ZAMBIA’S only electricity company, Zesco, is owed about $65-million from consumers who have stopped paying their bills to protest high power tariffs, the company’s managing director said on Wednesday. Although no one has organized a formal boycott, the movement has built up steam through widespread public discontent. Zesco will now offer a 40% discount to consumers who pay their bills consistently. Some economic observers here say the high power tariffs in Zambia are due to Zesco mismanagement. “They are only able to collect money from a small population and that is why they keep on increasing the tariffs to meet the shortfall. They should just privatise the firm to bring efficiency,” said Charles Chileshe, a Zambian economist. – AFP