I told you so about diesel generators

Dear judge Mbadwa,

When I refused to be intoxicated with excitement over the commissioning of the diesel generators, with its false promise of adding 55 megawatts to the national grid, I was labelled unpatriotic, especially from the blue-half of the political spectrum.

Now that the fuel guzzlers are scarcely humming and the duration of being in darkness is reaching 12 hours or more; where are those who waxed lyrical of the reduced hours of load-shedding estimated to have been eased by some four hours?

Mapuya and his colleagues at Electricity Corporation of Nyasaland (Escon) sold us a dummy on the gensets and the purported rationale behind increasing tariffs, and they know it.

The silent gensets at Chichiri mockingly look at us as some tombstones, laughing at all who praised their installation as the short-term solution to the electricity generation crisis. What short-term solution?

If the increased blackouts are anything to go by, it was generally not the electricity crisis that these gensets were solving.

Unfortunately, the vocal supporters of the project have gone into hiding and no one is ready to issue an apology to the masses.

My Lord, the whole energy regulatory authority went into overdrive, justifying the tariff increase on the basis of the gensets and now that this project has failed, when are we going to get the refunds?

My Lord, we don’t need to involve the venerated Competitions and Fair Trading Commission of Nyasaland to press for refunds.

In my opinion, My Lord, the whole thing was daylight robbery and we cannot take it lying down any longer.

As I argued then, the whole genset arrangement was from the onset bizarre for a country that claims to be progressive and whose leadership likes to parade itself as if it is the best there is.

By this letter, therefore, My Lord I want to ask your court’s indulgence in ensuring that we, citizens, are refunded what has been stolen from us in terms of tariffs.

I don’t want to listen to claims that the power utility company is stockpiling its arsenal to ensure that it provides power all-day during campaign in 2019 because that would be utter nonsense, and to say the least, kindergarten thinking.

My Lord, if people cannot live by their promises then they don’t deserve our sympathy and it is on this basis that I call for the dissolution of the boards of the power utility company and that of the energy regulating authority.

My Lord, it is not a crime to state once again that this country needs visionary leaders who don’t only think short term and elections even in times of crises.

I continue to say no to Zigayo za Dizilozi and I want my money back.

Regards,

Genset Phiri.