Load Shedding to reduce?

Vincent Mwale and Amos Chanda

Government has announced that power utility company, ZESCO Limited will tomorrow commence the importation of 148 Mega watts of power from Mozambique as a mitigation measure of the current load shedding in the country.

Addressing journalists in Lusaka today after the 18th Cabinet meeting at State House, Acting Chief Government Spokesperson Vincent Mwale says the power will be imported from a Ship docked at Beira port in Mozambique belonging to a Scottish company called Aggrekkor Company.

Mr. Mwale says there is no doubt that once the program power importation starts tomorrow; the current hours of load shedding will be reduced

Mr. Mwale adds that Energy Minister Christopher Yaluma has also briefed Cabinet on the progress being made on the ongoing rehabilitation works on the critical sections of the Kariba Dam to enhance its integrity and extend its lifespan.

Mr. Mwale says Cabinet took note of the good progress that the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) and the two power utilities for Zambia and Zimbabwe were making in this regard.

Other items considered by Cabinet are the 51^st Independence celebrations under the theme “Laying a Foundation for a Smart Zambia, finding forgiveness, repentance, compassion and love in God”.

Cabinet also considered the construction of prisons across the country through Public Private Partnership (PPP, the approval of the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Bill of 2015, declaration of National Health Week to be held in October starting this year and the construction and purchase of properties for Zambian Missions abroad through mortgage financing.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda has disclosed that the Minister of Labour Fackson Shamenda and his Mines counterpart Christopher Yaluma will meet all mining companies on the Copperbelt to discuss the current challenges the mining industry may be facing.

Mr. Chanda has also dismissed reasons reported in Post Newspaper for the laying off of workers at Baluba Mine.

He says the mine has told government that load shedding is just 10 percent of the challenges they are encountering in their operations.

He says the low copper prices on the international market is the major reason the mine company has placed its Baluba mine on care and maintenance and that workers have gone on leave.