CIVIC leaders in Nakonde district in Northern Province have given ZESCO management a 48 -hour ultimatum in which to replace the damaged transformer at the local sub-station as power black out enters sixth day today.
The visibly annoyed councilors lead by their council chairman Luka Simusamba who visited ZESCO offices yesterday afternoon said they were not happy with the pace at which ZESCO was moving at in rectifying the problem.
Councilor Simusamba said the security of the border town was being compromised because of the power black out adding that people’s lives and property was at high risk because of the continued power black out.
He said that water supply in the district has also been affected forcing people to be drawing water from unprotected wells and scoops along the river banks the sources he said were highly contaminated especially during the rain season.
Councilor Simusamba who is also Mulalo MMD ward councilor further said the mortuary can no longer keep dead bodies in the fridges forcing friends and relatives of the dead to burry the same day one dies or take the dead to Isoka district hospital mortuary situated about 118 km from the border..
And old Fife MMD ward councilor Julius Chisasa has said that the ZESCO power black out has halted operations in almost all the departments in the border town including parastatal and Non-Governmental Organisations [NGO’s].
Councilor Chisasa added that business in town has also grounded to a halt with most of the traders having recorded huge loses as a result of the power black out.
Meanwhile, people with generators have taken advantage of the power black out to make money through charging cell phones at an exorbitant price..
They are charging between K3000 and K4000 for charging a phone for only two to three hours while long queue have been formed at grinding mills which uses diesel.
A grinding mill operator in old Nakonde told Zambia News and Information Services [ZANIS] that business has been boosted greatly adding that they have since come up with two shifts, one in the day and one running through out the night so as to serve people who have been making long queue ever since the district was plunged into total darkness six days ago.
Nakonde district has been plunged into total darkness following a serious fault at the ZESCO sub station last week on Friday.
Efforts to get in touch with ZESCO marketing and public relation officer failed.
However, sources said power is likely to be restored in Nakonde by Wednesday next week after the arrival of another transformer from the Copper belt.
ZANIS
one man’s loss is another man’s profit !