By 
Golden Party of Zambia (GPZ) leader, Jackson Silavwe, has accused the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) administration of underestimating the social and economic cost of load-shedding on poor Zambians.
Silavwe said prolonged power outages have pushed many citizens beyond the affordability bracket for basic commodities such as mealie meal, cooking oil, and relish.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, he said load-shedding has eroded incomes for the majority of poor Zambians in both rural and urban areas.
“With the Government’s removal of money out of circulation, currency is not flowing, especially in the informal sector,” Silavwe said.
He added that many small, local businesses have been forced to close due to load-shedding.
“A female UNZA student ended up sleeping in lecture theatres because her elder brother, who was paying for her boarding house, lost his job due to load-shedding. It is the story of many Zambians,” he claimed.
Silavwe alleged that the situation has worsened household poverty, claiming that most Zambians live hand-to/mouth and can no longer sustain a living under frequent power cuts.
He further said load-shedding had made it difficult for families to store food or sustain small-scale businesses dependent on electricity.
“A deep freezer is popular in our communities for storage and small seasonal businesses like ice blocks, freezits or macscool. Load-shedding has obliterated this reality,” he stated.
According to Silavwe, the worsening situation has triggered mental stress, household conflict, and a sense of despair in communities, while incidents of violence and crime have reportedly increased.
“‘Breadwinners’ cannot send money back home, especially those in the informal sector. Our society still believes in ‘mayo papa naine nkaku papa’. This is impossible with low income levels,” he said.
Silavwe said load-shedding had become a harsh daily reality and a “brutal reminder” of the economic hardships Zambians face.
He urged the government to adopt a more ambitious energy strategy, beyond the current small-scale solar projects.
“If our national power deficit is in excess of 1,500MW, Government must be targeting 3,000MW, not doing 100MW projects, which should instead be reserved for local Zambian power producers,” Silavwe suggested.
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