Friday, April 19, 2024

Escalating commodity prices could be caused by sabotage by some individuals- President Lungu

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President Edgar Lungu says the escalating commodity prices are unjustified and could be caused by sabotage by some individuals.

President Lungu said the situation is a source of worry for government hence the decision to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Mr Lungu said this when he paid a courtesy call on Paramount Chief Chitimukulu, who welcomed the investigation of the escalation of prices of essential commodities.

Expressing his concern that some indicators have shown that the rise in prices of goods is as a result of sabotage, President Lungu said government is engaging suppliers to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Meanwhile, President Lungu has appealed to Paramount Chief Chitimukulu to help sensitize people on the dangers of COVID-19.

And Paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people has commended President Lungu for constituting a team investigate the escalation of commodity prices.

Chief Chitimukulu said the rise in prices of essential commodities such as mealie meal and cement seen in recent times has impacted negatively on people’s lives owing to the high poverty levels.

The Mwinelubemba has since praised the president for instituting an investigation into the matter.

And Chief Chitimukulu has thanked the Head of State for ensuring timely distribution of farming inputs to farmers under the Farmer Input Support Programme.

He also commended SEEDCO for continuously sensitizing farmers in the region on important farming techniques.

The Traditional leader has since assured President Lungu that the people of Northern Province will continue to rally behind his leadership.

Meanwhile, the Paramount Chief has expressed concern over the poor state of the drainage system in Kasama town.

He also lamented on the flooding in Chambeshi area and the deplorable state of Chambeshi Ring road.

And in response, President Lungu attributed the blocking of drainages to poor waste management.

He said waste management is a responsibility of everyone and called for behavioral change

The Head of state also assured the Mwinelubemba that the Chambeshi Ring road in Mungwi District will be worked on starting with embankment

74 COMMENTS

  1. What did we do to deserve this ai? The General can’t even take responsibility, always shifting blames. As long as this government doesn’t own up to the fact that we are in this mess because of no leadership, solutions theriz no.

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    • We have been on our own since PF came into power. The man only knows the blame game, “no it is el nino,no it is covid”definitely not leadership material.If only he was just incompetent we could have been talking of him going to rest in August, now he needs to answer for his crimes as well

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  2. Unjustified really? Look at the free falling kwacha exchange rate, poor economic performance coupled with covid 19 effects and your lack of vision. Businesses are just adjusting in order to survive this economic mismanagement!!!

  3. The mast is lost at sea with no marine corps to rescue him. Go arrest those causing sabotage. How does this man fly from Lusaka to go and deliver that type of message? You can get your Kambwili and put all your crooked minds together! Zambians are waiting for you!

  4. The PF is busy dishing out bundles of cash into the local economy from unexplained sources.This is driving up inflation (now 22%).
    Basic economics
    “If the Money Supply increases faster than real output then, “ceteris paribus”, inflation will occur.If you print more money, the amount of goods doesn’t change. However, if you print money, households will have more cash and more money to spend on goods. If there is more money chasing the same amount of goods, firms will just put up prices.”

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  5. When you fail to have your wife pregnant, u start thinking that some other forces are at work. When maybe the problem could be you.

  6. Basic Economics tell u that inflation is caused by too much money chasing fewer goods. We can all many PF Cadres carrying “masaka a ndalama ” dishing out for all sorts empowerment programmes. This money is being printed in large amounts,corruption is rampant and Govt wastefulness is seen all over. All this dirty money is being used to buy votes by the Ruling PF Party. By August 2021 Prices will have skyrocketed at this rate of Printing and borrowing Money by BOZ. The re-election of ECL and PF on August 12,2021 will be a recipe for Economic Disaster and People will suffer.The writing is on the wall.

  7. Is this dander head serious, thought he was dull but this takes the cake, what did this id1ot expect when he bankrupted the country, economic growth, what an id1ot, Chi colour Lungu…. You are dull, like ur small d1ck

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  8. Suppose the Ministry of Finance had been abolished. We could hv attributed this presidential clanger to its absence. I don’t think Edgar Lungu even thought through wht he wanted to say to the Chitimukulu. It must hv been just a spur of the moment statement. It shows that Lungu has no time to read various economic reports he receives periodically. Even in meetings, I doubt if he concentrates.

  9. You can rig an election but you can’t rig the economy
    A bleak 2021 awaits Zimbabweans, a year which will be characterised by price increases in bread, fuel, electricity, and other basic commodities, creating inflationary pressures in the country, former finance minister, Tendai Biti predicted at the beginning of the year.
    “The price of bread, fuel, electricity and tollgate fees have gone up in recent weeks generating more inflation pressures,” the top politician, who is now MDC Alliance co-vice president, said.
    “However, it is the over-taxation of workers particularly the irrational presumptive taxes that will create chaos and Armageddon in 2021. A tough year awaits Zimbabwe.
    “As 2020 winds down, no amount of side shows, spin or propaganda will detract from the fact that Zimbabwe is…

  10. But this is confirmation that the man is a lost cause,august is too far let it come fast.Things that he was warned over a long time ago,things that every sane Zambian predicted would happen lelo ati conspiracy?

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  11. Coming from the Head of State, this is one of the funniest joke so far. He cant even take responsibility for his Government running down the economy.. Sabotage? The dollar is K22.
    What a joker

  12. Yes, exactly. You, bwana president, are top of the list. In all the years you’ve been in power, your greatest achievement has been to run down the economy which was reasonably vibrant prior to your reign. You can’t pretend that you don’t know that it’s your insatiable appetite for kaloba for populist projects, instead of investment in the productive and social sectors, which has got us here. You and your minions deliberately overpriced the shoddy infrastructure projects and other stuff you so corruptly procured with the sole aim for your inner circle to enrich themselves at the expense of the greater good. As though all that were not enough, now you’re busy distributing unbelievably huge amounts of cash, to bribe Zambians for their votes, the source of which is only known to you, but isn’t supported by any means of production at all. How do you expect the economy to respond? So, yes sir, you’ve done a damn good job of sabotaging our economy indeed!

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  13. Biti’s predictions in Zimbabwe in 2021 will come true. Zambia faces a similar problem should ECL rig the 2021 Elections to retain Power. Already the Zambian Economy is in a mess. They are printing money like confetti to buy votes while defaulting on Zambia’s external debt. By August 12, 2021 Prices of goods and services will have skyrocketed and with a violent and disputed Election in August 2021 the Economy will be in shambles. With an illegitimate ECL in Power International Sanctions will be imposed on Zambia. The future of the Zambian Economy under illegitimate ECL look bleak. Vote wisely on August 12, 2021 if u don’t want to regret.

  14. Surely there us something wrong with our pricing. There has been no salary increase, electricity or fuel increase. Raw materials are sourced locally such as rocks collected freely from our land. How do you justify the sharp increase in cement prices?
    Even flour which is dollar pegged, the dollar has been stable since Muvunga took over BOZ. Why are flour prices still increasing at National Milling Company?

    People should not rush to condemn the president, he gets briefings from all sectors and know what he is talking about. He has people on the ground. Just imagine where the Kwacha would have been now if he did not replace that former BOZ Governor?

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  15. Says the failure who has made the Kwacha lose 50% of its value in just 2yrs.Lungu is a sadistic comedian enjoying the hardships of Zambians.

  16. There maybe a grain of truth in this, because if there isn’t then he’s greatly delusional and worse psychotic meaning he’s unfit to govern.

    If those assertions can be proven then I expect to see treason cases if actors are Zambian individuals. If it’s a foreign operator then counter-espionage should have prevented this from happening.

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  17. Hehehehehe ohoho hehehehe

    You give me jokes lungu, ……..

    Arrest HH , he must be the one with Anglo-American company and Brenhurst foundation.,…..

    Hehehehe……

    Mr president , you have made my day…..

  18. I told you lungu,

    That information you get from witchdocters is not intelligence information,

    I was in a bad mood about Monday tomorrow, but I feel better with your jokes lungu…….

  19. This is what Zambians get for voting for a populist party and a populist president. Populism has never worked anywhere, it mostly ends up in anarchy. Trump recently and Hitler in the past come to mind. Now your homes are worth napkins, I can buy them All with a month’s salary. Be rational and sober when going to the ballot in August, do Not be deceived by these PF charlatans. Lungu is a charlatan, a fake!

  20. Socialist tendencies of blaming unseen enemies, NAZIs blamed jews for their failures, it’s common among communists to find an imaginary enemy to feed masses for their failures.

  21. Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu this is what we mean when we say you’ve failed. Why has VAT and Duty on fuel been removed? Is it not to prevent the pump price from going up? The Kwacha is at its weakest. It is this want you want to continue to do? Campaign materials won’t sway our decision to retire you in August this year. Ask RB, he also mounted an extravagant campaign.

  22. Yes sir we have the intelligence. It’s the tribal upnd party behind it. We need to start shooting them in their legs some of these evil savages.

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  23. Sounds like two infants joking. Just how does this happen at that level of leaders. The Republican President and Mwinelubemba – mwine nkuni na menshi kikiki!!!. In all fairness the whole president not knowing that its all about the country’s economics that have worsened as he watches. The dollar is at K23,000 and he still expect life to be normal. Awe this is too much. Such basic kind of witch hunting can be dangerous. Some innocent individuals can be targeted because of such careless talk. Muchinje baba!!!!

  24. Sounds like a child blaming another child for breaking his toy. Just let him go outside and play with the other children.

  25. What a lamentable failure of a joker …he uttered the same nonsense after police murdered those two innocent souls. The Paramount Chief Chitimukulu who is very intelligent must have been cringing inside in the presence of this dull politician Edgar.

  26. Mr. President Mr. President… surelly how can individual subottage the economy and you`re in state house? Your answer to the current economical problem the country is facing is an indicator that you’re just a pawn at state house and we should not expect solution from you. # Mwelasa bushe Lungu mwamufumya kwisa? Hope one day God will answer the people of zambia, because we don’t deserve you as a president!

  27. I want to thank the chief for coming out in the open to state that the prices of commodities are extremely high in the country, it took courage and strength.

    However, the chief’s plea to have the commodity prices reduced fell on deaf ears as nothing will be done about it.

  28. It’s the enemi .. as UNIP would say. How pathetic ECL. In fact, if the Chief had not raised the issue, ECL would not have talked about it. He avoids critical economic discussions and does not provide any platforms for the press to ask him about the state of the economy. He has no clue where the country is or is going, apart from the fact that he has amassed so much wealth for himself and his cohort and would like to stay in power at all costs.
    Questions need to be answered seriously and NOW, about the kwacha rate, the money that is being wantonly thrown around for vote buying (it’s source), the national debt and where all the billions in taxes, customs and duties being collected are going.

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