United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has said that poverty and disease are threatening the hopes and aspirations of an entire generation Zambian living in shanty compounds.
In a media statement painting a gloomy picture of the situation in shanty compounds in Zambia, the UPND leader said that his party , UPND, once elected to power by the people of Zambia, and with God’s grace, will prioritise the upgrading of shanties to make these places more humane and habitable.
Below is the full statement
Disease and Poverty in Zambian Shanty Compounds Must End
A spectre is haunting Zambia.
It is the reality of poverty and disease that threatens the hopes and aspirations of an entire generation living in shanty compounds. There was a time when a Zambian dream existed; the universal dream that a child could be born anywhere but get through school and one day rise to the highest echelons of our society, be it in public service or the corporate world. That dream is now dead for the majority of the Zambian citizens that are poor and live in the unplanned settlements commonly known as shanty compounds.
As regards shanties, Zambia has the unenviable distinction that not the minority but the majority of her inhabitants live in slums around the country, with the majority clustered along the line of rail. What is also worth noting is that shanties are home to normal citizens who have been failed by a government that is clueless about town and urban planning. The evolution and existence of slums in Zambia is equally unique for two reasons: Zambia did not come out of a civil war where people were internally-displaced; Zambia has one of the lowest population densities, estimated by UNDP at 15 inhabitants per square kilometer, in the world. One commonality with the rest of the third world, nonetheless, is that the shanties sprung up and expanded as a direct consequence of failed leadership and government incompetence. Over the past 50 years shanties have mushroomed and expanded gradually, with only minor and disjointed planning for provision of roads, piped water at central places, markets and community clinics. However, since 2011 government has completely defaulted on its obligation to plan and take care of its citizens living in the shanties.
Below are some of the harsh realities of life in the compounds:
Grinding Poverty
According to UN data, over 60% of the Zambian population live on less than $1.25 per day. The World Food Programme asserts that over 36% of Zambians are malnourished. A lot of our compatriots live in destitution, a condition referring to lack of necessary means to meet basic needs such as food and shelter.
Diseases and Lack of Basic Services
The absence of stocked health centers with qualified manpower is as good as having no healthcare at all. Ambulance services are non-existent in most of these clinics, and pharmacies are empty. Infant mortality and maternal deaths are highest in the shanties. The lack of clean piped water and failure by councils to collect garbage results in the rise of diseases, such as malaria and cholera, which claim innocent lives.
Lack of Drinking Water and Sanitation
The absence of piped water and sewerage services has forced citizens to use their initiative to dig water wells side by side with septic tanks. This lack of planning has resulted in drinking water from boreholes and wells mixing with faecal matter below the water table. According to the National Water and Supply Council (NWASCO), over 70% of the urban folks in Zambia are not connected to central sewerage lines. The same regulator says that over 60% in urban areas have no access to water connections in their households. They either depend on boreholes or wells. These are mostly in shanties. The consequences of lapses in planning and managing water and sanitation in the shanties have been severe, manifesting in deadly diarrheal diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
Crime and Violence
The absence of effective police stations in these areas is contributing to crime. The impotence of the police, exacerbated by the presence of criminal elements and political cadres in their ranks, is undermining human welfare and impeding social development in the shanties. The reasons for the rise of crime in shanties include: rising youth unemployment in the wake of government raising the retirement age to 65; employing unprofessional cadres into the police and compromising the service’s professionalism; growing availability of guns; and regular pardoning of rapist and defilers from prison, those perceived to be friends of the party as in the case of a convicted musician who was released and even granted ambassadorial status by the party in power.
Lack of Education and Literacy
Shanties hardly ever have decent schools or libraries. There isn’t a single shanty in Zambia with a reputable secondary school. This phenomenon has deprived a generation of any chance of attaining an education and joining the mainstream job market, thus confining them to perpetual poverty.
Unregulated Bars and Brothels
Consumption of drugs, especially alcohol, is poorly regulated. Every street corner has a tavern selling all sorts of drinks. It’s not surprising to see teenagers and expectant mothers consuming alcohol as early as 7am. There are all kinds of hospitality flats in the vicinity of taverns. The law of the jungle applies; no one is in control. The state has turned a blind eye to the vices that are helping to reduce life expectancy of its citizens.
Conclusion
The UPND, once elected to power by the people of Zambia and with God’s grace will prioritise the upgrading of shanties to make these places more humane and habitable. It is common knowledge that overcrowding is a precursor to disease and unemployment, and ultimately to poverty. The UPND will work with the Engineering Institute of Zambia, Zambian Architects and Local Authorities and other organisations to plan and implement an ambitious program that will set minimum standards for housing and other social services in compounds. We shall enhance and regulate vocational training such as welding and carpentry and provide financing for small and medium enterprises, which shall provide employment to our people. Where there is a will, there is always a way. UPND will transform the lives of our people in the compounds for the better.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
If shanties are a creation of humans then they definitely can be upgraded, i thought i was the only one who had this great face-lift plan for our shanties, kanshi ba in coming babeve diye plan, this is encouraging. Me vote is secured.
Ba moscow OP is it necessary to put a negative on my harmless comment?
Iyu Mwana wa kwa SHETANI, day in day out just alarming the nation , even on a Sunday sure. This Guy is a true Satanist and Masonite. Look at his Friend Lungu. he went to Church today and am sure Ba Nevers and Ba Nawakwi did the same. Can’t this alarmist data wait for Monday. This guy is a true SHETANIST
HH is talking about unrealistic things.
Let the intelligent Miles Sampa lead the DF, UPND alliance.
What miles brings can not be matched. Intelligence,Intensity and Integrity.
Thanks
Bb2014
Up grading shanties will not solve the problem. Firstly, he needs to clarify what upgrades he has in mind, shanties are overcrowded with no room for expansion. The only plausible solution was Kaunda’s resettlement schemes. The shanties not only spread diseases but also crime. The number of people roaming the streets in Lusaka aimlessly is worrying. Encourage new developments outside town so that the city expands outwards, regulate venders, stop unplanned developments but most importantly control party cadres.
This is the one thing I hate about the so called rich people of Zambia and Zambians in particular. Instead of HH giving back to the community by helping with feeder roads, proper dump sites or water sanitation, he is there just for photo ops. Zambians need to give back to the community. Am not rich but I help my health clinic near my parent’s house with simple things like bandages, aspirin with my hard earned salary and I don’t tag the media with me when I do so.
If Zambians learn to be responsible, give back to communities instead of waiting for political appointments, we would not be talking about dirty shanty towns. I would never waste my vote on cheap dull, stingy politicians!
I can nevet vote for hh until Tongas change from their tribal ways & begin to behave with national character. Tongas are very selfish & tribal. A Tonga can only support a fellow tonga period. Thats why hh cud not help Canicious coz hez not his relative. I even feel sorry for some dull bembas & easterners who are blindly jumping up & down supporting hh. If hh wins u will kiss dust u dull bembas & easterners. Be jacked up. Vote like Tongas in August. Dont waste yo vote.
Zambia needs meaningful change. HH is our Bernie Sanders. He is the man who can bring about such meaningful change.
Mwilatubepa Naimwe. Every country goes through such phases. Even the Uk, Germany, France etc at one time had shanties. Read their history. The solution here is not as simple as u think. It is long term. HH even if he became president will not resolve this with his selfish mentality of wanting to have everything for himself like he did for Livingstone hotel and lima bank.
@Buga, you sound very uninformed for fear of using a more negative term. Really you have no idea that a shanty can be upgraded? Here in Kenya, the worst Shanty town or Slam as is popularly known here has just been upgraded with roads, street lights, running water and high rise flats, twice the size and height of those in Kabwata estates and guess who is doing the work? Previously unemployed youths, working under the Youth Service, the same as our own National Service. We just need serious people like HH to bring change to Zambia, finish.
GOOD THOUGHT MR. PRESIDENT. WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE SURELY IS A WAY! UPND CAN BE THE BEST GOVERNMENT THAT ZAMBIA HAS EVER HAD. VIVA UPND VIVA! VIVA PRESIDENT HH VIVA!
HH’s version of the 90 days abracadabra rhetoric of the late Sata. I guess with Kaseba, GBM, bashi Nono, Guy Scotch Whiskey and serial adulterer Miles Sampa in his team he will be able to alleviate all poverty in Zambia.
The guy is an opportunistic comedian!!! I will never vote for the *****
kiki how?Ba HH na ma theory tefintu.Namulusa mudala.try 2021
My dear if you go to Zimbabwe, you will not find shanty towns like we have in Zambia. We don’t need to take these people to resettlement schemes. Any sensible leader can do it. Just go to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and you will see what I am talking about.
The poor will always be with you says the bible
@4 peter Ngons
Yes, true, albeit relatively so. In developed countries the poor drive. They own cars and are able to fly when travelling long distances. In Zambia, we are talking about the poor being afforded better living conditions, better food, running water, improved sanitation etc..
I thought it’s the poor in spirit like you that we will always have, people who don’t have a fighting spirit to survive and enhance their livelihoods,but it’s our duty to keep them since they are our brothers and sisters, if poverty is can be tabulated in percentages would it be nice if we could have a leader with a desire to push it from the current double digits poverty levels in our country to a single digit?
Comment: HH has been coached by his image builders to start appreciating the grace of God and not putting his confidence in wealth and education. Thats encouraging but be real.
What about the disease and poor working conditions in HH’s ranches which his own poor workers are subjected to? What a liar and a fraud HH is. Zambians are not fools and can see though his terrible lies and what lies they are. Only complaints. Come August its a done deal once again ECL will get the vote those who think otherwise please read the fact sheet. 1) Kwacha gain 2) mealie meal prices will soon drop as we have a bumper harvest3) more jobs to be created with more investment 4) inflation rate to return to single digits 5) higher voter turnout in Pro PF areas..
2016 ECL nafuti
@2020Vision. The economy and improved livelihood for all is our common aspiration. Lungu has the advantage of incumbency and will surely win once he improves the economy. The benchmarks are to raise it above what he found:
1. Inflation below 8%
2. Sugar lower than K4
3. Zero load shedding
4. Mealie meal K35
5. Dollar K4
6. New jobs, 500,000
7. PAYE 20%
8. Cooking oil K10, kapenta Meda K18, beans Meda K12
9. ToZ and Daily Mail K2
HH and his lies, let HH sort out the poor working conditions of his own workers pa ranch yabo no clinic for his own workers this madala is a real fraud, can’t even help ba Canisius what a liar. Come August we are getting it again, the fact sheet does not lie :1) kwacha gain 2) increased investment in the mining sector 3) mealie meal prices will be halved as a result of a bumper harvest 4)higher voter turn out in pro PF areas than last election 5) Most Zambians do not trust people labelled as thieves and s.a.t.a.n.i.s.t.s and we know who these suspects are.
ECL2016 nafuti
I put it to you that you’re having a tough time sitting on that stool thus that is a staged photo. Children with respect will sit down with the poor woman at the same level. Look at you, you’re actually setting your feet where she is sitting.
Bo HH, Donald Trump, the US 2016 republican aspiring presidential candidate has served his country through countless charity works. You HH having tabulated some facts not all though above have not gotten yourself in any charity works with your riches. How on earth do you expect the almight God, let alone the people of Zambia to entrust you with power. You shall not ride on the poor to champion you ambitions. God forbid.
Comment:The woman in the picture being cheated by HH. I know she knew that HH just wants her vote.
HH is the man who can turn Zambia around. We only need someone with vision and these shanties can be a thing of the past. PF cadres don’t have vision for such transformation
U must be a stupid Tonga to think like that
I cannot vote for HH because him and 99% of his members are hard core tribalists.
ZAmbians please don’t get deceived by HH and his bantustans. These people can’t change. We’d suffer at the hands of these tribalists if they got into the highest Office. They don’t love anyone else except their fellow to,ngas. They only ove themselves
Exactly my thots. Tongas sorry to say it, they are very selfish & tribal. Tongas can only support a fellow tonga period. Thats why hh cud not help Canicious coz hez not tonga. I even feel sorry for some dull bembas & easterners who are blindly jumping up & down supporting hh. If hh wins u will kiss dust u dull bembas & easterners. Be jacked up. Vote like Tongas in August. Dont waste yo vote.
God forbid indeed! You HH, learn to respect helders n’ people. You are insunuating that your predecors are incompetent and that people from the so called “slums” are thieves with guns. You have todate failed to disclose the source of your riches.
KK did alot for this country apart from being a freedom figher. He tried to encourage people to go back to the land. Sata touched the issue of bringing sanity to the “shanties”, the MMD accused him of suggesting the demolishion. Now the question to you is, do you know how many, old, and big the slums are. Indeed if you got cash, give it a try now.
@state house of corruption they say charity begins at home so how can HH a captalist who cannot even build a new SDA church for his so called fellow congregates let alone a clinic for his workers be expected to improve living conditions in compounds..don’t be a blind follower of liars and people of questionable riches..HH has completely failed to make his MPs improve living conditions for their constituents how is he going to help poor Zambians in Luapula, Northern, Eastern, Copperbelt, Muchinga etc the man is a failure except for enriching himself and you his followers are just hoodwinked by a spell..
2016 ECL nafuti
God forbid indeed! You HH, learn to respect
elders n’ people. You are insunuating that your predecers are incompetent and that people from the so called “slums” are thieves with guns. You have todate failed to disclose the source of your riches. KK did alot for this country apart from being a freedom figher. He tried to encourage people to go back to the land. Sata touched the
issue of bringing sanity to the “shanties”, the MMD accused him of suggesting the demolishion. Now the question to you is, do you know how many, old, and big the slums are. Indeed if you got cash, give it
a try now.
PF should just bring down the price of milie meal. Failure to do so means PF is not fit for purpose, needs discardind it away by votes of Zambians.
Stop yapping ba PF cadre can you counter the points that HH has raised with some le4vel of intelligency.Tell us and your sick Lungu how you intend to transform the Economy and Zambia in general.You serial killers.
PF ran out of ideas long time ago. Now, they are just drifting along; their so called boat having already capsized.
Even if the price of mealiemeal gets to k500 I will never vote for upnd period.
Iwe HH is nt in power, elect him as president then u will see the wonders that he will perform. He has money yes but he cannot use o his personal money to develop zambia, its nt his fault that u chose to elect a visionless president in the name of lungu.
Comment: HH with is team will make a difference than PF who have taken us 20 yrs backwards. Zambian it time to try new team in govt and see their performance.
I hate pretenders that have started going to church now to cover their shonongonomics.talking about shanties in lusaka forgetting about the ones he has on his farms.trying to remove a small partical from your friends eye when you have a log in yours.
What of a disease that banoko had to give birth to a person of your thinking.
I meant banok.o
The chap is a dreamer!!!! State house is far fetched….
That’s the vision we are talking about. Shanty townships are a disgrace to Zambia.
This is the language which a chakolwa thief can’t understand.
This is the language which a chakolwa thief can’t understand. Sata saw the dullness in this jmbecile and had no problem using him so much.
HH is indeed a ‘hot’ contestant this year. Like it or not, he is headed for a landslide victory.
Lungu can’t even run a tavern. You expect him to run a country. All these PF cadres are thieves. Just check their tribe you will understand.
HH is slowly geting mad!!IF NIGERIA OR ANGOLA WITH OIL HAVE SHANT COMPOUNDS OR SOUTH AFRICA WITH DIAMOND AND GOLD HAS SUCH PLACES,WHAT OF A POOR ZAMBIA?thats why any wise Zambian never take hh serious!!all hh knows is ranting daily even on a sunday when people go to worship God-amazing!!HH’S DESPERATION FOR STATE HOUSE WILL SOON MAKE HIM PROMISE ZAMBIANS THAT IF HE WINS (GOD FORBID) EACH AND EVERY ZAMBIAN WILL HAVE A CAR AND DECENT HOUSE WHEN EVEN IN UNITED KINGDOM OR AMERICA NOT EVERYBODY CAN BUY A CAR OR HAVE A DECENT HOUSE!!!HH IS CRAZY INDEED!!HE IS A GREAT LIAR AND I WONDER WHY BANTUSTANS REALLY VOTE FOR THIS LIAR!!thats why even his veep Dr Canicius Banda cannot afford to pay rentals because he has stopped working and only believe hh’s UTOPIA WORLD!!nobody or country can develop…
true ba Eddy well said
Lungu can’t even run a tavern. You expect him to run a country. All these PF cadres are thieves. Just check their tribe you will understand. .
HH is down-to-earth, a man of the people par excellency. Anyone who can come down so low must have to feel the way those people feel. It’s the way I feel when I personally visit some of those places myself. It’s very depressing.
When u hear from him then he has smoked from that one ton of ash shi kubeja maningi na tombe maningi shame this chap will move naked one day wait. He has started even insulting mrs mazoka no kumpota sana ati mazoka was poor its him who used to give him money.
He has turned against his tonga 8 mps giving uselss excuses.
He is fearing them they want convention to choose who to stand lets wait and see how they will scatter like
@Man U for life
You are such a shameless lair, statistics showing the Zambia voting pattern have been displayed time and again and has shown that all provinces display the same tendency when one of there own is involved. I definitely condemn it because it is wrong. Rather than heap the blame on one province for doing exactly what everyone else is doing, if in your shoes, I would preach the ills of such a tendency as it does not help anyone and advise people to vote for quality leadership for the benefit of the entire country and not just a selected few.
The questions for HH, would be to explain how he acquired that wealth.
Look at uk prime minister, his answers can HH say or explain to Zambians about Un explained wealth he has.
There is no wealth without history.
That is my view point.
Shanty Compounds Ar All Over The World Hh Lies En Says He Will Upgrade These Areas Meaning The Poor Will Become Rich Over Nite, Bravo Hh Ur A True Opportunist.
We want HH to comment on the kwacha, mines, how PF govt is exporting and importing maize and load shedding. Come June the kwacha will be at k6 and meal meal at k75. lungu natumusamfya na Obama ashalila kabili mulete ba HH. Mubepelefye
HH is coping what the great Sata used to say that he is going to rase down misisi compound and build high rise flats.
HH is copy cat he is not origin all he knows is to copy from the mighty SAta
Moreover HH is too tribal to be president.
How do you make president of a Country of 73 tribes, a man who only thinks about his Bantustan, one tribe- Tonga- NEVER not in this World.
Not until they begin to love people from other regions
I suppose that is why Zambia is where it is. Having people who are ‘comfortable’ or lacking analysis, depicting complete resistant to change or ideas that suggest the uplifting of the lives of those who are marginalized. This is also inherent in those who merely respond with; “But such and such countries also have the same” – an indication of the acceptance of mediocrity and inability to think beyond their noses.