As the lights go out everyday leaving Zambia across all corners of the country in total darkness amid on empty stomachs, President Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND administration find themselves in the midst of a full-blown failed-to-resolve electricity crisis. Countrywide blackouts have become a common occurrence, with businesses shuttered, industries grinding to a halt, and citizens left to navigate the darkness.
The implications of these power blackouts are far-reaching, threatening not only the economy but also the very foundations of Hichilema’s government. The root causes of Zambia’s electricity woes are man-made; government-made; and organised chaos driven by politicians. We say this because, time and again, politicians have never prioritised the energy sector.
They have pathetically failed to revive this very important backbone of the country’s development – the energy sector. From underinvestment to a lack of diversification in the country’s energy mix, the problems are well-documented. However, it is the government’s response – or lack thereof – that raises serious concerns about Hichilema’s leadership.
Critics argue that the President’s insistence on exports has only served to exacerbate the problem. He is more focussed on prioritising short-term gains over long-term solutions – to the extent that Hichilema feels okay to export electricity to neighbouring countries and starve to death his own people; people who woke up in the dead of night to vote for him. Hichilema’s administration has created a culture of monetising electricity to foreigners at the expense of his own people. What is most worrying is that he is completely out-of-touch with Zambians’ who suffering. The consequences of this approach are dire. As the economy stagnates and businesses struggle to survive, the risk of social unrest grows. A population already reeling from the effects of high cost of living, unemployment, and corruption may soon tire. If Hichilema fails to address the electricity crisis, he risks jeopardizing the stability of his administration and the future of Zambia as a whole. When citizens are quiet, never take them for granted! They are waiting for the right time to express their anger. And Hakainde is very much aware about how Zambians express their anger. They don’t revolt physically, but they use their brains at the ballot. That’s the nature of Zambians. Hichilema must ask PF in case he has forgotten. When Zambians were angry with the PF administration, they didn’t go into the streets because that’s not in the DNA. Their DNA is sober, they wait for the right time in order to remove the dirty they themselves put in government. That’s what they did in 2021. It seems clear that the 2021 act of wisdom is nearing; it is at hand! Zambians will remove the filthy they thought would be better their standards of living than what they had under PF. Today, they are quiet, not because they are fools or they don’t think, but because they are wise enough to correct the mistake they made.
There’s no way Zambians can be subjected to excruciating darkness and hunger as if there was no government, with government officials even dismissively telling them to fend for their own energy needs. Zambians know that their own electricity is being enjoyed by neighbouring countries, and can’t even see the benefits. Does it make sense? Maybe, only in Hichilema’s world!
We know this is not the first time we have written about this subject, and never shall it be our last time. We will continue to talk about it because it is an important issue to our people. We also know that the government has the capacity to rectify this situation? Firstly, the government must acknowledge the gravity of the crisis and take concrete steps to address it by either stopping or reducing on electricity exports to neighbouring countries and give our people a priority for this important economic product. This requires listening to the concerns of citizens, businesses, experts, the media, and working together to build a more sustainable energy future.
As Zambia continues to teeter on electricity crisis, Hichilema is standing at a crossroads. Will he continue down the path he has taken and be voted out next year, or will he take bold action to address the root causes of this crisis? The choice is his. But make no mistake: the consequences of failure will be severe next year.
By Daily Revelation Editor
As the lights go out everyday leaving Zambia across all corners of the country in total darkness amid on empty stomachs, President Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND administration find themselves in the midst of a full-blown failed-to-resolve electricity crisis. Countrywide blackouts have become a common occurrence, with businesses shuttered, industries grinding to a halt, and citizens left to navigate the darkness.
The implications of these power blackouts are far-reaching, threatening not only the economy but also the very foundations of Hichilema’s government. The root causes of Zambia’s electricity woes are man-made; government-made; and organised chaos driven by politicians. We say this because, time and again, politicians have never prioritised the energy sector.
They have pathetically failed to revive this very important backbone of the country’s development – the energy sector. From underinvestment to a lack of diversification in the country’s energy mix, the problems are well-documented. However, it is the government’s response – or lack thereof – that raises serious concerns about Hichilema’s leadership.
Critics argue that the President’s insistence on exports has only served to exacerbate the problem. He is more focussed on prioritising short-term gains over long-term solutions – to the extent that Hichilema feels okay to export electricity to neighbouring countries and starve to death his own people; people who woke up in the dead of night to vote for him. Hichilema’s administration has created a culture of monetising electricity to foreigners at the expense of his own people. What is most worrying is that he is completely out-of-touch with Zambians’ who suffering. The consequences of this approach are dire. As the economy stagnates and businesses struggle to survive, the risk of social unrest grows. A population already reeling from the effects of high cost of living, unemployment, and corruption may soon tire. If Hichilema fails to address the electricity crisis, he risks jeopardizing the stability of his administration and the future of Zambia as a whole. When citizens are quiet, never take them for granted! They are waiting for the right time to express their anger. And Hakainde is very much aware about how Zambians express their anger. They don’t revolt physically, but they use their brains at the ballot. That’s the nature of Zambians. Hichilema must ask PF in case he has forgotten. When Zambians were angry with the PF administration, they didn’t go into the streets because that’s not in the DNA. Their DNA is sober, they wait for the right time in order to remove the dirty they themselves put in government. That’s what they did in 2021. It seems clear that the 2021 act of wisdom is nearing; it is at hand! Zambians will remove the filthy they thought would be better their standards of living than what they had under PF. Today, they are quiet, not because they are fools or they don’t think, but because they are wise enough to correct the mistake they made.
There’s no way Zambians can be subjected to excruciating darkness and hunger as if there was no government, with government officials even dismissively telling them to fend for their own energy needs. Zambians know that their own electricity is being enjoyed by neighbouring countries, and can’t even see the benefits. Does it make sense? Maybe, only in Hichilema’s world!
We know this is not the first time we have written about this subject, and never shall it be our last time. We will continue to talk about it because it is an important issue to our people. We also know that the government has the capacity to rectify this situation? Firstly, the government must acknowledge the gravity of the crisis and take concrete steps to address it by either stopping or reducing on electricity exports to neighbouring countries and give our people a priority for this important economic product. This requires listening to the concerns of citizens, businesses, experts, the media, and working together to build a more sustainable energy future.
As Zambia continues to teeter on electricity crisis, Hichilema is standing at a crossroads. Will he continue down the path he has taken and be voted out next year, or will he take bold action to address the root causes of this crisis? The choice is his. But make no mistake: the consequences of failure will be severe next year.
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