ZESCO FEES UNACCEPTABLE

FOR the first time, I will support our former Defence Minister in the PF administration Mr Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) for aptly attacking the recently approved Zesco fees.

I live a few kilometres east of KKIA where we are being asked to pay between K15, 000 and K20, 000 depending on the number of power phases.

This is a peri-urban area full of poor people and struggling retirees who will certainly fail to buy power from Zesco.

What I also know is that if an organisation is always in the poor habit of increasing service charges anyhow, it is a sign of laziness, poor management looking for the easy way out.

If I had those powers, I would have today dismantled Zesco and probably ask China to run its affairs and I am sure the picture would be much appreciated.

Zesco, I hear is the only power company in the world which also asks its clients to buy poles before they can be supplied with electricity.

For me, if I buy poles I will certainly bring them down when I change my location to Kasama and see how the courts will handle the situation.

I couldn't believe that the government can allow Zesco to raise fees by a shocking 400 percent without an explanation. Our Energy Minister Peter Kapala has failed us.

I fully remember during the UPND campaign trails during which Present Hakainde Hichilema promised to lower service charges of many items such as electricity, fuel, cost of doing business, essential commodities etc but the opposite is what has manifested.

Even the nonsense about our Kwacha being the best performing currency in the world cannot be swallowed by many Zambians because they are not benefitting from its knock-on effects.

Our President Hichilema should intervene and bring sanity to Zesco whose management, in my opinion wants to take the easy route. Our new dawn administration must rethink over these new satanic and killer fees.