By Jane Chanda
Chilenje Market Internet Cafe owner, Himan Chiinda, says he is a MultiChoice agent, and people are deciding not to pay for the services when they want to pay but there is no power.
In an interview with Daily Revelation yesterday, Chiinda said things have not been easy since the load shedding schedule hit the country, saying his knocking off time from the market is determined by the time power cuts at the market.
“The time power cuts determines what time I go home. I just realize there’s nothing I’m doing and I leave. Today is surprising because we have had power for a good few hours,” he said. “Things haven’t been easy. When I opened this place, people used to come in numbers, but what’s affecting them is just power outages. As a DSTV agent, people want to pay, but there’s no power, so they change their minds.”
Hellen Chama, a salon owner, who has been in the market for over 10 years said she has never seen anything like what the country was experiencing.
“I have been making so many losses here at the shop because of outages, which is greatly affecting my home,” she said
According to Chama, her salon operations have been severely impacted by the power outages.
“I’ve had to cancel appointments and turn away customers because I couldn’t power my equipment. It’s frustrating because I know I’m losing business and reputation,” Chama said. “I’m relieved that Zesco has installed the genset, but I still have concerns about the fuel costs and maintenance. I hope they will consider the long-term implications and find a sustainable solution for us traders.”
Trywell Roberts, owner of Trywell’s Barbershop, shares similar concerns.
“Business has been terrible. I’m not sure how we’ll contribute to fuel costs or if Zesco will cover it. The generator is a great move, but we’re still uncertain,” he said.
“As a barber, I rely heavily on electricity to power my shaving machines, clippers and other equipment. Without power, I’m unable to operate, and that means lost income for me and my employees,” Roberts added. “I’m hopeful that this genset will provide a reliable solution, but I also worry about the long-term costs and sustainability.”
Meanwhile, according to Phoenix news, Zesco Chairperson Matongo Maumbi said the management and running of the generators was Zesco’s full responsibility.
“We will provide diesel for the generator and traders will continue buying electricity from Zesco as they normally do,” he said. “The traders will not be required to contribute to the fuel costs. We want to assure them that we will take care of that.”
According to Maumbi, Zesco understood the struggles of the traders and was committed to providing a reliable power supply, further adding that the solution was temporary until the main power grid could be upgraded.
“Our goal is to support the growth of small businesses in the market and we believe this initiative will go a long way in achieving that,” said Maumbi.
