Republican President Hakainde Hichilema has urged citizens to refrain from the idea of rioting to show their displeasure against the ongoing power deficit and other challenges the country is currently facing.
A section of the youthful population has recently attempted to protest as a way of expressing its grievances over the current long hours of load shedding and ZESCO’s inability to adhere to its own power rationing schedules.
However, President Hichilema has urged citizens to remain calm as the government works round the clock to find solutions to the ongoing crisis.
“We are having sleepless nights to find solutions, and going to the streets to burn tyres is not where the solution is, but what we are doing by engaging partners,” President Hichilema said.
The President stated that citizens were free to convey their feelings and opinions but only in a peaceful rather than a destructive manner.
“Yes, one may exercise their democratic rights, but it should be done in a respectful manner,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Hichilema said government was making headway with solutions for citizens to access power through the introduction of net metering from solar solutions.
“Government is creating the right environment to enable people to set up smaller power plants to generate and earn income through selling of surplus generation,” he reiterated.
President Hichilema was speaking yesterday when he received a delegation from Chinese state-owned power firm, Power China, at State House where discussions around innovative solutions to the ongoing energy crisis were had.