PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOAD-SHEDDING IS UNPLEASANT BUT IT WILL NOT LAST FOR LONG
Lusaka, 02.12.22:
The announcement by Energy Minister, Hon. Peter Kapala on the floor of the National Assembly on Friday morning, that a six-hour load-shedding of ZESCO power will kick in mid-month as a result of reduced water levels in Lake Kariba, is certainly unpleasant news.
As we choose to stand side by side with the Zambian people, who will bear the biggest consequence of this latest load management regime, that comes as a directive from the Zambezi River Authority to the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, we want to commend the government for being transparent about this issue.
Transparency is one of the characteristics of good governance, and indeed we in the UPND, are gratified that the New Dawn administration is living up to the values and principles as enshrined in our party’s realigned Manifesto, upon which the UPND’s socio-economic program is anchored.
From the onset, and even before he assumed office, President Hakainde Hichilema has been emphatic on the need to delegate the problem of load-shedding to the annals of history. True to his word, over the last 12 months of the UPND being in power, load-shedding of ZESCO power has reduced drastically. President Hichilema has lived up to his campaign promises thus far.
In this case, we are confident that the manner in which this government has managed the national electricity grid so far, makes us easily believe Hon. Kapala’s assurance that this load management decision will be constantly reviewed over a period of four months.
An unavoidable reality as it may be, we are also confident of the alternative measures that the government is putting in place to mitigate the impact of this load-shedding. In short, no Zambian will be asked to go and urinate in Lake Kariba in order to increase the water levels.
That said, we urge all Zambians of good will to endure by complying with the load management advisories from ZESCO so that this latest load-shedding doesn’t persist beyond the estimated four months. This will be achieved by resorting to other energy alternatives such as solar power. With the ravages of climate change, we should never completely ignore the ever-lurking reality of load-shedding of hydro-electric power.
ISSUED BY:
ENG. CHARLES KAISALA
UPND CHAIRPERSON FOR ENERGY
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