ZESCO blames daytime power cuts on neighbouring countries.

ZESCO Board Chairperson, Vickson Ncube, has attributed Zambia’s persistent daytime power cuts to external maintenance works being conducted by neighbouring countries that supply electricity to the national grid.

Speaking in Chiawa on Monday, Ncube said the power utility has been grappling with several external factors that have resulted in reduced daytime supply and a pattern where electricity is mainly restored at night.

“In fact, let me be very honest. A bulk of our power comes from outside the country. And there are a lot of factors outside our control,” he said.

He explained that some regional power utilities conducting daytime maintenance have limited their daytime exports to Zambia but are able to release power during the night, leading to the current supply pattern.

“That’s why you find that most places started having electricity at night—because that’s when the available power is coming,” Ncube said.

He added that another external supplier is also undergoing maintenance, further constraining daytime imports.

“Sometimes they will say, ‘We can only give you power at night. Daytime, we are managing our lines,” he said.

Ncube stressed that the outages are not deliberate but are the result of factors beyond ZESCO’s control.

However, he acknowledged the utility’s shortcomings in keeping the public informed.

“As ZESCO, we must improve our communication. We are aware of these things days before they happen because we are informed.

“We should communicate to the nation honestly and accurately so that people are prepared. The idea of trying to appear good when you are not good is not good,” he said.

He emphasised that Zambians deserve timely and transparent updates, especially when disruptions are anticipated.

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