By CIC
TAKE BLAME FOR ZAMBIA’S POWER WOES, MUUNDA TELLS OFF PF
..commends President Hichilema for Energy Efficiency Strategy.
LUSAKA task force chairman, Morgan Muunda has taken a swipe at the former ruling party for failing to put futuristic power outage preventive measures in place.
He argued that had the previous regime not bankrolled its party cadres on the ZESCO payroll, the power utility company couldn’t have lost much of its income meant for maintenance, expansion and repair of the Kariba power generation facility.
He observed that it was the wanton, reckless misuse of income from the company as well as the subsequent failure to reform ZESCO that has led to Zambians being subjected to intermittent power blackouts.
And Muunda has commended President Hakainde Hichilema for formulating an Energy Efficiency Strategy through the Ministry of Energy aimed at expediting the process for investors to develop independent power producers.
He also stressed that instead of taking to social media and climbing anthill summits to denounce the Hakainde-led New Dawn administration for the 12-hours long loadshedding currently being experienced in the country, Muunda said it was only prudent that the leaders of the former ruling party did self introspection and soul searching over the matter.
He said that it was failure on their part to swiftly embark on a robust shift from over-dependence on hydro electricity to other sources of energy such as thermal, solar and wind that has led to the current situation.
He further observed that the failure by the PF during its 10 years-long stay in power to harness the huge coal availability in the country for thermal power generation and later its (PF) inability to tap into the abundant sunshine to salvage the solar potential of Zambia could be blamed for the current power mallaise.
Muunda said that it was regrettable that the people responsible for the numerous economic woes that has plunged majority Zambian citizens were the loudest when it comes to pointing figures at the UPND-led government over a number of economic rigidities that President Hichilema is working on unlocking.
Yesterday, President Hichilema expressed concern at the disruptions caused by the on-going loadshedding which he said has affected various economic sectors, small scale businesses, vital installations, households and ordinary people.
CIC PRESS TEAM