Africa-Press – Zambia. The Citizens First Party (CFP) president, Mr. Harry Kalaba, has criticized the current leadership of Zambia for failing to adequately address the issue of load shedding. Speaking to the media on current load shedding, Mr. Kalaba said, “IF WE had interrogated the current leadership enough and sought an explanation to the open statement of “Bally Will Fix It,” we would have avoided the current situation we are faced with today.”
Mr. Kalaba notes that it is apparent from the leadership’s lack of action that “he is all bark and no bite” and that Zambians are in for a “long remaining three years filled with incompetence at the heart of government”. He adds, “It is shocking that people who misled President Hakainde Hichilema concerning load shedding are still in office.”
Mr. Kalaba highlighted serious weaknesses in the UPND government that are too evident to ignore. He reminded President Hichilema how while in opposition he used to claim that a lot of the challenges the country was facing were because of a lack of leadership.
“The recent admission by the Zesco board chairman that they misled the President has further shown the extent of the problem. Never in my living years have I seen an individual admit that they misled the Head of State and remain in post. Despite his taking on of the blame, we know that the chairman is far removed from the day-to-day operations of Zesco, which begs the question was he too misled by the management of Zesco? It is shocking that given the embarrassment that has befallen the President following his numerous comments, first on how he would end load shedding prior to being elected and second that he had ended it within eight months of being in office, so many of the people who told him it was over remain in office. The list of people who could have misled the President is endless. The Minister of Energy [Peter Kapala], the permanent secretaries at Ministry of Energy, his advisers at State House and the entire Zesco senior management who are all still in their positions. When one looks back regarding Zesco, it seems the President has been misled for a long time,” he said.
Mr. Kalaba said the current power crisis leaves many questions unanswered as the problem and the possibility of load shedding was known by engineers early last year. He said, “It would seem that individuals in the current government were so desperate to claim that load shedding had ended that they ignored all the warning signs.”
Mr. Kalaba charged that the current water levels of Kariba dam show serious recklessness on the part of those who manage the electrical system. He said, “The Kariba Dam was meant in part to provide storage of water to allow for continuous generation of electricity even in years when there was low rainfall. Given what is pertaining today, the dam has now lost its storage capability as every year the water that will flow into the dam will be used for generation in the current year and will in the foreseeable future lead to load shedding annually.”
In conclusion, Mr. Kalaba called on the government to take responsibility for the current power crisis and to take necessary measures to address it. He also called for those who misled the President to be held accountable for their actions. He said, “I urge the President to take immediate action and hold those who have misled him accountable for their actions. We cannot continue to suffer while they remain in office.”
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