This is amazing!
These guys have really spent some time to empower local businesses and jump start a deteriorating local economy.
Why everyone is grumbling about the lack of fuel I do not understand. For they do not see the bigger picture that has been created by our great minds.
If you think not, look at these obvious benefits for us common citizenry…..
1.Aptly planed for the month of October, when it is hot, hot. Almost every filling station has not only a queue of gas hunters but a queue of ice cream, ice lollies, frozen mineral water and other refreshment sellers. All experiencing a sales boom on weekends and weekdays alike during a financial meltdown. Consider that these same peeps would normally have stocks going bad all over the show…
2.Cell Phone Companies that contribute so much of their bottom line to local communities(?) are also experiencing their own boom. In place of lackluster sales, they have people calling, calling and SMS’ing each other “where is fuel?” “just seen a tanker headed for Kalingalinga”, “Petroda boyi, endesa” or just simply “what the ***is this S***! I have been in queue for over 6 hours. I tell you I am applying for a green card this year. This country has gone to the dogs” (this is the rare SMS full of nothing positively information and totally unpatriotic. Especially in this month of independence).
3.Local transporters are making a killing. Just ask how much cab fare is lately…
4.Increased health for citizens. Do you know how many calories you burn to push a car? A LOT
Especially if you have been spoiled with walking from your chair in your office into the chair in your car into your living room chair. Now you can exercise, lower your cholesterol, BP and a whole bunch other stuff.
5.Improves rational planning. Why do you live so far away from work or your children’s school? Why are your kids at separate schools? Rational planning will help you live closer to both work and your children schools (e.g. if your children go to ISL, get a job at Polo Grill and rent an apartment at National assembly Motel), put all your kids at one school (it doesn’t matter if they are at different levels. And don’t space them too far apart neither!)
6. Kids need more holiday time. Yes they do. It doesn’t matter if they just came out of their mid term break, they need a couple more days at home with their…………. whoever is at home not looking for gas!
7. Camaraderie. Have you seen the bonding at these fueling lines? Amazing. Zambians are getting along better than at a Kalusha Bwalya captained soccer game at independence stadium (when Zambia is winning of course). A few party poopers that try to jump a queue help show this as everyone downstream will clammer out of their cars to beat them up. One guy gets beaten to a pulp and learns a valuable lesson – 50 guys develop a brotherhood for life. Win-win all round!
8. Meditation a.k.a. Nobody watches the grass anymore. In the other moments between building this comraderie (or getting pulped), one can either drain their car battery (listen to radio/music), take a nap (can you? In this heat?) Or stare blindly into space. You gain an inner peace and appreciate what those unemployed bhuddist monks means by enlightenment – sheer and utter boredom flavored with immense inner range (masked as peace)!
9. Know the geography of your town. If you do not know where the latest Petroda filling station that has yet to open up its full cache of reserves, you better get some maps now!!! This test is for real!
10. The environment – reduction of green house emissions. Self explanatory
There may be others – less traffic congestion, less accidents (corollary) too numerous to mention.
So please send an email of appreciation to your teams at the Energy Regulation Board, Ministry of Energy and Water Deployment and your entire Zambia leadership for “thinking outside the box”
HAPPY 45TH INDEPENDENCE Y’ALL!!!!!
LT Blogger
Indeed , Zambia is the real Africa.. whatever you can think of…..
The real africa my ass, more like the real poverty!
crazy stuff.when are we going to say enough is enough?
Should I laugh or should I cry? The LT blogger must have been tipsy when he was writing this article – or was “thinking outside the bottle?”.
real africa means that its, A poverty stricken third world country where the masses are so poor many can not afford a decent meal daily… people have no access to clean water, and many other etc..etc…
Number 5 – “Zamglish”, you are brilliant. That’s actually what Africa means in the developed world. Only that you left out a few more attributes, Corruption, Disease, Poor infrastructure, Insecurity, Very powerful politicians, etc, etc. Mmm, not so good a logo to attract anyone, at least not me babe. ZNTB, change you funny logo to something better. Please.
and where the white man is king regardless of how poor he is where he comes from. even an untouchable indian or third cast indian can be called bwana. when in his country he has to leave a chair at the resturant for his upamwamba fellow indian. it is a pitty.
So long as people are still bebeshaling mbaula’s and nsimbi’s to malasha iron their shirts Zambia wll always be the real africa. Thats what makes zambian special independence is about celebraton it’s not about mourning you don’t have the white man’s life. If you want the white man’s life become imperialists and have colonies
you may have petrol shortages don’t be mistaken poverty is in every country even usa some percent of population is hand to mouth.social mobility is a mirage some of this schools produce kids who cant read nor write anything meaningful.
Bright Banda, from your contribution two things I have concluded. 1. You are under age, and therefore you dont know how like was in the 60s. Todays poverty levels have trebbled. 2 You dont travel outside Zambia for you to be asking yourself why people of Zambia are so poor and yet the population is only 12million. Zambia is a very very rich nation but over 80% of Zambians are destitutes. There is unfair distribution of wealth because our Institutions are mismanaged and corrupt. Engineers and doctors struggle to buy a simple bicycle, let alone a motorcycle.
Like the author,i to think that a little sense of humour takes out the sting in this crisis.
Well done mate!!With optimism, We shall overcome indeed.
Large corporations also took the opprtunity to advertise their Banks by giving out free water and T shirts.Lets ask the Zims how they have been coping.LOL
Zambia is a land of opportunities so I think the moto of Zambia the real Africa is fitting for marketing. If Zambia was as poor as some of you make it out to be foreigners would not be investing billions of dollars.
We just need good leader and management of the country.
Please do not bad mouth my Zambia.
this is rubbish.
BA LT, MAY YOU GIVE US LIVE TESTING ON THE GAME ZAMBIA VS NAMIBIA PLEASE
LMFBNAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I enjoyed jumping on a mini-bus after a long time. There was no conjection or drivers in blue misbehaving like usual. Bus were moving very fast and passengers were all over. I wish this shortage had continued abit. Cashing by taxi and mini bus drivers was above normal. Now we are getting abck to normal situation.