF in government were confronted with a drought in 2015 and 2016, the UPND had brilliant ideas of how such could be managed,” Mr Kampyongo.
“You remember the lecture we got from President Hichilema in opposition about how Dubai, which never receives rain could have electricity throughout the year uninterrupted.
Garry Nkombo, the then chairperson on Energy Committee went as far as suggesting the construction of a canal and diverting rivers to Kafue to boost electricity generation.
So, let the UPND not hide behind their fingers and assume they will not be seen for who they are…liars,” he said.
He said Zambians had not forgotten the promises the UPND made about making electricity abundant but were disappointed that load shedding had returned even after President Hichilema had bragged of having ended load shedding in the first eight months in government.
Mr Kampyongo said the government should have prepared citizens than ambushing them with an eight-hour load shedding schedule at a time when they were being subjected to high cost of living, high cost of fuel and other basic needs.
“What will happen to small businesses with this eight-hour load shedding? This sudden announcement, how are we going to meet the target of producing three million metric tonnes of copper with this duration of load shedding? This will heavily affect the economy. The UPND should have planned about this and the best is that government should import electricity and sell to Zambians at a subsidised rate,” Mr Kampyongo said.
He said government was never in the business of making profit but to serve its citizens, recalling that that the PF while in government imported expensive electricity and sold it to citizens at a subsidized rate.
“As things are, with Indeni killed which was providing fuels for the production of about 100 megawatts through Ndola Energy, what is going to happen to the industry? When in leadership, we should always avoid hypocrisy,” Mr Kampyongo said.