Mukupa Writes

  By Linda Mupemo President Hakainde Hichilema delivers a keynote speech during the commissioning of the Chisamba solar power plant - Picture courtesy of his Facebook page Republican President Hakainde Hichilema says the Zambia-China Cooperation has played a vital role in revolutionising the energy sector in the country.    Mr. Hichilema noted that the partnership spanning 60 years was instrumental in implementing the 100-megawatt Chisamba solar power project in Chisamba district in Central Province.   ZANIS reports that the Head of State said this during the commissioning of the US$ 100 million solar energy project which has been implemented by Zambia’s Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corporation in collaboration with the People’s Republic of China’s PowerChina. Ariel view of the Chisamba solar power plant Mr. Hichilema thanked PowerChina for its contribution to constructing Zambia’s largest solar photovoltaic plant, adding that the Chisamba solar powe...

Disability grant gives Chikokomo a livelihood By Linda Mupemo Mackenzie Chikokomo sells vegetables to Chisamba District Social Welfare Logistics Officer Benard Tembo (center) and Social Welfare intern Linda Namala                                        Walking steadily with the help of  a crutch, Mackenzie Chikokomo weeds his vegetable garden on the shores of Mwomboshi river.  Although he needs mobility aids to support the right part of his body, he is undeterred in his farming endeavours.    Mr. Chikokomo, a small-scale farmer in Chisamba district in Central Province, is living with a disability which resulted from a crocodile attack when he was nine years old.    He secured a piece of land near the river to enable him grow crops all year round.    The 46-year-old, who is a father of two,  grows Chinese, kale and maize for sale as well as for ...

 By Linda Mupemo  Cecilia Kaira (left) and Jane Nakamba at school  Chipo Siandindi confidently walks to the examination room clad in a school uniform and school shoes with her natural hair tucked into neat cornrows.  She beams with excitement as she nears the end of her secondary school education journey while at the same time smells the beginning of her tertiary one. “I am happy I am finally completing my grade 12. I want to be a teacher in the near future,” she tells this Reporter.   Chipo Siandindi Chipo,  a Chisamba Secondary School Grade 12 Pupil, reveals that her parents divorced when she was six years old resulting in her growing up with her mother and maternal grandmother. “My mother does not have a source of income; we survive on my grandmother’s Social Cash Transfer funds (SCT),” she says.  Chipo says she has been benefiting from the Keeping Girls in School programme since she was in grade 9 in 2021, a programme that has been enabling her mee...

By Linda Mupemo  Bifacial solar panels have been delivered on site  The rising population in Zambia has subsequently led to an increase in the demand for resources such as energy.  According to the 2022 National Census of Population and Housing, Zambia's population stands at 19, 693, 423 and only a proportion of 34 percent of the population has access to electricity as indicated by the Ministry of Energy.  A report by the Ministry of Energy further indicates that the country's installed power generation capacity comprises 83 percent of hydro, 9 percent of coal, 5 percent of heavy fuel and 3 percent of solar.  Suffice to say the overdependence on hydroelectricity for power generation has plunged Zambia into an energy crisis owing to reduced water levels occasioned by an El Niño induced drought the country experienced in the 2023/2024 rainy season.  In a statement recently released to the media, Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) Limited Spokespers...

By Linda Mupemo  Yvonne Haching’anyu shows off her money Yvonne Haching’anyu  smiles widely as she recounts the sixteen K 50 notes she has just been handed by the Pay Point Manager (PPM) at Liteta Primary School.  Ms. Haching’anyu is one of the 7,970 vulnerable residents of Chisamba District in Central Province who were identified to benefit from the Drought Response - Emergency Cash Transfer (DR - ECT).  The 36 - year - old mother of three children qualified to be on the programme by virtue of her being an expectant mother.  Ms. Haching’anyu who sells vegetables and does odd jobs in the community to supplement her husband’s income says her business has been negatively affected by the drought that was experienced in the area during the 2023/2024 farming season.  “Most of my suppliers had crop failure due to poor rainfall. Others are now watering their vegetables using water from wells. However, the ground water level has gone low hence they have hiked the p...