The failure by President Hakainde Hichilema and his family to move to State House will cost ZESCO over K1 million as the financially crippled power unity now has to build a new dedicated power unit to feed Community House with uninterrupted power supply.
An assessment by experts from the security and defence wings recommended that Community House be fed from an independent and dedicated power line to avoid supply disconnections that have occurred in the New Kasama area in the recent past.
The experts stated that President Hichilema and his family cannot be exposed to power cuts as it raises the chances of security breaches.
ZESCO has now been tasked to construct a new dedicated feeder line from the nearest Sub Station in the Lusaka MFEZ to suspend it Community House to guarantee 24/7 supply.
A team of senior Engineers constituted for this assignment recently travelled to ZESCO Israel to shop for materials required to undertake the project.
“The instruction is that Community House be fed separately to avoid the First Family going without power, unfortunately, power cuts are inevitable due to several factors and Community House has suffered a few of such in recent past prompting this action to be fed independently but this is coming at a huge cost,” a source from ZESCO Head office revealed.
He added, “We have a number of Sub Stations servicing Lusaka Division but what is going to happen is that we will build a mini station next to the residence so that we don’t subject the President and his family to the risks that happen when we tap from the main stations for mass distribution, what we are building his a single line just to service Community House like the way State House itself is serviced.”
The source said State House was built and connected to a dedicated line that also services Arakan Barracks and the University Teaching Hospital for security reasons.
“It should be appreciated that there is a reason State House sits where it does today. The City Planners considered a number of factors including the security of the First Family and ZESCO had to build infrastructure dedicated to service State House, in the history of that residence, one can count the number of times power has been cut because of that dedicated installation,” he said.
He added, “The First Family could have their reasons for staying put but the Head of State must consider that as a Corporation, we are now spending on projects that were not even budgeted for, this organisation is bleeding financially and we cannot continue spending money that is not even there.”
The source also wondered why huge amounts of money is being spent on a private property.
“As far as we know, Community House is a private property. As ZESCO, we are now spending public resources building power infrastructure to service it 24/7. What will happen when President Hichilema leaves office? Are we going to decommission the infrastructure at Community House?”
The source also disclosed that currently, there is a team of dedicated Engineers on standby at Kabwata Office 24/7 to respond to any emergencies arising from Community House.
“Before this new infrastructure is set up, we have had to keep a good number of Engineers on standby to respond to anything that might come from Community House and these people have to be paid allowances on top of their salaries, it’s a huge cost to the Corporation and should not be allowed to continue,” the source said.
This is pure madness. Why can’t ZESCO think like this for the entire country instead of an individual? Let him experience the same as his bosses, the people of Zambia. I hope HH will turn this down and enforce uninterrupted power supply as a minimum key performance indicator for the MD of the utility company. It’s time to hold people accountable. We need common sense not just qualifications.
Ba zesco ubufi. It’s a private resudebce yes and the owner will pay for this, not govt. When PF attacked him in opposition and damaged his property, they did not bother to pay for repairs to that property. Find out how much those repairs cost and you will just shut up. Stop being petty a d concentrate on delivering. People have paid for connections, some over two years without being connected
This statement will be denied by state House
Its very unfortunate for a president who is talking about improving the economy getting a transformer that is too costly for a personal House.
Ba ZESCO, your mandate is to ensure 24/7 service to all Zambians. If you can guarantee it then, you don’t need to build a separate line for Community house.
The Zambian GRZ is currently spending millions renting ECL house, fortunately, you will NOT have to do so for HH. The transformer will remain GRZ property, after HH tenure, the GRZ of the day will decide whether to switch him back to normal grid or leave it as his retirement package OR will have to charge him as a private individual thereafter. I think we have bigger issues than this.
OVER INFLATED PRICE FOR 1
STANDBY GENERATOR AND AUTOMATIC CHANGE OVER DOES NOT COST THAT
STOP POSTING NONSENSE
I don’t think we need an extra special person as president. What we need is a president who be honest to the people of ZAMBIA by delivering in an honest manner with an honest team. This thing of trying to show that you don’t need GRZ to look after your needs are not of public interest. USA presidents inspite coming from rich background have never shunned government accommodation and other services. You are employed for five years and during this time you will live like a government employee
In the mines where company transport is provided but you opt to use your own, you will not be compensated if you are involved in an accident.
Where the company gives company accommodation but you decline you not be given housing allowance except where the company fails to provide you with one.
WAS ANGELA MERKEL WHO LIVED IN HER PRIVATE FLAT AND DID THE HOUSE HOLD CHORES
GIVEN THIS MUCH ATTENTION ???
I WONDER ??
Let him use a Genset like all of us. Nobody has stopped him from shifting to the official home
This is lies………….
Pure PF lies………….
The presidents house in New kasama has a very modern standby power unit for seamless uninterrupted power supply with a very large storage of fuel………..
LT ,
Where are you getting these stories ???
So you LT just publish any rubbish you receive ???..
This is like the Bowman building in SA lies……….
LT……….
You are becoming a gossip publication.
You are now publishing any lies you get without checking………….
Does anyone remember the Captain Solo saga of 1997? What saved FTJ Chiluba was his proximity to Arakan Baracks security detail. Bally shouldn’t be let loose by the Defense Forces Heads by allowing him live at Community House. There are security implications. Please BMW heed the call.
Why can’t they use a standby genset backed by lithium batteries and an inverter? That’ll cost less. The gazetted residence of a sitting President is at Stand No. 1 Independence Avenue. Any such developments to Community House are illegal unless borne by the owner of the property. I wish to remind Bally about what LPM went through when he caused Zesco to construct a supply line from Kafulafuta to Teka Farm. This will come back to him when he leaves office because it’ll no longer be necessary for praise singing civil servants to accord him that service. Don’t be misled, security details are trained to handle any threat in all circumstances and that includes in the absence of electricity. So this isn’t a security concern but an inconvenience he has created for himself
Is this the change you angry upnd f00Is voted for? I am tired of saying we told you so. You dogs
YOU TIRED OF TELLING US ???
WE WONT TIRE SO KEEP IT UP AND LETS SEE WHO GIVE$S UP FIRST
LT IS ONLY TRYING TO PROVOKE WHICH MEANS MORE READERSHIP AND MORE BUCKS
NOTHING OF REAL VALUE
PROBABLY THE WORST JOURNALISM OF ALL ONLINE MEDIA
ZESCO is a business; as such, it need to service the Hichilemas on a business platform. The so called K1 million bill should be footed by either government or the family and profits should be generated.
One thing for sure is that the President is a very tight man where money is concerned………….
Especially when it is public money or ZESCO money…………..
There is no way the president would allow the use of public money in such a manner knowing the resulting outcry……….
, he aint that du.ll to gift the clique amunition………….
If there is any truth in this story , you can bet your last money , the bill will not be met from public funds………..
Stop the lies again ba PF. Community House already has its own private stand by Gen Set.
@SPAKA
YOU WASTING YOUR TIME TRYING TO EXPLAIN LOGIC TO THE ILLOGICAL ON THIS SITE
He is using his SALARY NOT PUBLIC MONEY FROM ZESCO. Mind you our president is not being paid anything.
Let him live in New Kasama.
Innovative off the grid backup or standby power supply solutions should be considered by defence and security wings with tech support from the power utility in this case. Let us not cause unnecessary tension in the nation.
PF cadres and sympathisers have hijacked this blog…… this is all lies.
That modern residence already has adequate and modern power back up equipment which has been used for years.Bally did not move to his house yesterday.He has managed with his stand by power very well…..
Zesco is full of PF cadres,so this nonsence is expected……. they are still smutting from their August 2021 Election loss…..
I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE PREMIX CEMENT WAS DELIVERED TO
THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DIE
PRESSURE MUST BE KEPT UP
IF IT DISSAPEARS ONLY US ARE TO BLAME
Lungu and his PF thugs stole $27bn from the Zambian people, you have easily forgotten and want to pretend it never happened. Why don’t you give HH a break and let him rule ? After five years you can pass your verdict. Less than a year, you are crying for his bloody.
PF loss mourners have forgotten late president Michael Chilufya Sata never moved into state house. Asked Alexander Chikwanda to rehabilitate state house and paint it before he moved in it. Sata lived at Omelo Mumba Rd house he bought after ousting the sitting tenant. PF cadres were mute and large funds were paid to Alex Chikwanda who he appointed as minister of Finance. HH has not moved to Nkwazi house and is donating hois salary ever since his presideny while Sata and greedy Chikwanda never ever donated a penny any where.
SOUTH AFRICA’S JACOB ZUMA AND THE NKANDLA SCANDAL
In 2016, President Jacob Zuma apologised to South Africans in an effort to end a long-running scandal over improper state spending at his private home. “The matter has caused a lot of frustration and confusion, for which I apologise,” he said in a TV address. He said he would abide by a court ruling that he repays government money spent on upgrading his rural home with a swimming pool and amphitheatre. The case was brought by the opposition, which urged him to stand down. The public protector, an anti-corruption body, ruled in 2014 that $23m (£15m) of public money had been improperly spent on Mr Zuma’s rural home in Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province, and ordered him to reimburse part of the expense. The Constitutional Court of South…
SOUTH AFRICA’S JACOB ZUMA AND THE NKANDLA SCANDAL
… Africa ruled that Mr Zuma’s failure to repay the money violated the constitution.
Muna f00l you always comparing with what other people did. The Zambian people don’t care about that..they care about their money being used prudently. You can decide not to draw a salary but go on and steal more through corrupt deals as we are seeing under hh
Which Genset is a broke Debt ridden Zambia going to build for HH’s house? You people think HH is as dull as PF kaponyas who build houses using GRZ money and Electricity, you idioots already blocked HH from Zesco many years ago. Yet his house was powered 24/7. What do you think he used all along? – amatako yenu after mwanya?
Hey Stup!d KZ, how about Edgar China Lungu paying back all those BILLIONS that he and his cronies (including you) acquired in those ten years of PF looting???
No corruption show me the evidence and take me to court, and if found guilty I would pay back. The reason am still free is because everything I own is accounted for. I even own your f00Iish wlfe
Where in our constitution is it written that ZESCO shal provide a dedicated power unit to our President wherever he wants to live or if he decides not to live in State House? Ba opposition naimwe muli ndwii while someone starts to think he is above the law? This is the stuff dictatorship is made of.
Unfortunately the Zambian constitution does not state that a new President must move into State House…Sata also was this close to not moving but he was an elderly reasonable man by the time he was voted in…Where HH7 is living in New Kasama its a secruity risk and his motorade is predictable unless the OP let him use the underground tunnels. …let Zambia Railways buy him a small train like that one that was at Show grounds back in the day to commute underground from State to New Kasama.
Dear mr president if this is true i advise you that you rescind that decision… you do not own GRZ to allow such a wasteful project to take place when fuel prices are high and zambians are wallowing in abject poverty. 1million is a hefty figure why dont you go for solar or a genset which im sure you already have at the community house..i beg you because this sounds like an insult to the majority poor zambians.
Uyu kateka alikwata ilomba and cannot move anywhere else. Alikwata ifitumwa ifikali ngasela fikamonka umulopa, hence deciding to stay at his Kasama House.
THIS IS NOT TRUE, COMMUNITY HOUSE HAS A 150KVA STANDBY GENERATOR WHICH WAS INSTALLED LONG TIME EVEN BEFORE ZESCO CONNECTED POWER TO THE HOUSE.. THAT TIME BOSSMAN WAS IN OPPOSITION AND THE POWER SUPPLY TO HIS HOUSE WAS ERATIC FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. THE STANDBY POWER AT COMMUNITY HOUSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE BECAUSE INFACT HE USED THE GENERATOR MOST TIMES DUE TO DELIBERATE LOOD SHEDDING. NOW WHEN HE BECAME PRESIDENT THE ONLY THING ZESCO DID WAS TO GIVE HIM MORE SECURE POWER SUPPLY WITH AUTOMATIC CHANGE OF WHICH IS A ZESCO IN HOUSE OPERATIONALUNDERTAKING. NO OTHER WORK IS BEING DONE BY ZESCO AS MALICIOUSLY REPORTED.
What’s the difference between fire trucks and this?