Wednesday, April 24, 2024

There is real hunger in Luangwa- councillors

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Villagers  in Luangwa district are surviving on wild fruits as the price of maize  and mealie meal has become unaffordable to majority of them.

Civic leaders, who stormed the ZANIS office in the district today, said a critical shortage of food has hit the area, forcing people to  survive on wild fruits commonly known as Kapuku.

Luangwa district Council Chairman, Bruno  Phiri, who was accompanied by MMD District Secretary, Patrick Tembo and several other councillors, said there was real hunger in the district.

Mr. Tembo, who is also Kaunga Ward Councillor, said a 5 kg tin of maize corn was selling at K10,000 while Breakfast meal and Roller meal were going at K70,000 and K65,000 respectively which most of the villagers cannot afford.

The civic leaders appealed to Government to consider sending relief food or maize for sale before lives are lost.

Luangwa District Council chairman, Bruno Phiri, has also called on government to consider re-graveling the Luangwa D145 main road as it is already in a deplorable state.

Mr Phiri said the  main road was in a bad state and requires urgent attention before the on-set of the rains.

He said the road was the only link to other districts and if not worked on now,  the district will be cut off from the rest of the country, adding that food supplies and  farming implements will not reach the area.

The Luangwa D145 main road was last worked on in 2006 by Sable Contractors and it is now in a deplorable state, forcing transporters to hike transport fares.

119 COMMENTS

  1. Well they atleast have a lesson to learn, worry not people this only the beginning of your many sufferings with this government in place bwafya!!!

  2. Ya, what were you thinking when you were voting. You thought you would eat RB’s big cheeks? Go get them at state house ..good luck

  3. In as much as one might view the comments on this issue as being crude, they are not any where close to being rude they are total reflection of what we are going to experience as a nation the next two years…

    Things are going to be tough!!!

  4. people came and they told you not to vote for MMD you see. HH and SATA came mwanya lelo lelo.Go and get from RB.

  5. It is good for them since they wanted RB for presido,he gave them mealie-meal and other things that will last up to the next elections,let him reduce the price of mealie-meal,buns,cooking oil,salt and many other essential comodities.Come 2011 vote for him again and you will eat ‘building on promise’.It is ok since our people in rural areas understand economics better than us,we are learning something from them.Viva PF,Long live Sata the man of action,Pabwatoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!.

  6. Now you have finished your sugar and you are saying insala wait guys.when people in town are telling you you should understand ka.We know them.You were saying BANDA, BANDA, BANDA MWAONA agona manye.Me iam holpping that you just die simunvela.We told you MMD didnt win in towns but why you there?

  7. The funny thing is, Zambia is more than able to produce for its people, so who’s eating all the damn food? Probably the fat politicians all over the national assembly. Also, that colonialist Guy Scott, has he done anything sensible in the Lusaka central constituency?

  8. hunger is everywhere..matero,kanyama could be worse.better eat wild fruits than selling oneself’s body just to earn money for pamela–you useless pipo claiming to be in town.SHAMEEE..ON YOU.

    we must accept that we are not doing much on agriculture in zed yet we have plent water around.look at zambezi,kafue,laungwa river.lake kariba,bangweulu name them.all available for irrigations.

  9. Why don’t you all just become cannibals in Luangwa and eat up the great Toadface next time he comes round? He has a lot of fat rubbery flesh, especially around the neck and face. He can feed the whole Luangwa for one month. You voted him in, remember? That’s Toadface and the MMD for you.
    I’m surprised brown envelopes are not easily available these days, I wonder what happened? And where did all that sugar and oil suddenly disappear to? Maybe in 3 years’ time they’ll be back in circulation. For now you can feast on Kapuku and your own sh!t

  10. Ba kumumzhi, do you know why the tax payers from the urban regected MMD?! Simple corruption and lack of will power to deliver the intended to people of Zambia…

  11. Ala bane muleumfya ngabalemweba ati uyu nyama soya won’t do anything for u,yes its time to pay for yo sins of voting 4 mmd don’t even complain and don’t mek a mistake of asking for money for fertiliser let mmd give u everything up to 2011 wen u learn to choose right leaders.

  12. The result of MMD. Continue eating sugar, the unfortunate part is that he didnt even leave nyama soya atleast you would have survived, ba kamushi you should listen die,die,die

  13. there is still some more sugar and meal at RB’ residence ……..
    thse village chickens will never learn to agree with the intellectuals……always begging for donations…subsidies….corruption……. YOU WILL EAT WHAT YOU SOWED…….

  14. Please people hold your peace these people never voted the way it was portrayed. I promise you they are grieved just like everybody else, send them some food if you can honestly balefwilamo fye; paliye civic eductaion yamene baziba so dont punish them, they probably voted as they were ordered by their chiefs.

  15. Its not even a month and you’ve already started to complain. at least for now you can feed on the promise.VIVA NYAMA SOYA

  16. U DESERVE WHAT U ARE EATING………… U ASKED FOR IT AND LET IT BE GIVEN TO YOU AND IT SHALL BE WRITTEN…….mAY YOUR STOMACHS ENJOY THE FRUITS OF THE SEED YOU PLANTED

  17. I do not know whether to cry or laugh,they voted for MMD and RD. all bunch crooks did not want Sata why. Look at the way things are now. Then man had no plan just to be forced to be a president by crooks, how many time have you postpond the trips out side lusaka why at last minute. General Chisuzi were is he? you are alone to make decisions. KCM job loses what are going to do ba RB. this is the END of MMD with they tricks, they thought they were panishing SATA actualy bayifukwila umulilo pamakasa. now they dancing.

  18. Corruption poses a serious development challenge. In the political realm, it can seriously undermine democracy and good governance. Corruption in elections and in legislative bodies reduces accountability and representation in policymaking; corruption in the judiciary suspends the rule of law; and corruption in public administration results in the unequal provision of services. More generally, corruption weakens government institutions by disregarding official procedures, siphoning off the resources needed for development, and selecting or promoting officials without regard to performance. At the same time, corruption undermines the legitimacy of government and such democratic values as trus

  19. for the 3yrs that RB will be president,expect things to be worse in this country.these villagers are the same ones who voted for rb,so i think they shouldnt complain….let them eat wild fruits,its ok.

  20. #15 Osama bin Zed how are you boyi? where have you been.I thought LT recently reported that there is a bumper harvest in Eastern Province.Lelo ati muli insala owe Ba Banda do something before we bring fish,cassava,Maize and monkies as relief food.We are very rich in Luapula.so you mean you have finish all the mice in your area?

  21. #15 Osama bin Zed how are you boyi? where have you been.I thought LT recently reported that there is a bumper harvest in Eastern Province.Lelo ati muli insala owe Ba Banda do something before we bring fish,cassava,Maize and monkies as relief food.We are very rich in Luapula.so you mean you have finish all the mice in your area? We love you tribal cousins.

  22. i said it. hunger is everywhere in zed east,west south & north even in town in our homes talk of mealie-meal prices fellow bloggers its not only in villages lets admit we are working BUT as if we work for stones not ZMK.

  23. This is just the beginning of the many sufferings people will have to go through with this MMD. Just brace yourselves for hard times. You asked for it. Welcome to Mwadya Mweka Daddy.

  24. Does RB really care because people started talking about hunger and high prices about a week ago and he has not said anything. He has all three or five meals a day while others can’t even dream about that. He should say or do something about the issuies that are affecting the people right now. Now that Sata has said that RB has been caught in a web of lies, he will soon respond to Sata’s remarks not that he cares that people are starving.

  25. Villagers should stop making noise. We are fed up of their behaviour. They have plenty of land and water, they vote for MMD but are hungry. Only those from Southern, Luapula and parts of Northen provinces have realised that one can not eat Nyama soyas lies. Lusaka rural and copperbelt rural they voted for Nyama soya, let them eat him. I was in Zambia in July and August this year and there was really hunger in villages I have never seen in my life and that was just after harvest time. How about this time of the year? Oh my God help these villagers who pretend to be intelligent when it comes to voting but are suffering.we wonder how rural people can vote for MMD when they are most impoverished

  26. Mmmm hmmm,mwalafwa kunsala nomba,becasue mwalitemwisha ukubika pa kanwa lilyaline,selling the country to RB,Kamulongoti na chi Tetamashimba,ichakwata inkanda kumenso kwati ni nkanda yansofu..pali 2kg sugar,ne pinty lya saladi…musalule na ma kapuku yene ayo mwikute mwiepakishe.Mwamukolo fye,viva sata pa bwatttoooooooooooooo!

  27. Sata wouldn’t have done anything either. He is also a liar and a thug. Politicians are the same. RB is not the tight person to be in plot 1. But he is less evil than Sata. Zambians should vote wisely in 2011. Meanwhile the next 3 years will be terrible. But less terrible than if Sata was president.

  28. These people were busy enjoying drinking munkoyo with the sugar that was given to them.Now that the munkoyo is bitter they want assistance.Munya very soon you will be eating ba nyadule if at all there are any in you foodless homes.

    And for all of you planning on comming to lusaka forget it as there are no jobs. Ba makaka imwe

  29. Sata wouldnt have made a difference either. RB is not the right person in state house. But he is less evil than Sata. Sata is worse of a liar and thug. He changes like a chameleon. The next three years will be a tragedy to Zambia, but less tragic than if Sata was president. Politicians, LOL.

  30. RB is not intelligent and people can easily riot in Zambia. The post accused him of many things but he just said he was not going to answer even if he is provoked by some sectors of the press.A lot serious issues like hiked mealie meal prices are happening but the chap is quiet. this type of politics is very bad and shows that he is not sensitive to people’s problems. he has used all the money meant for disaster management from the vice president’s office.Cholera is already killing people even before proper onset of rain. It is such problems that make others join politics and have platform of telling Nyama soya to stop sleeping.The grand daughter wife is taking all his energy, it seems.

  31. My last words, you reap what you sow and in Nyama soya and the MMD Zambians will regret. Three years will be like a century. I am fed up of MMD and people like Tetamashimba behave lke dogs. Zambians are suffering but they continue brain washing vulnerable villagers. Denying people food is crime against humanity

  32. KCM retrenching of workers is very serious. According to close sources, it is in three phases.
    Phase one: Retrenchment of fixed term employees (Implemented).
    Phase Two: Retrenchment of worksmen(To happen in the next few weeks)
    Phase Three:Retrenchment of senior Managem,ent officials

    Whilst this is happening, KCM has brought alot of Ba Mwenye from India doing silly works which Zambians can easily do and are called expatriates and getting alot of money at the expense of Zambians.
    I would recommend that the send back to India the so called expatriates who are getting more six times what Zambians earns whilst enjoying incentives such as Cars, Huge Holiday allowances, free fuel………..

  33. #53 You are right where is the president, where is leadership here. Looks like this guys has gone to sleep. Over a week after he was sworn in still no Vice president. What is this guy doing? Sleeping?

  34. Banakamba ati more money in your pocket but bemve ndwiiii….. Now tizaona ine am working although the high prices are hitting me too but i can atleast try i just needed more money so i can even help bakumunzi but as it is am earning only for my nuclear family so sorry i cant help

  35. LUSAKA, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Zambia may import up to 100,000 tonnes of white maize to plug a deficit expected in the first quarter of 2009 after experiencing crop failure this year, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The imports will be the first in over four years when Zambia became a net exporter of white maize, having previously experienced maize deficits due partly to a combination of drought and floods and what industry officials at that time said were poor government agricultural policies. An industry official told Reuters that the state-run Food Reserve Agency (FRA) only had two months maize cover after Zambia’s total maize output declined…
    Brace yourselves for more hunger.

  36. ###55, God have mercy on Zambia. RB, wake up and send these indians to India. Nationalize KCM if management doesn’t change the situation there

  37. #49 can you please be issue based not like RB during campaiagns. Please enlighten us the educated who voted for sata why we should not have done so. am waiting and i will let you know why the majority voted for him. Am waiting………

  38. They are lucky that the rainy season has started, go out in the bush and chew amusuku, imfungo, amabungo….., be very careful as you pick those mushrooms because they can be poisonus.

    we told you to vote wisely but you did not listen, you will see, no more sugar and cheap fertilizer from state house.

    ifwe ni zee, yalikala.

  39. I’m really angry with our ruling party, especially the president. The ordinary citizens are crying over the mealie-meal prices and the high passport fees, but all our government does is reduce visa fees for tourists and keep quiet about our grievances. the president is occupied with lobbying for support within the party to assume the party presidency without going through a convention, at the expense of development for the people he claims to be leading.
    God bless Zambia.

  40. theres an economic crisis, so I guess these guys couldnt be spared. Only the fit survive! Most of the people who voted in MMD, voted out of peer pressure, without knowing that their friends had gotten the brown envelopes already. Lelo mwakulalya ifipaso nomba!!

  41. Hey Guys whatch it!
    consider the young ones who did not vote and the elders who have no voter’s cards. Dont say much.

  42. Thats RB for you. Am sure he is sleeping and doesnt know whats going on. Spectator can make a good president and Baby C = Veep

  43. #19 (Southern Power) You villager, point of advice: Starting living on water from those rivers when you run out of wild fruits ok?

  44. Latest –

    Losing US presidential hopeful Senator John MaCAIN has launched a presidential petition in the US supreme court, claiming that he saw Mr. Vernon J. Mwaanga somewhere in New York during the US presidential election, citing such things as vote rigging that led to the republicans not winning the elections.

  45. Is RB the only one in Govt such that if he cant comment on hunger and the prices of mealie meal, others too don’t. Why can’t the mulongotis, tetamashimbas, chitalas and the rest comment on these very vital issues? Are they only good at making noise on the party Presidency, and is it the only thing that matters to them?

  46. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. They voted in MMD and this is what they get. Those bags of mealie meal and packets of sugar have run out and now their bellies are empty. Serves them right!!! They are lucky the rainy season is here, at .least they can dig up some roots to feed on…

  47. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. They voted in MMD and this is what they get. Those bags of mealie meal and packets of sugar have run out and now their bellies are empty. Serves them right!!! They are lucky the rainy season is here, at least they can dig up some roots to feed on…

  48. #75 what do you expect from greedy people? as long as their children are not affected they will not say anything.Guys Have you seen one of the headlines mu times of zambia about pipo vying for veep?The goverment has managed to accomodate chiefs but they are unble to support pipo in villeges.what a shame.

  49. I don’t think its right that anyone of you laugh at the whole situation and blame politics. The problems in Luangwa began long before RB was voted president.LT i suggest you inform us more on the hunger situation in this country. maybe boma and stakeholders can intervene real soon to avoid loss of life. SAD indeed.

  50. funny how PF cadres think. they think that there is no hunger in Luapula, northern province, lusaka or even copper belt. this hunger is biting all of us. those that work heve to pay a little more for the same bag of mealie meal. you have to understand the geography of places like luangwa(feira), siavonga, chirundu, luano valley to appreciate their circumstances. was sata going to grow maize in luangwa to feed, siavonga. ABASH BEMBA MENTALITY, BE RATIONAL…

  51. Let the rural people know that,the suffering they are going through is just tip of an iceberg. there is more suffering coming.It is not even January or December yet.I can’t blame them because from what I know they never voted for RB and MMD,but Crooks or big kaponya namely; RB,VJ,Teta,Aka,mulongoti,Mbita etc cheated them.They pre voted for them.In fact most of these Villagers did not even register to vote.They were pre voted ballot papers exchanged for the real ballot papers.How can an opposition win when the presiding officer is MMD and reports to RB.

  52. If USA was in Africa, today’s papers (Headlines) would have something like:

    Don’t celebrate yet, McCain tells Obama
    Concede defeat, Obama urges McCain
    20 opposition cadres riot
    McCain demands vote recount
    Elections rigged
    No evidence of manipulation
    The Church declares elections free and fair
    Truck with suspected ballot papers crosses into USA from Mexico
    Election results for Arizona awaited

  53. A how the hell was Sata going to stop this starvation, continue barking from your ivory towers. be realistic. our rural pipo are suffering and all you can talk about sre politics. its over, lets just learn pressurise the current govt to be responsive to this serious problem. elections will only be held in 2011 mwebantu!

  54. #88 thats true I am a frequent flier to zambia and I was there during election times. that was the common observations noted in the zambian elections.Observers are just there in name.Where you there?

  55. let the poor die of hunger and anything that can kill them quickly. We are the caring government only needs their vote so that we can be given luxury vehicles and spend all the money buying the food at Manda Hill and when we get sick of over eating can go to South Africa for medication. The press should stop bothering us the ruling party about the poor people. Period. Maybe in 2011 they would be important for their vote.

  56. Let them die, that is what they chose by voting for a govt of movements. In any case there is alot of water,land and cheap fertilizer to grow food. Those who will manage to survive the hunger will be attended to in 2011.

  57. It puzzles me how people can live next to a river in a fertile land and still be poverty stricken, don’t send them food.. these are the same peasants who resell subsidized inputs and just hunt for ..koswe..instead of tilling the land

  58. MASAWA and more masawa. that’s what you wanted bane. and the red ink on your thumbs is not yet dry for voting RBB.

  59. Why do villagers fail to grow enough food to feed themselves? Their case is different from the unemployed in Kalisdale, Beardsdale, etc. Most if not all villagers have access to nice pieces of land which if well used can make them self-sufficient in terms of food security. On the other hand, while we understand that the world is going through an economic crisis, the situ on the hunger situation pa zed is to a large extent being exacerbated by leadership failure at all levels, the highest being that exhibited by RB. The man can’t distinguish between what is important and what is urgent for our country. He can’t even make a simple decison of choosing a VEEP.

  60. did i tell you that magande has tendered his resignation? nyama soya is delaying to respond to it so that it looks like he has just left him out of his cabinet.

  61. Kachepa iwe, you are at it again. tekanya B4 you say ouit lies. we will get the cabinet at that time. not from you kangaroo.

  62. Oil prices fell below $60 a barrel on Tuesday to their lowest level in 20 months, as weak economic growth has reduced consumption around the world.–it is not your chinyama soya who will reduce fuel prices. these are the international trends maka maka iwe #100.

  63. Mwakulalya fye ifipaso namaffi yanshonkonono ba vikara. Kulya ba k0lwe nomba. Kwikuta ifisushi fya ba k0swe. Kuchula na ba RB

  64. RB has nothing to do with rising food prices, the free market system that you voted for in 1991 along with FTJ means that the market decides the price of food.

    If the sellers believe its K100,000 and people still buy then its K100,0000. Calls for state intervention are a return to the KK times and the same hypocrites criticizing government will complain about subsidies later down the line.

    To all PF and UPND supporters, grow up and accept the fact that you LOST THE ELECTION because 6 out every 10 did not go out to vote. MOVE ON or go to Congo

  65. # 103 Is right, simple demand and supply determine the market prices… RB intervention means subsidizing inputs or mealie meal itself… what hes doing now is subsidize fertilizer so that production can be high . Reducing mealie meal prices directly is like going back to the Kaunda days..it will just benefit millers like GBM because they will start receiving public funds directly from government

  66. I wont be suprised if they voted for RB.One thing guys is that Luangwa district is not in Eastern Province.So he didnt take Sugar there. This is in Lusaka province.The second thing is that These people had a good MP earlier Patrick Ngoma who visted this area every weekend even though he was based in Lusaka when he became Minister of Lusaka Province and he was the only Person who had won as MP in lusaka province during the time Levy was there.But later he was removed Because i here Mrs.Mwanawasa didnt like him.So he is now an ambasador.He was asked to campaign for Charles Shawa who hasnt been working that hard for them.Mr.Ngoma always made sure there was enough food going there for his

  67. cont…people as this is also the place he grew up.He also did a number of developmental programes such as elecrifying the place, water and other things and encouraged to bring some tourism and investment.So there were good things.he was a man they trusted and work tiresless for his people i used to watch programes even on ZNBC as food delivery and other projects.I had even been to his office in Lusaka.So if they voted MMD it due to those ground which would mean it was a wise decision they made, as they had seen development.Ichintu ukwete chintu umwene. One bird is worth two into the bush.

  68. #75. hunter you are definately right these Guys are not commenting anything i think they have realised that they have failed from the very beginning i see RB’s tenure of office wil be all a failure. Because all so far things are all negative and he seems not to be doing anything about it.I just hope our economy wont be destroyed because we might end up to start at A again.Anyway let me condemn him before he really starts to work, even though he has strted already.

  69. good for you. you were told to vote wisely you. what happened to the donations have you already finished the sugar and mealie meal. hope you wont start troubling us now get a grip of yourselves and as they say you reap what you sow.

  70. Ala kaibili, sugar naipwa apapene?

    Do not worry, there will be some more coming in 3 years` time. lol!

    Mwalafwa ba shetani. Ine pe. Naka Stella kuminwe.

  71. YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND LUANGWA IS NOT IN EASTERN PROVINCE.WHY DO YOU KEEP ON SAYING THE SUGAR HAS FINISHED SUGAR WAS TAKEN TO EASTERN PROVINCE.lUANGWA IS IN LUSAKA PROVINCE.DID YOU DO SOCIAL STUDIES OR EVEN GEODRAPHY.TEKANYENI GUYS.

  72. I just come back from ITEZHI-TEZHI where i had gone for work. The situation there is not bareable. You voted for RB thinking he was going to give you fertelizer @ 50 pin where on earth. You always be complaining and thing are actually going to be bad. Expect worse things that what you are experiencing now. You are in trouble ba luangwa. [ kwasu kumawa ].

  73. As I recall, MMD ministers were falling over each other to try and explain that the distribution of sugar by Rupiah Banda was not an election stunt, but was planned much earlier. Now that the elections have h=come and gone and Rupiah has been “elected”; I wonder why that exercise of distributing food has also come to an end. I would have thought with the reported hunger spreading so fast, this would have been the right time to kick the exercise into top gear. Instead, I see the MMD is busy blaming millers for the soaring prices of mealie meal! Remember what brought down the Kaunda regime? I shall say no more.

  74. …Cont’d.
    On the other hand, I have no sympathy for the rural folks. Let them eat the votes they gave to Rupiah. I’m sure he will send ZAP to drop their votes to feed them. You didn’t seriously believe he would keep his election promise did you? If you did, you’re more f**lish than I thought!

  75. Those silly so-called civil leaders in Luangwa “stormed” the wrong office. Instead f storming ZANIS offices, they know where they can direct their anger as were as hunger: Rupiah’s office or Mulongoti and Tetamashimba’s offices.

  76. JUST SPICE SHREK’S FACE AND SLICE IT FOR VILLAGE CHILDREN TO EAT IF THEY HAVE APPETITE, THAT WILL KEEP THEM GOING FOR THREE YEARS.

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