Kitwe’s independent Nkana Member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu has warned that mealie meal shortages coupled with rampant smuggling of the staple food has the potential to bring civil strife in the country.
A critical shortage of mealie meal has hit some parts of the country in particular Copperbelt Province where people are lining up to buy the commodity in retail shops.
Mealie meal shortages in Chililabombwe, Mufulira, Kitwe, Chingola and Ndola have resulted in retailers selling the staple food at exorbitant prices as smuggling to DR Congo compounds the situation.
In his latest comment on mealie meal shortage, Mr. Mpundu said Zambians need to unite to find a solution to the food crisis.
He said the situation has reached a point where every citizen must get involved in fighting the rampant smuggling of mealie meal.
Mr. Mpundu emphasised that food security must be a top priority for any government arguing that unfortunately Zambians got carried away by playing cheap politics as the mealie meal situation was worsening.
“We need to unite to find a solution to the food crisis. It is no longer a secret that the mealie meal problem is a crisis if not an emergence already. Food security must be a top priority for any government. Unfortunately we got carried away playing cheap politics but look, the damage is already done and now is the time to remedy the situation. We have reached a point where every citizen must get involved in fighting the Rampant smuggling of mealie meal. Everyone who is involved in the smuggling of mealie meal must stop right now because this now will no longer be fight by law enforcement officers alone but a fight by all citizens,” Mr. Mpundu said.
The Nkana Constituency lawmaker announced that he is forming a private crack squad of young men who will start looking out for smugglers.
“I personally will constitute a private crack squad of young men who will start watching out for smugglers and all those officials who are reportedly involved will be fished out and we will deal with you ourselves because we know you will walk away from the police easily. Yes you have heard me, we will start dealing with smugglers ourselves because if not handled properly this situation can bring civil strife but before that happens let us all get to work to protect the peace of our country. Note that we are all getting involved now to help clean up a mess created because of pride and incompetence but next time we will mobilize people to force an incompetent official to resign on their own,” Mr. Mpundu said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mpundu said he will move a motion when Parliament resumes against the Minister of Agriculture Reuben Phiri and his Health counterpart Sylvia Masebo for allegedly misleading the house on the food and drug situation respectively.
“When parliament resumes it will move a motion of centre on the minister of agriculture and health for misleading the house and the country on the food and drug situation .If not checked the minister of agriculture can plunge this country into chaos for deliberately misleading parliament and the country over the food situation. Now that the Zambia biodiversity agency has expressed reservations over the importation of mealie meal for fear of importing GMO’s, what will Hon Mutolo do to arrest the food shortages.”
“Similarly I will move a motion of censure on Hon Masebo for misleading the house on the drug situation in the country. Every one recalls how she and the members on the right rubbished a parliamentary committee on health’ report that informed the house of the serious drug shortage situation in all health facilities. But reality on the ground is that there is a serious drug shortage in health facilities. This country needs seriousness and I will not sit and watch people mandated to serve people play games. Time has come for citizens to demand accountability on all of us they have mandated to provide leadership to rise to the occasion and do our jobs. We all know the consequences of the lapses in addressing the food and drug shortages because our lives depend highly on these two,” Mr. Mpundu said.
The problem with chaps like Binwell the equate civil strife to the return of PF …how laughable really …PF has lamentably failed to elect a new leader how do you expect to lead a country.
Iam on the sideline
Haven’t you paid attention that the only ones that warn of civil strife are PF and theirs? It reminds me of UNIP when it lost power. KK warned repeated and when that didn’t come he asked, where are those that rioted, mothers and marketeers? At one point he retorted when he was reminded that the country was developing and had goods on the shelves: people are just loku luku luku with no money.”
Well, we are still here! Please offer solutions than be an agent of doom all the time. Get a life
@Tarino Orange and Joseph+Mwansa must have been small boys under KK’s reign when Mwamba Luchembe mounted a coup d’état over mealie-meal shortage in 1988. History has a tendency of repeating itself. Don’t Bally bury his head in the sand like a proverbial Ostrich.
FJT was also shaken by Cpt Solo in 1997 over the same crisis.
You are mistaken you have completed no idea how and why Lieutenant Christopher Mwamba Luchembe mounted the coup…it was more to do with the 26 year one party rule of KK than maize meal. Dont come here to dupe the young one to come and smear peanut butter on historical facts to suit your narrative.
Watch this short clip.. to jog your memory.
youtube.com/watch?v=jz4IAf6UivQ
Forget Luchembe Mealie Meal price increase in 1988 started food riots in Kitwe, Mufulira, Ndola before UNZA students joined in Kalingalinga. The unrest gave birth to MMD some 18 months later. KK was to be removed by akabwali.
Dont play with the staple.
This has been a trend since 2016