Itezhi-Tezhi is a small town in the
Southern Province of
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...
. It is the seat of the
Itezhi-Tezhi District. It lies west of the town of
Namwala
Namwala is a town and the seat of Namwala District in Southern Province of Zambia. It is on the M11 Road. Namwala town has a population of over 5,000 people. It lies on the southern bank of the Kafue River at 996 metres above sea level. It hou ...
on the border of the
Kafue National Park.
On 6 February 2012, President
Michael Sata
Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a ma ...
issued a directive to try to move Itezhi-Tezhi from Southern Province to
Central Province which was rejected by the people of Southern Province.
"Chirundu, Itezhi-tezhi leave S/Province"
, ''The Post'', 7 February 2012 The move to Central Province still happened. On 17 November 2021, President Hakainde Hichilema
Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962) is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 201 ...
returned Itezhi-Tezhi to Southern Province.Itezhi-Tezhi Dam
The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam on the Kafue River in west-central Zambia was built between 1974 and 1977 at the Itezhi-Tezhi Gap, in a range of hills through which the river had eroded a narrow valley, leading to the broad expanse of the wetlands known as ...
was constructed on the Kafue River
The Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia at about long. Its water is used for irrigation and for hydroelectric power. It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most ce ...
in the early 1970s. The dam was created to hold and regulate the water flow in the river for Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station
The Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station (KGU), is an operational hydroelectric power plant across the Kafue River in Zambia.
Location
KGU is located on the Kafue River, approximately , by road, south of Lusaka, the capital and largest city in Za ...
, downstream.
The town's estimated population is 4,000. The largest employer in the town is the electricity company ZESCO
ZESCO (acronym for Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited) is a state-owned power company in Zambia. It is Zambia's largest power company producing about 80% of the electricity consumed in the country. ZESCO represents Zambia in the S ...
.
References
Populated places in Southern Province, Zambia
{{Zambia-geo-stub