By ALICE NACHILEMBE
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher once said that the only thing which is constant in life is ‘change.’
In the business world the word used for change is rebranding to position self for more roles and to embrace more customers.
Similarly Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) has been renamed to Mulonga Water Supply and Sanitation Company Limited (MWSC) carrying the same initials.
This renaming comes with extra responsibilities on the utility firm which was verbally servicing peri urban areas.
And MWSC Public Relations Manager, Debora Kangende was not economical with truth regarding the extra responsibilities the utility firm would shoulder under the new name.
Ms Kangende said all areas which were not serviced by MWSC especially in the far flung areas would have to be provided with water supply and sanitation services as long they are in the MWSC areas of operation.
She says the renaming simply means looking for ways to offer quality services to meet customer satisfaction and demand for clean and safe drinking water for all.
This entails that Mulonga Water would be servicing all areas within its operational districts by providing water supply and sanitation services even in arears where they didn’t supply water before.
The water regulator NWASCO has amended the license conditions for all commercial utilities in the country.
This has triggered the renaming of MWSC in line with Section 9 (1) of the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Act No. 28 of 1997.
Like earlier said that branding comes with extra responsibilities in order to embrace more clients.
The situation is not different to MWSC. And in wanting to be prudent with resources the utility will make its rebranding gradual.
“The branding exercise is very costly therefore rebranding of our company properties will be gradual. We will begin with the rebranding of our stationery and some of the billboards once we finalize the design of the new name,” she said.
Other branding areas are vehicles, to capture the change. This will be carried out over time but the company’s Vision, Mission, Core Values, Core Functions and Strategic Business Plan remain the same,” she said.
Ms Kangende said sensitizations on the name change to both internal and external stakeholders has already commenced.
She said the amendment by the regulator, NWASCO means wider coverage of service.
And Mulonga Water Managing Director Kanyembo Ndhlovu said the company is keen to create a positive experience for customers in its service delivery even as customers would increase.
Mr Ndhlovu said by a broader coverage area, it entails paying attention to what the public says and respond with improved service delivery that counteract those complaints.
“We are continuously adapting and providing ways to meet customer satisfaction as it increases and improves the base on service delivery. Currently, the peri urban areas are under the local authorities, hence we will need to know modalities of the takeover before we assume our new role.
“Mulonga Supply amendment extends the area of operation to cover to all areas of the districts of Chililabombwe, Chingola and Mufulira, and now also includes onsite sanitation which is a huge responsibility we are ready to take on,” he said.
This follows the launch of the new Regulatory Framework for Urban Onsite Sanitation and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in June 2018, the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) has amended the license conditions for all Commercial Utilities (CUs) in Zambia,” he said
