AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has issued a 21-day ultimatum to Tanesco managers of both Ilemela Municipal Council and Mwanza City Council (MCC) to ensure the areas that are not yet electrified are connected immediately.
The directive was issued yesterday by Minister for Energy, Dr Medard Kalemani, during his one-day tour of Mwanza Region to inspect service delivery after two weeks some parts of MCC, Ilemela Municipal Council and Ukerewe District Council experience power cuts.
The minister said already the region had received more than 20 transformers from the government and he did not see why other areas were not yet electrified, stressing that Mwanza Region currently produced 162MW and the total consumption was only 57MW–that is–there were 105 additional megawatts.
“There is no reason for a power outage in Mwanza Region. If the power supply is disconnected due to the negligence of Tanesco staff or engineer, without any good reason, we will take action,” he explained.
Dr Kalemani urged Tanesco Regional Manager Henryfried Byabato to ensure Lwanima, Isebanda A and B, Igwambifi in Nyamagana District and Buswelu and Kahama in Ilemela Municipal Council were connected to power.
He said the government’s commitment was to see all areas that were not yet connected to power in the country were connected so that they could be used for both economic and social activities.
“By June this year here in Mwanza, I do not want to hear any electricity challenge. I want to see every district manager delivering in the areas which have no power,” he added.
He directed the Tanesco management in Mwanza Region to ensure in three days they stored power either from Dar es Salaam or Shinyanga.
He urged the regional manager if they wanted to use fuel for the operation of machinery he must be informed, only for special cases.
He stressed that the government had already stopped using fuel for power production. Meanwhile, the minister urged Tanesco station managers and employees working in the Electrical Control System Department to move from their homes to houses constructed within the stations to simplify the operation and reduce unnecessary challenges of power woes.
“This is the directive for the whole country. A worker or staff who will ignore it, let him or her look for another place of work.
There are many professionals on the streets looking for jobs,” he said. He urged the workers that working in the system to work patriotically, emphasising that the government and the people depended on their service delivery in the country.
On power outages in Ukerewe District, he said the government through the Tanesco regional manager was working on the problem and within a short time, power would be restored.
“I congratulate the Tanesco regional manager and the staff of Nyakato Station, they are doing a good job in ending power woes,” he said.
He directed Ukerewe District Commissioner (DC), Kornel Magembe to ensure he took action against fishermen involved in destroying the power infrastructure in the district.
Acting Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Dr Philis Nyimbi, praised the government for providing more than 20 transformers that would enable more areas in the region to be connected to power.
For his part, Nyakato Station Manager Mashaka Buginyingi said power generation at the station in November 1989 was only 9MW, but by June 2018 it was generating 51.80MW.
