By SYLVESTER MWALE –
ZESCO’S listing on the Bribe Payers Index in 2012 as one of the public institutions receiving bribes frequently might have raised eyebrows among its staff but the revelations is proving to be the real reflection of the people’s perception.
“I was not surprised when I heard that they (Zesco) are one of the corrupt public institutions and I will not be shocked to find them on top next time the new list is released,” said Gabriel Thole, one of the residents in Lusaka.
Mr Thole says the power utility company has created an environment where people are forced to bribe the field workers in order to get the services.
Zesco boasts of taking one of the quickest responses to its electricity faults in people’s homes, but a survey by the Sunday Times during the week revealed that field workers take longer than 24 hours given at the call centre.
The company says it endeavours to save “you our customers by attending to your reported faults in the quickest possible way, hence easy accesses to customer service centres located all over the country”.
But the situation appears to be getting out of hand for many clients who feel that Zesco is slowly but surely deserting from its commitment of responding to faults on time.
Marvin Chirwa, another customer of Kanyama Township noted that the delay by Zesco to respond to calls was promoting corruption.
“There are many Zesco guys going round the township and once you ask them to rectify the fault at your house they will tell you that you are not on their list and ask you to pay K150,” he said.
Apparently Zesco appears to have been on the spotlight for failing to address or respond to clients’ reports about electricity faults timely as well as effectively.
That has heightened accusations of corruption with some people suggesting that the delay is a deliberate plot by field workers to place people into panic mode so that they can be forced to pay a bribe or what has come to be known as a token of appreciation.
It can therefore be said that its appearance on TIZ’s Bribe Payers Index is a reflection of the deep rooted poor working culture by some field workers at the institution.
The situation is worse in densely populated areas where Zesco clients are sometimes forced to wait for more than one week after reporting the fault before Zesco’s field workers can show up.
Additionally, the Zesco’s gloomy image is worsened by the strong perception that Zesco employees enjoy better working conditions than an average public worker in Zambia.
“I am disappointed with Zesco, I did not believe that they can take forever just to come and rectify the problem,” said Sylvester Kalumba, a resident in Kanyama township along Mumbwa Road.
“I reported the matter on 1st February after experiencing some low power supply and I was given a reference number with an assurance that the workers would address the problem within 24 hours. Nothing has happened up to now.”
Mr Kalumba says he met with some Zesco field workers on duty near his place and asked them to check on the problem two days after it had happened.
“But they told me that my house was not on the list, and that I should pay K100 if I wanted them to check the problem.
Victoria Labrac said she was forced to escalate the problem after Zesco officials failed to show up despite assurance that they were on their way to rectify the fault after a blackout during Christmas.
“We had the same problem over Christmas when there were sparks coming from the main lines over our house in the heavy rain,” she said.
“We reported, and reported and reported until we had to escalate it. It took I think about nine days. This is why there are so many fires in Zambia, sometimes it is Zesco’s negligence.”
There is no doubt that the company has been overwhelmed by the ever increasing demand for power connection as Lusaka construction remains the order of the day.
But the problem in other parts of the country is hardly different.
Alice Shawa, a teacher in Chipata said her food in the fridge went to waste after Zesco failed to respond on time to the power outage at her home.
“It’s not funny at all. I faced a similar problem (power outage) a few months ago where the relish budgeted for the whole month went bad in the freezer,” she said.
“After reporting the problem, they kept giving me their fault number until I shouted at the national office and told them that I was going to make Muvi television picture of the day.”
She said unless something was done quickly, it would be difficult for people to retain the confidence and trust in the power utility firm.
Another resident, Alice Mwiinga, said she has been forced to wait for five days before the fault was sorted out.
“I reported the problem three days ago and the customer assistant I talked to said officers will be at my home within two hours, but it is now three days,” she said.
Alice Mwiinga, another client, who claimed to have waited for more than five days before field workers went to rectify the fault.
“I know that they have many customers but it is important to tell the truth instead of committing themselves to two hours when they know they cannot manage to do that.”
Zesco spokesperson, Henry Kapata, said the power utility firm has always responded with speed to reports of faults although traffic congestion and other factors have delayed the process sometimes.
“We realise that there might have be some delays but that is not our plan, we have always tried to respond as soon as we receive a complaint,” said Mr Kapata, who could not give a time frame in which the company should respond to faults.
“The issue of corruption should not arise because it takes two to tangle, and if a client offers the bribe then the ACC will start the prosecution with him.”
Mr Kapata said field workers are also advised to attend to any fault that are reported while they are in the field rather than waiting to be included on the official list.
It has been said on many occasions that corruption is more than just a bribe and fighting it will always require that someone appreciates its variations, forms, causes and consequences.
The Government has made fighting corruption as one of top priorities on the basis that it is a big hindrance to the economic development and poverty reduction.
However, it will be hard for Zesco to maintain its reputation if field workers take five days to respond to a fault in a house.
It must be stated that bureaucratic traditions remain one of the breeding grounds of corruption.
Therefore, as long as Zesco fails torespond to client’s reports within the stipulated 24 hours that are given at call centre, it will be difficult for the company to remove the corruption tag that is being smeared by its own clients and TIZ.
It is irrational for Zesco to assure clients that their problem would be sorted out within 24 hours after reporting the fault but only to take more than a week to rectify the problem.