We watched President Hakainde Hichilema on Tuesday, 19th March during what appeared like a ´special paid for´ appearance on CNN and BBC where he went on an international ´pity trip´ begging for international relief and blaming the looming hunger and starvation in Zambia on bad weather.
As United Kwacha Alliance(UKA), However, we want Zambians and the international community to know that we are in this unfortunate ‘starvation mode’ today due to poor planning and total systems failure by the Hichilema government NOT climate change, because:
1. Zambia would not have found itself in this embarrassing position of passing around the ´begging bowl´ for food from the international community if President Hichilema did not sell (export) the maize strategic reserves of 1.5 million metric tonnes.
2. The crop Mr Hichilema sold cheaply to our neighbouring countries and East Africa was grown over three farming seasons before he assumed office. It was reserved for a ‘proverbial rainy day’ like what we have right now.
3. Zambia would not be in this embarrassing food insufficient situation if President Hichilema had just listened to science and stakeholders that stated that Zambia and other countries in Southern African region would experience severe droughts. INSTEAD PRESIDENT HICHILEMA WENT IN ‘SELLING MODE’.
4. When stakeholders expressed concern about the selling of maize, Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri went before Parliament and opined that “We shall continue to export maize/mealie meal because we are food sufficient, we have enough maize.”
5. Official weather reports indicated that the rain pattern has shifted to the north. Instead of channeling resources to the north for a comparative maize and food harvest, Mr Hichilema seems to be in denial and thinks otherwise.
It was momentarily good to watch President Hichilema, normally a proud man, swallow his pride and declare the current drought a ´national disaster´ coming short of declaring a ´hunger disaster´.
However, we were dismayed to see his Chief Government Spokesman Mr. Cornelius Mweetwa stage a media trip to Southern province and paraded journalists before bags of maize and declare that “Zambia is food sufficient.”
In conclusion, we urge President Hichilema to accept responsibility that he acted irrationally when he exported maize to our neighbouring countries and East Africa at a low cost and will now start importing it at a HUGE cost.
Beyond acceptance, President Hichilema postulates that he is a man of integrity, UKA call for him to apologise and resign as Republican President for thrusting our people into poverty. He is not fit to be President.
President Hichilema must not mislead the international community with words like ‘climate change´ when it is pure personal failure to plan.
Sakwiba Sikota SC
Chairperson
United Kwacha Alliance
(UKA)
Bo Sakwiba Sekota, What happened to your party? You are still bitter that HH hammered you and later became president?
UKA is just a group of disgruntled, failed, bitter, corrupt politicians who are just interested in finishing what they stated. i.e empty Zambian confers.
It is cheap talk to think that CNN can be bought by HH. Your accusation of CNN being a corrupt News channel just shows how shallow your thinking is.
Why is HH not part of that UKA, what is wainting for?
Look in that picture, I can’t see anyone fit to be president of Zambia even in event that HH gets a stroke.
Those 8 are perfect ministers.
Since HH has no ministers, why can’t he appoint those UKA as ministers? they can’t refuse.
In most civilised countries politicians come to together and be supportive of the government and work to see how they can help to make things better for citizens. But alas, not in Zambia.
These desperate and pathetic individuals are wishing and hoping that a starvation situation happens in the country, so that they can laugh about it and play they usual blame game.
The 5 points they raise are just cheap political points which are unsubstantiated.
BEN, you are right , What you have said is what you would expect civilized people to be doing. unfortunately most of those others are just a bunch of crooks and indeed un……. , who are even failing to convince even birds in the air about civility of life
When did Sammy ever support the government? Even during Covid, Sammy was trying to get political mileage out of the pandemic.
Ala insoni ebuntu. What long and sustainable solutions did the pf pt and leave in place against draughts? if you talk and confess of corruption , thievery and leaving defaulted debts, i can give you an A+ Mark
Let him use the same money he got from selling our maize to buy the same mazie he sold Hehehehehe to be educated is not wisdom because wisdom come from God and not from reading books chapwa
The comments attacking Sikota just show how shallow Zambia has become. The point is, that this small “god” sold the maize in storage as though he controlled the climate. Some people are saying in developed countries opposition comes together. Yes, they do but Hakainde in opposition for almost 20 years told his MPs to walk out of parliament all the time. Are these bloggers with such small or short memories who can’t remember that their small god did not cooperate with anyone. In fact he shamelessly told PF not to hide behind climate change. Today he is parading himself as a begger to ask the imperialists to give him the grain shame.
@Choolwe Haantuba, try hard with a different narrative, what you state does not resonate with the Zambian people. Declare yourself as part of UKA (Uyu Kawalala Abwelanso) and select one of yourselves to stand against HH and let Zambian judge through the ballot paper. Currently, with the crop of Zambian recycled politicians do not come close to HH leadership. He is not perfect neither solved all the problems inherited, recycled politicians vying to come back, caused the mess HH is cleaning today. Zambians have not forgotten where they came from.
Your tone as leaders is very important and this goes to the UKA communication to repackage the message by speaking truth to power with respect and such language does not represent the Sakwiba Sikota brand and respect. We all need Kwacha but we should be responsible and respectful because this same social media will catch up with you and disappointed with the communication team for unprofessional tone, stay in UKA and see you in UKA in 2035
Zambia will not have a food problem. The harvest from the commercial farmers who switched back to maize farming will produce enough to avert hunger in the rural areas.
In urban areas the price of mealie meal will be high but that will mainly be due to the food demand in the region.
UKA can make some political capital out of the current situation.
But HH and UPND will have 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons to make headways in national food security.
United Kwacha Alliance(UKA are in this food fight only for political gain .Nothing altruistic or selfless about this tense verbal exchange.