The Zambian government has cancelled the sale of Zesco power utility's optical fibre network to Zambia Telecommunication Company (Zamtel), owned by Lap Green Networks of Libya, according to a report from ITWeb. Christopher Yaluma, the new Zambian minister of Land, Energy and Water Development decided to cancel the sale after Zesco came forward saying that it was politically pressured to sell the network to Lap Green. The former government of Zambia claimed that it made the deal with Lap Green as a means to save the company from collapse. Yaluma said the optical fibre network is the country's communication backbone and therefore cannot be sold. He returned the network to Zesco. Zambia's new president Michael Sata has constituted a Commission of Inquiry to look into the deal brokered by the former government. Zesco director Christopher Mubemba told the Commission of Inquiry that it was pressured to make the deal in order to make the company more attractive to Libyans. In light of the new move, Lap Green will have to sign a commercial contract with Zesco to use the cables. BM
