3,781 ILLEGAL POWER CONNECTIONS DECLARED AS ZESCO ENDS 90 DAY AMNESTY

On 30 June 2023 ZESCO Limited ended the 90-day amnesty on illegal power connections and extensions during which period the public was encouraged to normalise electricity connections.

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The amnesty which took effect on 1 April 2023 was motivated by the escalating number of illegal power connections and extensions that posed a safety risk to the community due to the unsafe way in which some of the connections are carried out.

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At the end of the amnesty period, a total of 3,781 members of the public had come forward to normalise their power supply connections.

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ZESCO Head – Security Services, Hamulondo Kapika says the response from the public has been positive and encouraging.

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“Initially they were skeptical and slow to report cases but with time the numbers increased because they realised that ZESCO wanted to serve them better. We listened when they asked for an extension in the amnesty from the initial 30 to 90 days. This allowed us to accommodate more applications from the members of the public who are now able to vend normally,” he said.

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The Security Head, however, noted that despite receiving positive response from the public, the vice remains rampant across the country.

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“Illegal connections are rampant across the country, but worse in densely populated townships in major cities. There are still a lot of people entertaining illegal connections and meter bypasses. We still appeal to them to come forward and report themselves to ZESCO so that we can clean up the system and serve them better.”

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And ZESCO has appealed to members of the public to desist from engaging in fraudulent acts which are costing the corporation substantial amounts of money in revenue losses.

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“Illegal connections compromise the quality of service to our customers. They also carry serious risks that endanger the lives of our customers. ZESCO is also losing a lot of money every year due to theft of electricity through illegal connections. Therefore, we are appealing to them to stop these acts and avoid prosecution,” Kapika added.