Lights OUT Zambia

Wake up Monday morning no electricity, “One of those days it happens.”

Wake up Tuesday morning no electricity, “Again someone must have mistaken which hood to loadshed.”

Wake up Wednesday morning no electricity, “Okay, now this is becoming a habit, ZESCO should get their act together.”

Wake up Thursday morning no electricity, “ZESCO what the hell is going on kanshi?”

Wake up Friday morning no electricity, “ZESCO $%^$$#^**&^%$%$$$##%%^*Fyola*!”

                                             

            The erratic electricity supply this past week has definitely contributed to the increased stress levels around. Once again ZESCO know how to get into the spotlight without trying. I stay in a neighbourhood that does not experience too much load shedding. It is one of those once in a while affairs. So you can imagine the great inconvenience when suddenly, I flick on the switch and it does not turn on. I go into another room flick the switch still the bulb refuses to light up, and then I know ZESCO must be up to no good. We probably all know that load shedding has now become a mainstay in this country but last week ZESCO had graduated to higher proportions.

            I was forced to have bread and juice for supper, clothes could not be pressed in the morning and I had a constant fear that my electrical appliances would blow as a result of this. A mbaula and some malasha might soon become my best friends because I foresee this becoming an unwelcome habit for ZESCO. People have been fuming at what they call inconsiderate load shedding wondering what crime they have committed to deserve such treatment.

            “Dear ZESCO, how you do not care that you send me to work with unpressed clothing is amazing. I could swear you do it on purpose,” Kapembwa lamented.

There are many others who do not have kind words for ZESCO after their food went bad in the fridge, they missed the football games, parties were forced to use candle light and shops like Woodlands Pick n Pay had to close as a result.  And then someone is dreaming of bringing an electric underground train in Zambia, with which electricity, that’s a joke.

            I now reckon that ZESCO have a default apology statement stashed away somewhere that they pullout when the complaints reach boiling point. We are ever maintaining something or a station has blown up. This time around was no different.

            “ZESCO Limited wishes to inform its esteemed customers that the current increased power outages being experienced around the country has been as a result of failure of the  large generating units at Kafue Gorge Power Station (KGPS) on 21^st February 2013 and Kariba North Bank Power Station (KNBPS) on 25^th February 2013....” a press statement said. Yeah, yeah, yeah, heard this story before.

            The mere fact that ZESCO almost has monopoly of the supply in this country, we are simply forced to suck it up and tolerate whatever, they dish out to us. It is not like we can switch suppliers we do not have that luxury. We just accept it, live with it and complain about it to whatever and whoever is interested in hearing. I can only imagine people who live outside the cities, what kind of electricity supply they get? If in the capital city where the rich, ambassadors, politicians, diplomats are subjected to the kind of supply that ZESCO provides, what influence can a person in a hut somewhere in Shangombo have.

                The more bizarre thing is that clearly ZESCO should have seen this coming. They should have been investing in hydro power stations or other alternatives like solar well in advance. The more puzzling thing is that Zambia has over 30% of the water bodies in Southern Africa, so water for hydro power is not a problem. So who should we begin pointing fingers at? I do not need a crystal ball, to know that in the next 10 years we will need more electricity supply in Lusaka, Kitwe, Solwezi and perhaps all the other towns, so we can start now.

            But hey I am no engineer, so I do not know much about the intricacies that go with supplying electricity to an entire nation. One thing that I do know for certain is that there are thousands of disgruntled people who do not hold ZESCO in high esteem. In other news, place your orders now for generators and solar panels, you will be needing them more in your households very soon because we all know ZESCO will disappoint us again.