Zambia’s Minister of Information and Media, as well as Chief Government Spokesperson, Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa, MP, addressed a press briefing , addressing several pressing national issues, including the planned demonstration against the high cost of fuel and mealie meal.
Expressing his disappointment, Minister Mweetwa noted that the demonstration, scheduled for October 18, coincided with Zambia’s day of prayer, a day designated to unite the nation in prayer for continued peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness. He urged those planning the demonstration to reconsider their actions and instead join the nation in prayer.
Regarding the rising fuel prices, Minister Mweetwa acknowledged that Zambia, like many other non-oil-producing countries, is influenced by international oil market decisions. He emphasized the government’s commitment to mitigate the impact of these international decisions on citizens by involving the private sector in bulk buying and fuel storage, aiming to stabilize fuel prices. The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration, to ensure a steady fuel supply.
In addressing the escalating cost of mealie meal, the Minister reassured the public that this situation is not permanent and will improve as the government’s measures take effect. The solution lies in increasing maize production to exceed demand and reduce production costs.
Minister Mweetwa acknowledged the challenging economic situation, emphasizing that it is not the result of the current government’s actions. However, the government remains committed to finding lasting solutions, as outlined in the 2024 national budget.
Regarding the police and the rule of law, Minister Mweetwa advised opposition political parties to respect the existing legal framework, including the Public Order Act, until any potential amendments or replacements occur. He encouraged opposition parties to collaborate with the police in maintaining law and order, emphasizing that taking the law into one’s own hands creates a false impression of police involvement in suppressing opposition.
Day of what? I thought our president had said it was a waste of time and unproductive?
Demonstration? I thought Lungu was dictatorial when he stopped people from demonstrating. What has changed?
The president didn’t say it was a waste of time. He said it was a waste of time IF not done genuinely while not aspiring to live up to christian principles. He has consistently called for the church to be in the forefront in organising it.
Yes, Lungu was being dictatorial in stopping demonstrations without valid reasons. Yes, the current government will be behaving in a dictatorial manner if they stop these demonstrations without valid reasons. Nothing about that has changed.
By the why I didnt say you cant complain
I said “all you can do is carry on complaining”
READ instead of jumping to conclusions
Song: Iwe walitupa!!
The new minister spent 99percent of his time lambasting various political parties. Most of what he said could have been left to the UPND spokesperson. The government spokesperson should concern himself with GOVERNMENT issues not partisan politics. The character assassination of Fred Mmembe cannot be paid for by the taxpayers. We don’t pay government to attack enemies of the ruling party. If UPND want to attack the opposition they must do it under their budget.
Clearly this ministry is not only unnecessary but is misusing government coffers. UPND should be sued for such misappropriation.
This ministry is a thief of our hard-earned tax and we the citizens should not tolerate such robbery
Mweetwa is just a transfer of UPND propaganda from the party office to the government offices
The movement is welcomed, but not on the day of player they should reschedule it so that we all participate.
What day of prayer when you gay people do not recognize it. The self proclaimed economist has failed in two years. He does not even know how much Zambians are buying fuel or mealie meal.
Last year UPND publicly lied that HH would grace Prayer Day at Show Grounds. He was reported to have instead retreated to his Namwala farm for a private stay and has never apologised for his absence. Possibly, he will still humiliate Zambians again by staying away using flimsy grounds. Dialogue with a runaway president is impossible for reconciliation.
Kci
The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration,
Threatened democracy. Even on Independence Day, Zambians can demonstrate, because there is no independence to dance for with pride. There is nothing wrong too to have a rally on Reconciliation Day. You don’t pray for peace, and togetherness when the UPND is not just to the opposition. PF and SP rallies have been denied on insubstantial security reasons. Since when did upnd choose dialogue?Never in their life time.
It appears Cornelius Mweetwa is propagandist only. He opens his mouth only for two reasons: 1) To eat, 2) To tell lies.
He’s not doing anything better than Chushi Kasanda. At least with Chushi there was a beautiful face to look at. Not this fish head.
Wooooo, I miss Chushi Kassandra. I wonder what she is doing right now. I wish for her to come and beautify these faceless clowns.
Balderdash! lf government is committed to upholding the editorial independence of public broadcasters it should free DeadNBC from government control. It must stop interfering in the appointment of the Director General and enact a law that frees DeadNBC from being a State Broadcaster. It needs to be a public broadcaster. Show me one democracy that has a state broadcaster. You won’t find it. DeadNBC should be independent and not answerable to the executive in any way. Its CEO can be appointed by parliament. It should make news dissemination decisions professionally and never politically.
Right now the Ministry of Information and Media interferes in the daily operations of DeadNBC by appointing its staff
They are trying to use day of prayer as an excuse for stopping people exercising their rights. How sick do you have to be to use a day you have always shunned as excuse. These f00Is are cursing themselves. Don’t play with god. You will start dropping dead one by one. Mark my words
HH said the day of Prayer is big lie, ni boza, bufi. Mweetwa are you sure of what you are talking about?
You left out Bubela
Start with ur HH regarding the day of prayer. You encouraged your party (UPND)not to attend the day of Prayer. Your president was in the fore front condenming this day. And today ati lets unite ? Kabiye uko.
Let the people express their frustration on your poor governance of the country.
You will be surprised to see your own frustrated UPND youths are the ones in the lead on this day of demonstration. The nation is united against hunger and high cost of living. Do not blame it on global.
You have just failed.
The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration,
If the cost of mealie meal and fuel is not addressed soonest, it will cost the new dawn elections come 2026. Go out there and explain why things are the way they are right now and the proposed solutions in place. Don’t just appear on TV and radio programmes where only a few people understand you. Go to the grassroots there and explain to them
It is irrational to explain to a hungry man what hunger is. A hungry man is an angry soul. HH’s heel turn on most issues is making most hoodwinked Zambians frustrated. If anyone thinks things will improve any time soon, well I have a bridge to sell them.
#My Zambia Especially if you made it look easier during campaigning… I remember this: Banja aonaika na vikwati va pwa ( forgive my Nyanja).. families have broken down, divorce rate is high because people can’t afford the prices of essential commodities… HH before the elections.
Dejavu
The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration,
The only thing hh is good at is pweee pweeee
The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration,
Continue doing pwee pwee pweee. Soon it will be 2026
We are ready……….so are the people of Zambia
Forward 2031……..
And beyond
……..
“……The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration, to ensure a stead…..”
Everywhere you look, the damage from PF and lungu is widespread and…………
Far worse than imagined, the whole country was being governed by borrowing.
They borrowed for everything, and left piles of debt.
You going nowhere with these dunderheads
They dont know which side their bread is buttered
Ready to vote them out mark my word
“……..The government is actively addressing a significant debt of over US$700 million owed to international and local Oil Marketing Companies, a legacy from the previous administration,…”
That is why I fully supported mweetwas appointment as information minister……..
He has rightly added an antidote of why we are are in this predicament…….
The previous minister would not even have been heard of.
Well done Mr minister.
What will the dialogue entail?
Enough of this! Prayer without intent or purpose is meaningless. We are waiting for the day when ECL and HH will reconcile and set a good example for the whole nation.ECL should apologise and HH should forgive him.
What is ECL going to apologize for?
NOVEMBER, 2021.
ZNBC reported that OMC’s are owed $500 million attributed to subsidies.
DECEMBER, 2021.
Petrol pump price moved from K17.62 to K21.16. Diesel price shot to K20.15 from K15.59 per litre
MARCH, 2023.
Talks to refinance OMC’s debt are in the offing. The fuel bill has moved from previous USD500 to current USD700 in 2 years! How possible?
Hon. Musokotwane presenting 2024 budget said, he can’t bring back subsidies because free education will suffer. Why can’t money saved from fuel subsidies help repay the petroleum arrears? Stop confusing the naive and weaponising the OMC’s debt as responsible for unbearable living conditions which UPND have failed to improve.
Elo iyo ine free education kaya…a ruse.
Thanks for debunking the fuel falsehood. Some people thrive in repeated lies, expecting others to believe as factually true.
Emanual mwamba, the price increases of fuel reflected the world price………there was no room to dismental arrears.
That 700 million reflects interests and other uncoverd debts…….
Oh, sorry. That is mistaken identity, Spaka.
Mwamba Emmanuel is a distinguished diplomat and prolific writer. This My Zambia is just a small crawling insect. I am, however, more surprised that you went for irrelevants than tackle gist.
# myzambia
The way you pen down; the way you think; the way you argue out matters; the way you carry yourself; your non-use of vulgarities; your sentences layout can make people think otherwise, that you are not you. But don’t relent. The universe, or possibly metaverse, is the limit for you.
Fuel and food prices will definitely undo any good being scored by this regime. I wonder why they are so adamant when it comes to sorting out these fundamentals. Partys worldwide lose elections just because of these two items. Watch this space in 2026.
One clever person said this… USA and the West like chaos. Chaos create good business for them. I’m sure they meant gun sales etc. They tell you to cut subsidies, they tell you to stop FISP. But meanwhile in their countries they are doing the opposite.
Don’t use the $700m owed to OMCs to scapegoat your own failures. That figure accumulated slowly and if by the time you dropped fuel grants (and increased prices by K5) in 2021 and committed that money to education, by now the fuel debt would be liquidated. Your mantra on past debts always makes you not to account for your own ineffectiveness, proving how much you lack progressive leadeship. Education needs funding to, but priorities are misplaced as you mount blame 9n others.
My Zambia
There is no escaping the debt trap left by PF…………
While negotiating the deferment of other debt with lenders…….
Zambia can not now prioritise to pat fuel debts and say to others we cannot pay you……..
Even me who is not an economist knows there is a blanket default on all debts……..
An astute economist knows that the problem Zambians are facing is not education, but fuel. Lack of FREE education can not affect economic meltdown. The monthly fuel price fluctuations are no different than the unstable currency changes. Fuel is an economic driver. Whether you owe petroleum companies $700m, it still shouldn’t negate growth. To me it seems because of ‘the debt trap left by PF’ you are hopeless and all you do is bury your head in Mongu sand or fold your arms like the chinyonge fish of Mpulungu as you wait for ‘deferment of other debts with lenders’ at Paris Club. Typical failures.
Education is a human right
Acsses to free education is something like gaining independence
Just like education , Gaining independence can never be postponed
Providing access to free education for all can never wait for anything, fuel prices or no fuel prices…..
Cost of living will reduce year ending 2024
Forward 2031
And beyond.
Prayers are very important, and equally important when you are governing people is to hear and listen to what the people you govern are saying. Please get down to the level of the majority poor people and understand how they are coping with escalated costs of essential commodities.
You make me laugh. How can these evils pray for the poor suffering Zambians? Only a poor Zambian with clean hands will save us.
One thing I like about America is that no Politician can stop you from demonstrating….you don’t even need a Police permit to demonstrate in the USA…Louis Farakhan organized 1 million man match in Washington DC with no Police Permit…..so Zambia is now under dictatorship
What is Obasanjo that ugly woman doing with Lungu. I hope he hasn’t come again to meddle in our politics. Tell him we’re capable of dealing with either Hakainde or Lungu on our own in our own way.
But where is the problem? Cornelius has laid it out clearly, most of these problems are as a result of the previous administration and it’s complete failure to utilize resources in a responsible manner. $700 million is no joke and today a person such as this thing calling itself Kaizer can come and say they running things better? What sick minded person are you Kaizer? I’ve said it before you are a clown.
The new minister spent 99percent of his time lambasting various political parties. Most of what he said could have been left to the UPND spokesperson. The government spokesperson should concern himself with GOVERNMENT issues not partisan politics. The character assassination of Fred Mmembe cannot be paid for by the taxpayers. We don’t pay government to attack enemies of the ruling party. If UPND want to attack the opposition they must do it under their budget.
Clearly this ministry is not only unnecessary but is misusing government coffers. UPND should be sued for such misappropriation.
This ministry is a thief of our hard-earned tax
Yes blame it on the PF! We know your incompetence…