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 The 35-year-old is worried about the future as the southern African
nation, the continent's biggest copper producer after Democratic
Republic of Congo, grapples with what many say is the worst economic
crisis since the end of one-party rule in 1991.
With gloomy newspaper headlines chronicling the impact of falling
copper prices, the cost of daily necessities soaring and power cuts
lasting up to eight hours, Senti has never felt so pessimistic.
"Things are getting tougher here, especially this year," he said.
"The government has a responsibility to explain to the nation what
is happening."
Besides barbers, the power shortages have hit industry and the
already struggling mines, pushing growth forecasts for 2015 to below
5 percent from the initial outlook of 7 percent and sending the
kwacha into a tailspin, losing a third of its value against the
dollar in the last two months.
President Edgar Lungu's government insists it has no control over
commodity prices and blames the power shortages on drought and low
water levels in hydropower dams.
But Batraben Mwandila, who runs a small restaurant selling
traditional food to office workers and tourists visiting a nearby
curio market, is fed up with the excuses - an ominous sign for Lungu,
who faces an election in a year's time.
"Cooking the food is one thing - we can use charcoal when the power
goes - but we also sell beer here, and if people can't find cold
beer they will go elsewhere," said a visibly angry Mwandila, 31.
"For a small business like ours, a generator is expensive and if you
look at the cost versus revenue, you're not making any profit."
ADDICTED TO COPPER
Analysts say the crunch has been brewing for decades as successive
governments, starting with Kenneth Kaunda's disastrous
post-independence one-party state, failed to heed calls to reduce
Zambia's over-reliance on hydropower and copper.
Now, with a budget deficit projected at more than 5 percent of GDP
and public debt rising sharply, the government has scant resources
to throw at either problem.
In the mining belt, thousands of direct jobs - and many more
indirect ones - are on the line as the likes of Glencore, Vedanta
Resources and China's CNMC Luanshya Copper Mines scale back
operations.
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Private investors are also reluctant to get involved in power
generation and distribution due to Zambia's low tariffs, meaning the
economy will continue to be hostage to the vagaries of the weather
for the dams that provide more than 90 percent of its electricity.
"Organizations like the World Bank have been advising for a long
time that there would be a potential power deficit and it was
important to start investing in this area," said Chrispin Mphuka,
President of the Economic Association of Zambia.
"From two or three decades ago, this has been on the agenda but
there has been lack of political will."
The government is reluctant to ask the International Monetary Fund
for help, knowing that it would be likely to insist on politically
damaging belt-tightening ahead of next year's election.
Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda said this week Lusaka was
anxious to curb borrowing as its interest payments have soared, but
if need be would opt for longer-term external loans as opposed to
short-term IMF money.
Whatever the case, the pain for ordinary Zambians is unlikely to
ease as the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) scrambles to patch up the
structural faults in the economy in the 12 months left before the
country goes to the polls.
"Zambia is a very stable country and I do not foresee instability
per se, but since we returned to multi party politics in 1991 I can
say very honestly this is the worst crisis we have faced," said
University of Zambia political scientist Alex N’goma.
"An answer must be found, and found quickly, otherwise people will
get impatient and intolerant, and they will speak when the next
election comes around."
(Additional reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Cropley and Anna
Willard)
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