It was arguably one of the most modern and smartest townships of that era and it still carries the aura. The town itself was to remain vibrant throughout the 1980s. The continual whine of machinery in the plants has fallen silent. The factory closures touched off a chain reaction that sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the town. Virtually no aspect of life has escaped unscathed and the resultant problems are simmering just below the surface.
Public utilities are particularly hard-hit.
The debt owed to them is large and growing and inevitably, it must affect their capacity to deliver. But debt recovery poses a moral dilemma involving as it does, making demands on consumers who are not in a position to pay even if they wanted to. The two closed plants were large and consistent consumers of power. Demand today is nowhere near the old levels and in addition many domestic consumers in Kafue Estates, home to employees of the stricken factories, are not in a position to pay regularly. It is having to accept less than the total due as rent arrears mount.