I’ll push for a bill to limit Zesco power exports – all laws must serve Zambians first, and foreigners last, says Kabwata Constituency aspiring MP, Mainda Simataa

I’ll push for a bill to limit Zesco power exports – all laws must serve Zambians first, and foreigners last, says Kabwata Constituency aspiring MP, Mainda Simataa

Independent aspiring Kabwata constituency MP says once voted into office, his first priority will be to ensure that bars, saloons, barbershops, butcheries, groceries, welders, bakers and all SME’s in his constituency have stable and affordable supply of power because their lives depend on it.

The aspiring Kabwata Lawmaker who some social media critics are calling Binwel Mpundu version 2.0, says his first private members bill on the floor of parliament will be the ‘power export control bill’ which seeks to ensure that all critical decisions on ZESCO tariff increment and power exports must first be subjected to the debate and approval of a two-thirds majority of the people’s elected representatives in parliament.

Simataa argues that when he served as Councillor in Lusaka City Council, all proposals to increase market levies for marketeers, local taxes, licenses and rates,  everything was first debated by the representatives of the people at committee and full council stage, and that the same system must apply to more critical decisions like power exports that are currently decided by a small group of people in the Energy Regulation Board who are appointed and not accountable directly to the people.

Simataa who’s no stranger to controversy even during his debates in Lusaka City council chambers, argues that ZESCO being a state-owned company must prioritize serving local households and local businesses first, before supplying multi-national mining companies 50% of generated power at a lower tariff than what Zambians are paying, before even thinking of exporting power to foreign countries like Namibia and Botswana who put their people first.