Government has refuted reports that it is in talks with a Chinese firm to surrender state run power utility ZESCO.
In its latest edition, respected London based Africa Confidential reports that Zambia has started talks with a Chinese firm to take over the running of ZESCO in a similar manner Chinese firm Star Times has taken over ZNBC.
But Energy Minister Mathew Nkhuwa said there are no intentions of disposing off ZESCO.
In an interview in Lusaka, Mr Nkhuwa said ZESCO is a strategic institution that cannot be given away “just like that.”
He said any decision regarding the running of ZESCO would have to be made by Cabinet adding that so far there has not been any Cabinet decision on the matter.
Mr Nkhuwa said the reports in Africa Confidential should therefore be dismissed as false.
“There is no such decision by Cabinet. As you know ZESCO is such a huge company and anything to do with it will have to be decided by Cabinet and I can confirm to you that there has not been anything decided on the future of ZESCO,” Mr Nkhuwa said.
Its not about selling for a price but the failure to pay back the debt you are busy accumulating, PF always taking us for kids
Thank you
Just sell the damn thing
Whites and Chinese ARE genetically smarter than all of us,
they will definitely run it better.
My fiance Nick thinks outside the box and these traits will come to Zesco albeit through he Chinese.
On behalf of all Zambians and most on here , we urge the Government to sell Zesco
Thanks
BB2014,2016
That is exactly what the PF government was telling us about ZNBC, but look where we are now, the Chinese are running ZNBC and getting all the TV Levy that we pay.
After ZNBC, It will definitely be ZESCO and then Lusaka international airport. And now the Chinese are eying Mulungushi Conference centre.
Watch this space, all this will happen before 2021.
We are not selling ZNBC
We sold Zamtel, now not selling it.
We sold NRDC, no no we only signed sale papers
ZESCO is on sale..
Sell that be statehouse too!!
Fake News and Alternative Truths
T.I.Z – This Is Zambia.
Hard to believe anything you say. It’s like the cobalt story on the Copperbelt
All the best, Zambia. Regardless of the outcome, it will NEVER be president.
Where’s that Mr Kudos the brainless skeleton? I am waiting for him to pop his head out the cemetery so I can push it back where it belongs. For a human being to use a skeleton as his mascot is an indication of a decaying mental state. But wait, what I am implying could be true—about the state of mind.
@Chachine, careful what you wish for. Kudos is Rosemary the ghost. One kiss and you are gone.
Even with DeadNBC, NRDC, Chimbokaila, the PF00Ls denied that they were selling to tu ma Choncholee.
Zesco is too bankrupt to repay sino-hydro loan for the useless generators at kafue gorge & Kariba which are can’t produce enough power like the British-made generators they replaced. This is what has been causing load shedding & this has affected zesco cashflow problems.
Also Lungu has forced Zesco to import expensive power from mozambique based gen-set emergency power companies to end load-shedding instead of investing in power generation projects.
KKIA is next. Where will broke PF00lish govt get $360-million?
We should just sell HH. He has outlived his usefulness.
I believe Africa confidential more. Please provide a document that will legally stop anyone including the president from selling any strategic and national assets with severe consequences as losing their title automatically and jail sentence if they sell national and strategic assets. Let it be published to the public and signed by the chief justice then we will believe you otherwise PF and Lungu cannot be trusted.
Ba Chama, has Africa Confidential provided any signed document showing that the Zambian government has sold ZESCO to the Chinese, NO! Africa Confidential is a western entity and will always try to discredit the Chinese when in fact the western world has done more damage to Africa. A good example is how the Congolese were brutalized by the Belgians and used to economically empower Belgium.
Habeenzu Simple English
The respected Africa Confidential has revealed that talks are underway for a Chinese company to takeover power utility ZESCO.
And Africa Confidential has warned that Zambia risks losing its sovereignty to China as that country will seize national assets once government defaults on loans.
In a report titled ‘Bonds, bills and ever bigger debts’ published on September 3, Africa Confidential observed that ZNBC was already being run by the Chinese and disclosed that Zesco was also already in talks about a takeover by a Chinese company.
Why are you referring to signed document showing that the Zambian government has sold ZESCO to the Chinese?
@2.1, you are smarter than most chaps who yap on this site.
Nothing that comes out of Jonathan, & his Corrupt cabal is ever true.
A year from now the truth will emerge, & it will be so ugly, as Jona & his P.F Kaponyas would have shared the cash from selling Zesco.
Anyone remember Jona fraudulently signing a bogus deal so he could milk Zesco for Campaign funds??
This reminds me of ZNBC, NRDC, Toll gates and Jacaranda School, but anyways what do i know? Where is JK
The debt we are getting from China is a trap and not aid for development is what Africa confidential is saying and they are right in every way. Lungu is only concerned about been re-elected rather than the consequences of allowing the country to default on these debts and lose national and strategic assets. Can governement provide proof that no national assets have been used as security? Bottom line is this government has never been honest and cannot be trusted. We need someone like Levy or KK as president during these times to make the right decisions in national interest. We have to start doing things our own and not depending on China or become a Chinese province.
You are right! You are not selling because you no longer have the Sovereignty over ZESCO! Can someone explain why the big companies have been made to pay ZESCO moneys into Bank of China! We are not $tup!d !di0ts to be taken for a ride by a Government of thieve$, for thieve$ and by thieve$ which is too economical with the truth! Our National Assets have been Auctioned to the Lenders due to reckless borrowing!
Its standard for these tins the refuse later you hear they have sold…ZNBC, NRDC…this minister is too junior anyway so long as drunkard Maggie is in China anything goes.
It starts with a denial and then deafening silence as soon as things start coming into effect. How is it that politicians cannot figure out that we are in the 21st Century where 18th Century political maneuvers do not count any more?!?? Come-on!!!!!
His answer sounds like political rhetoric to me.Instead of a verment denial,he goes into decisions by cabinet.One year from now we’ll have no Zesco.We’re not kids.
We as a people must know by now that to have something get going, it needs serious planning and hard work. It’s high time each individual in Zambia took life personally serious(economically)… How long are we going to lie to our shameless selves.
We are lazy but we still want good things to come our way.
God did not design life like that . Selling Zesco or not,or anyother company or keeping it won’t change anything. What will change something is having a business mind set in our decision making. The Profitability of our Decisions.
Why do the blogging Zambians totally miss that? If they worked hard and paid economic tariffs to ZESCO (of course with the joinders on poverty thresholds, community lighting and irrigation) such speculation would be a thing of the past. Instead, not paying, under-paying and demand for free things rule the minds.
When Kaunda kept foreigners away from this country, it collapsed. Seems some want to go back to that era of no collaboration with foreigners. What do they say about pride and poverty? ZESCO needs huge boosts of multi-billions otherwise less than 10 per cent of households in Zambia will ever have electricity forever.
No sir. You can’t speak for everyone that they lazy too. Speak for yourself. You everyone knows is that Zambia lacks energetic and prudent leadership ready to move and uplift society. Zambia lacks leadership like HH. HH turned whatever or wherever he got the money from into a respected investment. Zero Zambian can boast of doing that. Mmembe the Lungu nemesis also turned a small political paper into a giant powerful business until Lungu like Putin killed it for his benefit. That’s how lazy leaders operate. He, Lungu, is the person that is lazy and lacks leadership to steer the ship to nolmacy. He makes every Zambian to look lazy. It’s him.
At the Chinese summit , when Xi announced the availability of $60 billion for Africa…..a shout of
” shaingilla again ”
Was heard from lungus delegation…..
We all know that people like Nkhuwa have no say in decision making. There is no such thing as CABINET at the moment. Decisions are made by people like Findlay etc…….. Ba Nkhuwa you may be just in the dark as any common Zambian.
LT its high time you became more active in weeding out trolls from your site…you know them but you continue to tolerate them!!
This is not your Zambian watch dog which is sponsored by HH and UPND sympathisers who are abroad..Here every voice is heard…okay?
Fwanya – if the topic is about your silly HH then discuss him and his party of busy bodies.
Fwanya is the du.ll upnd cader troll….
I have respect for Jay Jay though I have never agreed on a number of his positings BUT I will not ask LT to get rid of him. So @Jay Jay in this liberal society every one’s view is important. The best will be for you to start your own blog so that you can have likemind views.
BUT IT COULD ALSO BE PRUDENT TO DISCUSS HOW TO MAKE OUR COMPANIES VIABLE. MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST SALE ZESCO TO CHINESE OR WHOSOEVER HAS MONEY AND CAPACITY. THE WAY HH SOLD THE MINES.
Shame on UPND propaganda media to them any trash and crap from western media is gospel truth because of group think mentality indoctrinated into them by a sadist and privatisation looter whose hidden the loot in the paradise papers.
UPND cader , Zambian citizen….?
Fwanya Fwanya the issue here is ZESCO, stop your silly ways of deviating attention.
People like Lazy Jay Gay and Spaka cannot think outside their tr.ibal box. I would not be surprised if they think ZESCO is another tri.be in Zambia….kikikikikiki…twapenga!!
ZNBC, ZANACO, NRDC, jacarandah primary, RATSA, ……?? What have you got left to sell ??
ZNBC, ZANACO, NRDC, jacarandah primary, RATSA, ……?? What have you got left to sell ??
Tribal politics. They think clan first then the issue H-at Hand.
WE know which people are spreading fake news and the Africa confiential are showing gullibility by buying fake news. What a sad state of affair.
@Spaka Zanaco has been voted the best bank blah blah. Also Zanaco which was highly abused when it was 100% is a no go area. I might not support sell of everything but Zanaco is a success story! Your NRDC is a sorry sight.
Amagenge
NRDC is a sorry sight because of your useless theiving PF ……you are in 17 billion debt and you fail to maintain critical institutions
This is how hopeless no plan theives think….they fail to maintain critical institutions so the solution is to sell…..all PF are looking to do is borrow and steal…..and sell institutions they fail to maintain…
I think it is true coz you guys in GRZ have been selling things just for a song. Zanaco is gone, ZNBC is gone, NRDC is gone etc, so ZESCO also in my view it is gone and gone.
Think outside the box. The more we contract these worthless debts, the more we are selling our core assets. After all that’s the only collateral we can offer.
WHAT ABOUT ZNBC DID YOU OR NOT SELL IT , THEN WHATS THE TV LEVY ALL ABOUT PLEASE TELL US THE TRUTH PEOPLE MUST BE INFORMED ABOUT SUCH BIG ASERTS LET US KNOW
Watch out for the Chinese, they are on a mission to take over the world and with poor countries like Zambia where it is easy to corrupt the leaders it is an easy task for them.
Case in point, the Chinese built Sri Lanka port at a colossal amount of US$ 1 billion. After struggling to pay back the debt to Chinese, Sri Lanka formally handed over the strategic port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease last week last year. Real story Google it and the story is all over the Internet. This type of shoddy deals is happening everywhere around the world.
Western countries like Australia are pushing back on Chinese hegemony, banning foreign political donations and banning Chinese State businesses from strategic investments like being involved in designing the country’s 5G wireless…
continued…infrastructure.
Watch out Zambians, be very wary of a China man… he is worse than the colonialists.
Bane there is urgent need for PEOPLE POWER, the crop of leaders and their parties are becoming irrelevant to the general course. PEOPLE POWER could be the best rout to engage the public in the day-to-day issues of governance. There is need to galvanize vigilance in ensuring the business of state is conducted properly and that policies are made in the best interests of the country. Otherwise consider these as missed opportunities.
Be consistent with your policies please. Where do those who say you want to sale get their information?
lies, lies,lies ba pfoooooools.even the sell of ZNBC you told us the same ba f.i.k.a.l.a imwe ala
UPNDfuls?
On a second thought, the minister is just being honest. Don’t blame him, please. Another understand of his statement could be that yes there is an intention to sell but cabinet has not yet l decided
Correct…..
African Confidential did not report that there has been a sale but that there are talks going on with regard to the sale.
Ifi ma lyashi fyamu ma tavern ya chibuku yaku dundumwezi. Just enjoying my Heineken and watching Euro football….
Surely there should be a price to pay for the government officials being instructed to peddle lies,if what i read here is true and it later turns out that this minister was lying how do we let such characters scot free?There should be a price to pay,it is probably there in our statutes….
It’s really duna reverse ,why is pf government doing things without consulting the general public,zambia is a country it is not a farm, why selling zesco? If you have failed to govern this country the better you allow people who have capacity and knowledge of governance than messing up things
It’s time to remove Lungu. He will sell everything apart from his wife and children. The country not twining with cities or provinces in China. They are being given those provinces for ownership due to debt. Twining of cities with other cities is between the cities. Please guys, stop Lungu from this insanity. China is serious taking ZESCO. ZNBC and NRDC are gone. Initially PF said the same thing. What happened? Gone are those institutions. China grabbed a port in Sri Lanka. Are that gullible and slow in thinking?
That’s the official government stance. Not the fabricated story in Africa confidential most likely sponsored by HH and team. Webknow HH has connection and influence in high places and that’s why they can right total crap just to keep pressure on PF. Zambians however a4 not easily convinced or moved by such nonsense.
The voice of reason, continue listening to these thieves who are busy enriching themselves why u and fellow citizens continue to suffer. The Chinese are very smart and there is no way lungu who failed miserably in business can compete with them. African confidential talks about fine print the core of the deals which our African leaders don’t read you default China takes over simple. Read to inform yourself bro instead of listening to selfish leaders
Has ZNBC been sold or not? Why is this man saying it hasn’t?