HRDC on Chakwera’s neck over blackouts in Malawi

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has given President Lazarus Chakwera 30 days to solve blackouts challenges.

HRDC through its Chairperson Gift Trapence has told President Chakwera to take lead in finding long lasting solutions to the electricity problems.

Trapance said this in a statement made available to faceofmalawi
According to Trapence, the grouping demands that government go back to Parliament to revise the Act that bundled ESCOM, EGENCO and Power Market Limited – PML into one to cut costs and create a seamless entity that should be managed under one roof.

“In simple terms, what the unbundling means is that instead of paying one single CEO, managers, employees and related operating costs, the electricity consumer now has to pay for three different operating entities.

“We would have no issue with this if the unbundling improved efficiency, reduced blackouts or brought the electricity prices down. But it has done none of these.” Reads part of the statement.

The Grouping has since threatened to mobilize Malawians to hold Countrywide demonstrations on 12 October, 2022 if government does not work on the demands.