Opposition UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says the unprecedented levels of poverty and high cost of living among Zambians under the PF government was way unacceptable.
Speaking when he addressed leaders at various levels of party structures of more than 200 defectors from PF, MMD, and FDD in Lusaka’s Mtendere township in Munali constituency over the weekend, Mr. Hichilema said the PF government was slowly consigning Zambians to their early graves.
“Not long ago, PF government which claims to be pro-poor removed fuel and mealie meal subsidies, a few months ago, they again increased fuel, today as I am speaking to you, they have increased ZESCO electricity tariffs which means the cost of all commodities will go up again,” Mr. Hichilema said.
He said there was hunger in Mtendere and various townships in Zambia and it was time a more responsible and responsive government was put in place in 2016.
Mr. Hichilema said it was clear the PF did not care about the suffering of the masses and the PF leaders in government were involved in serious economic sabotage going by the way they have allowed the Kwacha to depreciate.
“I was listening to the radio the other day, Zambians are now mourning the late Zambian Kwacha. Zambians are even demanding for a day of national mourning for the late Kwacha. They are demanding for all national events to be preceded with a minute of silence in honour of the late Zambian Kwacha. That may sound like a joke but the situation is very serious,” he said.
Mr. Hichilema said at the rate the damage to the country’s economy was going, Zambians may soon end up buying a loaf of bread for K50 and one tomatoe or onion for K20 or more.
“Many of our people are jobless, but the situation is also stressful and depressing even to those who are working because they are forced to buy a few things they can afford today, because prices of essential commodities keep increasing everyday,” said Mr. Hichilema who mainly spoke in Nyanja.
“You look around, how often do you see wedding ceremonies in our communities these days? How often do you meet vehicle convoys honking in our streets for wedding ceremonies? Our young men and women in our compounds are now scared to enter into marriages due to high cost of living under the PF government,” Mr. Hichilema told the cheering audience shouting aleisa aleisa.
He said a number of Zambians that were depending on salaula and other imported goods for survival have been seriously affected by the weakening Kwacha.
He also said the UPND will not stop demanding for a new people driven constitution which Zambians have been calling for many years.
Mr. Hichilema, who addressed the meeting under a small tent at someone’s home, complained that he would have loved the meeting to be held in an open air and relatively bigger grounds but the oppressive situation could not allow.
“I have been told that some of the people could not be brought here to interact with us due to limited space under this small tent. This is how the PF are limiting our freedoms of speech and assembly now and yet they keep claiming there was no opposition in the country,” he said.
As Mr. Hichilema was addressing, police officers in plain clothes came to the UPND party member’s house and attempted to stop the meeting but the residents and defectors chased them away.
“We have called Mr. Hichilema for a prayer meeting here. We are worshipping with him over poverty in the country. So please you are either free to join us in our prayer meeting with him or leave us alone,” the residents told the police.
The police were alerted by Mr. Justine Chipoya from State House who was driving a State House white Mitsubishi Pajero registration number ABX 3850.
He said the UPND was the only alternative for Zambians and it belonged to all members on an equal basis both new and old.
He urged UPND members and the defectors to feel free and interact with various party structures and recruit more members from bus stops, markets, learning institutions, from their homes, churches, and places of work.
You have a gang of thieves masquerading as a government lead by an ignorant villager what do you expect?
We warned you… did you not insult us ati man of action… kanshi chipumba
HH can you start mobilising by employing the UPND stewards to spread the word about UPND. Print leaf lets, bungles and small badges to hand out to people who want to associate with UPND.
UPND and HH are the only hope for Zambia. Even Sata has now accepted that UPND is the party to beat. Mmembe’s past paper reported that Sata castigated his ministers like Kambwili and Mukanga for being too fat and seating around instead of going to their constituents to explain PF policies to counter the mighty UPND.
Viva UPND!
Well set up a charity HH and show us what you are doing with millions and ,millions of Kwacha
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
You an an opportunist Sir, I know you have conned people but the smart and intelligent people are seeing through you.
Thanks
TOTAL FAILURE OF THE 2011 PROJECT DONCHI KUBEBA with its sub programmes namely; ‘more money in your pocket’, ‘lower taxes’, ‘more youth jobs’ ‘ …am allergic to corruption” and a lot of other NONSENSE!!!!!
HH we need more of you in the media! More of you on the copperbelt, eastern, lusaka, north-western, muchinga! Push man puuuuuuuuush HH! We can’t afford crossing 2016 with these Pathetic Failures (PFs)!
2011: £1 = K7.80
2014: £1 = K12.10
That picture speaks a thousand words, it’s an address delivered by a man with no conviction. Should that be the face of new Zambia? No chance! But we can’t take anything away from him, he happens to be a successful entrepreneur yet remotely presidential material.My honesty take on HH still remains as before, he’ would make a perfect member of back room think tank.Experimentation of untested individuals or political parties is too risky for us.
Mwachuleni mwebekala chalo!
I hope this pedestrian politician understand the meaning of “unprecedented” or he is just using the term loosely just like his lost blind followers
The Engineer(Australia): What makes you debate in such uncivilized manner to the extent of calling your fellow human being as monkey? It could be that You are connected to the former MMD Government and now you don’t enjoy the benefits because there is PF Government. Maybe you were one of those who was booted out of foreign mission after the change of Government and you have failed to stomach it. Are you a relative to HH? Well, thats not the way you can garner support for your preferred candidate. The only thing i see in you is person with no manners and questionable background pretending to be an Engineer.
when this scumbag corruptly stole privatisation money and sent our pipo to their early graves, he didnt see that as a problem. when this scumbag embalmed our pipo with his beef containing high grades of aromatic alderhyde and formalderhyde which he sold thru zambeef and killed many zambians,he didnt see that as a problem.
shut up halenya halenya, leka sata ateke.
We Africans are villagers or come from one, it’s not a point of isolation that someone can use to purport dullness, if you don’t come from one @The Engineer then you not African, stupid. Tell your HH to stop complaining and start giving solutions, starting with how he is going to govern, create Jobs, grow the economy, and so forth and so on. We are not going to allow him to just Bark like a dog the all way to plot one.
The Mabisi man has spoken !!
I think we are better off with a mabisi man than a monkey in a maize field
All civilized people in the world eat mabisi (sour cream).
Unprecedented levels of your dwindling popularity will take you to your grave!
there is no one to blame 76% of voter r illiterate , For God’s sake! they have no idea how a leader can affect their livelihood. maybe we need to go back to basics , education become to priority and after 45 yrs we would have enlightened voters.
The government of the day controls the syllabus of the electorate. When opposition political parties try to reach out to their respective constituencies, they are harassed by the police. This is a deliberate effort by the government of the day, to keep the electorate ignorant. The short window the government opens just before elections, for people to go out and campaign; is inadequate to inform and educate the electorate. That’s how evil this government is.
Its not all sweet talkers that make a president. In Mr Hichilema i see a very good instrument of failure. He talks as if he is the messiah. And he cant even save a fly.For now we have his excellency the president as the only one to make meaningful change in the lives of our young men who been suffering since the mmd era. Its only him who can save our mother land. Long live Ba Sata and wish u wisdom for u to deal with pipo frm the south and west
Atleast Ukwa proved that its not all noise makers that make a president… in fact you have a living proof of “an empty tin making a lot of noise”
The other side you should be ashamed to have a brain. I know the brain is there, I just can’t foresee you attempting to use it.
Ni usilu nangu nichani?
POLITICAL OPPORTUNIST. SWEAT BEFORE SWEET, BADALA. NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS.
You mean it took you from Sept. 2011 to now to realize that? What a pillock!!!
Ine ndalya fye bwino inama ne nkoko mu PF. Those that are lazy can complain!
…I don’t understand why we would think that miraculously salt will turn into sugar over time.
When employers are looking for a CEO or General manager, they indicate the qualifications required, experience but most important..reference/referees..
Referees recommendations are very crucial. At one time KK gave his honest assessment and recommendations, so did FTJ and LPM..we chose to ignore and went ahead to employ expecting to prove the referees wrong…..Deep down his conscience, KK silently says ..’I warned you chaps’..’sorry, I cannot condemn now bcoz I’m being looked after nicely’. If FTJ resurrected, he could have given us that kama signature smile of his and say..’i told you'(slang)….LPM wouldn’t have said anything bcoz he would immediately collapse and die again…
Case in point. Not too sure the kind of criteria the Zambian electorate used. Hope someone is learning it the hard way.
@Scrutinizerer, you have really cracked my ribs with laughter……”LPM wouldn’t have said anything bcoz he would immediately collapse and die again…!”
Bla bla bla !This opportunist really knows how to pick out his gullible masses.If you can fall for this cheap rhetoric then you must question your faculties.These are nothing but old words in a politician’s play book.Welcome to the real world where all politicians promise heaven on earth before they occupy public office !!
Are you talking about the monkey dying in statehouse?
This post is in reference to the man in statehouse.
No i`m talking about Chitombwa(HH`s original surname).The moral of the story is not all that glitters is gold.
@soulosi
hej hej,, soulosi from Tyskland(Germany),,,,, wie geht es yo?,,,,, i guess you were studying hard
Saulosi, talk to me about why:
i. the Kwacha is now going Zim$ way
ii. fuel is highest priced ever, ZESCO to follow
3 high taxes
4. low money in the pocket
Saulosi the economic refugee, come back to Zambia and enjoy freedom and benefits of sweet talk from your favorite geriatric demagogues.
mushota can only see hate in HH?? think of the many Zambians suffering course of poor choices of leaders u make, health , education,PF has ****ed up big time, simple as….
The fundamentals that drive meaningful development are not there in Zambia. Right now Zambia is anchored on very poor national leadership, culture of corruption, culture of theft, laziness, tribalism, not fit-for-purpose attitudes, poor education system etc. When a country is marinated in such constraints it is impossible stimulate factors that drive meaningful development, factors such as innovation.
The unfortunate thing in Zambia is that with the political culture makes it very difficult to get the right guys in government. So its kind of weird situation for Zambia. All is not lost, one hopes that with the hardships people are going through under Sata, they will learn a lesson and try Mr. Hichilema, who has demonstrated how to create wealth through brains and not theft.
You started well but finished poorly as usual.
The fundamentals that drive meaningful development are not there in Zambia. Right now Zambia is anchored on very poor national leadership, culture of corruption, culture of theft, laziness, tribalism, not fit-for-purpose attitudes, poor education system etc. When a country is marinated in such constraints it is impossible to stimulate factors that drive meaningful development, factors such as innovation.
The unfortunate thing in Zambia is that with the political culture makes it very difficult to get the right guys in government. So its kind of weird situation for Zambia. All is not lost, one hopes that with the hardships people are going through under Sata, they will learn a lesson and try Mr. Hichilema, who has demonstrated how to create wealth through brains and not theft.
HH you have my vote. In fact most of us in government are really affected and we discuss this in our offices. Most government workers have resorted to give HH a vote come 2016. President Sata knows this and he has been reliably informed by the intelligence. No amount of pressure on opposition will deter the Zambian people to vote out PF. We are suffering under the leadership of Michael Chilufya Sata. The economy is really bad. It does not need a rocket scientist to see the real suffering we are currently found ourselves in for voting the PF. IF ONLY WE HAD LISTENED. KK WARNED US. FTJ WARNED US. PROPHET CHANDA CHIMBA WARNED US AND the PF minions at Bwinjimfumu called him an MMD propagandist. If I had my way I can settle in another country with my family than suffer like this.
Who is preventing you from migrating? Just pack your katundu and go. Lazy chaps expecting hand outs from Govt everyday.
HH,KEEP ON TOURING THE WHOLE COUNTRY,NEVER GIVE UP.THE KWACHA IS SICK AND MR SATA IS ALSO SICK.
HH, I am a very independent mind and have not been pro you. But your current analysis of events, advice on the economy and what needs to be done, and your maturity in relation to ask all Zambians to pray for the president of the republic has won many hearts. It wont be easy, they will frustrate you, no rallies for you with silly Police reasons but please soldier on. I sign off-Mwanawakwithu
Change is a constant Phenomenon!
Chi economic refugee iwe chi Engineer(Australia)! A mad scientist uwaya mukupula ku Australia. By the way what color are you for you to call others monkeys? White, blue, green? Have you ever seen a normal human being speaking to a monkey let alone even blogging on internet for a monkey to understand? Leave the president alone you I’d.iot. Let not your month curse our land. You are filled with jealous because you will never be the president of this country and your preferred presidential candidate will always keep on kissing the dust. Waloba ilyauma mambala.
DEFINITELY, HH IS FAR OFF FROM BEING A SOLUTION TO WHAT AFFECTS US.
IF TODAY HH STOOD AGAINST RB, I WOULD GIVE MY VOTE TO RB. THAT IS JUST HOW MUCH I DO NOT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HH.
OTHERWISE, WE HAVE A LEADERSHIP VACUUM AS WE STAND TILL WE CHANGE OUR POLITICAL CULTURE.
You must be Bemba
@The Bricklayer, so anyone with a contrary view is Bemba? So you are confirming that HH is a tribalist? You should realise that HH cannot win without a Bemba vote.
Unprecedent levels of your dwindling popularity will consign you to your grave. ichunsu! busy making noise meanwhile you’re contaminating our beef products with your dirty genes wajata ngombe
IT IS VERY INTERESTING HERE. THERE ARE ONLY 25 COMMENTS SO FAR AND SOME PEOPLE LIKE The Engineer(Australia) HAVE ALREADY POSTED 5 COMMENTS AND FROM THERE THEY WANT TO CONCLUDE THAT HH IS POPULAR ENOUGH TO DEFEAT SATA IN 2016.
Sata is in self-defeat mode. He does not present any challenge. His vulnerability in the forth-coming presidential elections will be the product of his own making.
theoretical, fake politician. ka Under 5 with no vision, just a masonic morron. complaining about what the people already know is a weak selling point, your credentials are weak. why all that dirt with that kachunsu? does this cow really have millions of kwacha in wealth? i doubt it otherwise akaso (HH) wajata wajata
5tupid tribalist
Bantustan, have you ever tried philanthropy since you claim to be so rich? empower some of your followers instead of complaining like a mouse
You Son of a Kolwestan!!!
We beembezi who eat mabisi are wise and will vote HH enmasse just to prove a point that we know the steer with the best beef.Those monkey do chaps can vote the way they like and poverty will forever be theirs.God bless musanza!
Bwana HH umedinya point kabisa hapo.Hii serikali ya PF ni ya watu ambao hawana haya ama elimu.
We have tried Sata , the outcome is there for all to see. IN 2016 we are testing HH. By the way WHAT makes you chaps think that we only have 2 tribes in Zambia. The moment you surport HH you are labled Tonga. When you say anything against HH then you are bemba.
All I know is am voting for HH cum 2016 and I pray the rest of the country does the same
2016 HH alaisa.alaisa…….
@Saulosi, u are very correct but do not twist statements. Your imbecile President used to promise the Zambians ”a heaven on earth” within 90 days but what really has he done in the past 2 and half years of his government ? Quite the opposite and the country is in a mess under your cumbu munshololwa, the loud speaker for doom. He is the most useless President this country has ever had. Frankly, we do not have a president but a monister at Nkwazi House.
but us international investors are richi rich thanks to your mines but black people are addicted to working at minimum wage
Ifwe ni hh all the way come 2016.
Tired and sick of these two band radios that always yap as though they know it all.this time ni hh come what may zambia forward.
HH is no doubt the right guy for the country, except the Post, out of their hatred and jealousy, have painted HH a very a wrong picture, and unfortunately, it is the bad side of HH that most people especially in PF dominated areas have. UPND secretariat have not done much to counter, by rigorously and creatively publicizing the real HH. UPND should do a lot of publicity centered on who HH is, what he has done for the community, what his vision is for the country, and his perspective of public service, and highlighting how these qualities and commitments to getting Zambia out-of-what it is today.
HH is the way to go, we cannot afford to have a failed economy like we are in UNIP. I knew that the relationship we were developing with RM of Zim would take us into shit, here we are……………man these guys have destroyed our country and should not be allowed to continue.
If really you think HH can win an election against Sata then Mubepelefye. Which poverty levels is HH trying to convince this bunch of cows? Go and have a check at HHs home in Kabulonga and ask how much he pays his servants and the cow hearders at his farms? This man cannot be taken seriously. He is too selfish. Vote for him and you will leave to regret. HH alipengede.
theoretical, fake politician. ka Under 5 with no vision, just a masonic morron. complaining about what the people already know is a weak selling point, your credentials are weak. why all that dirt with that kachunsu? does this cow really have millions of kwacha in wealth? i doubt it otherwise akaso (HH) wajata wajata
Lukuku, which civil servant are you referring to is planning to vote for HH? May be Tonga civil servants but not all of them. The PF govt has done better for cs than any other govt. If truly you are a cs check and compare.Dont just vote for HH jst because he is Tonga ,no. Iam Tonga but Icannot give HH my vote. Trust me.
ifwee ni HH chabe come 2016.. nangu ni under 5, we su mu Zambian ba kamba.. Mobilise ,2016 HH chabe, even Lucky Mulusa has joined UPND, we are waitin for Dr chituwo and Dr. musokotwane, the entire Central Province has become UPND,so is LUsak, soon Vopperbelt will join in. all bembas please lets support our Zambia through this Vehicle of development called UPNNND. pakuboko, palyanza, pakwanja, cant wait any more,, ba mayo, batata, bakashana, balumendo.. ubuchi no mukaka buli pa UPND.
PF…washala weka party!!!! VIVA UPND VIVA HH