Call to cushion SADC poor against high power tariffs

The Secretary General of the organ Dr Kasuka Mutukwa told reporters in Lusaka during its recent meeting on the energy crisis gripping the region that abrupt load shedding had a serious impact on the lives of ordinary people in SADC countries.

Mutukwa said while the power shortages were affecting regional economies, it was the poor who suffered the most."Questions are being asked as to whether this is a man-made crisis or a natural one," he said. "There are so many questions about the magnitude and impact as well as questions among stakeholders about their obligations, especially to the poor."