Hichilemaa Unveils Copperbelt Package To Reduce ZESCO Fees

President Hakainde Hichilema has unveiled a sweeping package of economic interventions for the Copperbelt, promising to personally settle electricity connection fees for sixteen thousand households in Chambishi, revive mothballed mining operations and lower timber costs, as he pressed his case to voters in the province eight days before the general election.

Addressing campaign rallies in Mufulira, Lufwanyama, Kalulushi and Chambishi, the Head of State said his administration remained committed to accelerating economic recovery through investment in mining, energy, infrastructure and employment creation. He framed the announcements as a continuation of work already under way rather than new campaign promises manufactured for the occasion.

Moreover, President Hichilemaa emphasized the importance of transparency in all government dealings.

In Chambishi, the President said he would meet the cost of connecting sixteen thousand households to the national grid out of his own pocket, rather than allowing the bill to fall on ZESCO. “I will talk to Zesco to connect 16,000 households in Kabaso area. I will deal with the connection charge also,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to reopening Chambishi Metals.

He directed local leaders to compile the names of eligible beneficiaries, stressing that only households on the approved list would qualify. “It means me, in my own personal business account, I will pay for these connections so that Zesco doesn’t go bankrupt. I want the names of these 16,000 beneficiaries and the cost of connection. I will take care of that,” the President said.

The commitment came alongside a disclosure that government had advanced discussions with potential investors interested in reopening Chambishi Metals, a move the President described as a major step toward restoring mining activity and creating jobs in the area. “I am working on the reopening of Chambishi Metals so that you can get jobs here,” he told residents.

Mining featured heavily throughout the Copperbelt tour. In Mufulira, the President pledged to engage mine owners directly on safety standards for small-scale miners and to facilitate the allocation of a mine dumpsite to young people seeking economic opportunities. “Bally is a responsible parent, so I want you to work safely and this is why I will engage the owners of the dumpsites,” he said.

He also disclosed that he had directed Mopani Copper Mines and pension fund managers to resolve outstanding pension issues affecting former mine workers, warning that he would personally intervene if no agreement was reached between the parties. The President further reaffirmed a commitment to reopening Chibuluma Mine’s Shafts Two and Seven, describing the move as an opportunity to create jobs similar to the revival of Shaft 28 in Luanshya.

“We are committed to revamping Shafts Two and Seven to create jobs for the youth and strengthen the economy,” he said. In Kalulushi, the President turned his attention to the timber industry, directing the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation to review prices charged to local sawmillers, which he said had become prohibitively expensive.

“I have heard the concerns of sawmillers over the high cost of timber from ZAFFICO. I have engaged the corporation to ensure prices are within acceptable levels,” he said. The President also announced plans to formalise small-scale mining across the province by providing miners with legal and safe access to designated mining areas, a move intended to reduce the informal and often dangerous conditions under which many currently operate.

“We want legal mining. We want safe mining. There is no parent who sends his children to die every day in the pits,” he said, signalling a shift toward regulated artisanal mining zones rather than continued reliance on unregulated digging.

Beyond mining, the President announced that all volunteer nurses, doctors and teachers currently serving in Chambishi would be formally recruited into the public service, addressing a long-standing grievance among health and education workers who have provided services without full government employment status.

Additional pledges included facilitating construction of a modern bus station in Chambishi, expanding solar energy projects, improving radiology services at Chambishi Mine Hospital, and engaging stakeholders to resolve outstanding pension payments owed to former mine workers. The President urged residents to uphold peace and reject political violence, arguing that Zambia’s development agenda could only be sustained in a peaceful environment.

Beyond the Copperbelt-specific pledges, the President used the tour to defend broader elements of his economic record, including the government’s accumulation of foreign reserves, which he said had helped stabilise the Kwacha, support debt servicing and strengthen the country’s resilience to external shocks. He urged voters to reject what he described as a return to Patriotic Front-era governance, framing the Tonse Alliance as comprising leaders from the former administration.

The announcements landed in a province that has historically been a bellwether in Zambian politics, and where mining-sector fortunes are closely tied to household livelihoods. Whether the pledges translate into the promised connections and reopened shafts will likely become one of the more closely watched post-election accountability measures on the Copperbelt in the months ahead.

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