ZESCO Board Faces Mounting Pressure Over Energy Crisis
………..Calls grow for accountability as load shedding cripples Zambia’s economy
Amid a deepening energy crisis, prominent commentator Macphersson Mutale has delivered a scathing critique of ZESCO’s leadership, calling for urgent reform and a complete overhaul of the utility’s board and management. In a powerful statement, Mutale questioned the very foundation of ZESCO’s governance and its accountability to the Zambian people.
“The power crisis that has gripped Zambia is not merely a technical failure; it is an economic and governance catastrophe,” Mutale said. “At the centre of this storm is ZESCO, a state-owned power utility that has become synonymous with incompetence, opacity, and a stunning lack of accountability.”
ZESCO, the nation’s primary electricity supplier, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months as erratic load shedding continues to disrupt daily life and paralyze economic activity. Businesses across sectors have been forced to scale down operations or shut down altogether, while households endure long, unpredictable power outages.
Mutale was blunt in his assessment of ZESCO’s performance.
“ZESCO has failed in its primary mandate: to provide electricity to the people of Zambia. This failure is not accidental it is systemic,” he said. “Thousands of small and medium enterprises have been crippled. Jobs have been lost. Hope has been extinguished.”
At the heart of the crisis is the ZESCO board, which Mutale accused of being “mute, passive, and comfortably perched in its ivory tower of impunity.”
“Who is the ZESCO board accountable to?” he asked. “Is it the President? Parliament? The people of Zambia? Or has it become a law unto itself—an elite club with no obligation to answer for its catastrophic failures?”
The statement referenced South Africa’s handling of similar energy challenges, where public pressure and political will resulted in leadership changes and reform at Eskom.
“Why is Zambia so allergic to decisive leadership?” Mutale queried.
While ZESCO points to long-term renewable energy goals, such as solar and wind projects, Mutale argued that the board is failing to address immediate needs.
“The solar farms that ZESCO touts are still in the pipeline. What is being done in the interim? Where is the emergency response? Where is the communication, the transparency, the urgency?” he asked.
Mutale further revealed that over $10 billion in Power Purchase Agreements have yet to materialize, blaming policy inconsistency and ZESCO’s opaque practices for scaring off investors.
He also criticized the ongoing importation of power at an estimated cost of $90 million per month, suggesting that funds could be better spent on scalable domestic solutions, including rent-to-own solar programs or coal plant development.
“Five months of import payments, totaling $450 million, could build a 350-megawatt coal plant a lasting solution,” he said.
In a particularly stinging accusation, Mutale highlighted inequities in power distribution, alleging political interference and favoritism in ZESCO’s load-shedding schedules.
“Certain areas are granted uninterrupted supply, not because they host hospitals or water facilities, but because ZESCO employees or ministers live there. This is immoral. This is criminal,” he said.
Mutale concluded by urging President Hakainde Hichilema to intervene decisively, warning that continued protection of underperforming ZESCO leadership risks undermining public trust and economic recovery.
“ZESCO is not just a utility. It is a lifeline for millions. And today, that lifeline is broken. It must be fixed now.”
As the energy crisis deepens, pressure is mounting on the government to act swiftly and restore both functionality and accountability to one of Zambia’s most critical institutions.
May 10, 2025
©️ KUMWESU
Well written ZESCO is an extremely incompetent organisation without good leadership. Truly they’re not accountable to the Zambian people, they do as they wish.
Rather generalised statement. Articulate to us exactly what you would prescribe as a solution.
You reference Escom how long was South Africa plagued with longshedding before there was an improvement? Where the problems at Escom the same as the ones that face ZESCO?
Its easy to be emotionally critical. But unless you have the facts, you grope at assumptions of what you THINK is the problem.
Zesco had a debt problem as well as tariff problem that the former like the FISP issue is politicised. There is also the inflationary aspect to the solution. One of those damned if you do damned if you dont situations.
Can Zambia afford the unsustainable cost of producing power?
Where you get the money to buy the power that you are not able to produce?
People keep making these assumptions like government has this limitless credit card. At some point that card has a bill that needs to be settled. We need to get over this “cry baby attitude”. South Africa may seem rosy to you but like a duck is struggling to stay afloat. A duck seems calm but see it paddling under water. People need to mature and objective in the way they look at issues. Not comment based on perceptions
The writer hit the nail on the head.
What is happening at ZESCO, ERB and the Ministry of Energy is a classical example of leadership failure.