Ministry of Energy Permanent Secretary, Peter Mumba, has commended ZESCO for its prompt response in restoring power following last night’s national wide power outage, especially since some people were trapped underground in mines.
He stated that two mines, Chambeshi and Mopani, had workers trapped but they were all safely rescued once power was restored.
Speaking at a joint media briefing in Lusaka today on the national power system update, Mr. Mumba commended ZESCO for acting quickly to resolve the situation, as the unexpected outage had disrupted numerous businesses and operations.
He also thanked the public for their patience during the power interruption and reassured them of government’s commitment to restoring power and preventing further inconveniences.
Mr. Mumba clarified that the outage was not limited to Zambia but also affected Zimbabwe, due to the interconnected power systems of the two countries.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Thabo Kawana, confirmed that no fatalities or serious incidents occurred during the outage and reassured the public of government’s dedication to ensuring a reliable power supply.
Mr. Kawana added that technical teams are investigating the cause of the outage and are working on measures to prevent similar events in the future.
And ZESCO’s Acting Managing Director, Justine Loongo, explained that the power disruption on November 24, 2024, at 20:15 hours, caused a nationwide loss of electricity.
Mr. Loongo stated that once the power systems in both Zambia and Zimbabwe are fully restored, the two countries will engage in discussions to ensure the interconnection is re-established.
He also emphasized that ZESCO is open to exploring all forms of energy, including solar, to increase energy generation and improve electricity supply.
By Margaret Mwanza
