OPPOSITION political parties, major trade unions, the Church and the Commuters’ Rights Association have hailed President Rupiah Banda for the launch of an all-round road refurbishment process in some selected parts of Lusaka as a process that will create a new path of th eeconomic development.
President Banda on Saturday launched a K300 billion project for the construction of roads in Lusaka to provide quality service to the Zambian people.
The president also said Government, through Zesco Limited would start providing solar panel geysers for free to its citizens while connection fee for electricity to homes had been spread to many months to reduce the impact and suppress the cost.
Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) secretary general Ozwell Munyenyembe said the gesture to improve road infrastructure would benefit the mine workers.
Mr Munyenyembe said the Zambian workers must support the efforts bythe Government and noted that some workers had failed to procure geysers for their homes because of the high costs.
Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba noted that the road rehabilitation project had come at the right time when economic activity was increasing in Zambia.
Mr Hikaumba appealed to the Government to scale up similar efforts in the rural areas to spread the benefits of development because some areaswere impassable.
United Liberal Party (ULP) secretary general, Langton Sichone said the Government should not lose focus following some destructive statements that development should not be given to the people because of elections.
Mr Sichone said the restructuring of connection fees for electricity and the provision of solar energy geysers to the people was a great initiative taking place for the first time in the history of Zambia and should be commended.
Mr Sichone said the MMD party was elected to deliver development to the people for a period of five years and the Constitution allows Government to construct roads even when there are elections taking place in the country.
Zambia Consumers Association (ZACA) commended Government’s decision to allow consumers to access electricity by paying a nominal fee as opposed to the past when the huge amounts of money were inhibiting access to electricity.
ZACA executive director Muyunda Ililonga said the move shows Government’s commitment to poverty reduction among the people of Zambia.
Mr Ilionga said the decision would also accelerate Zambia’s move towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number one on cutting poverty by half by the year 2015.
He said the introduction of prepaid meters by Zesco had helped the consumers and Zesco to conserve power which could now be spread to other users.
And the Christian Coalition spokesperson John Mwendapole commended President Banda’s relentless effort to develop thecountry through the rehabilitation of roads and easy access to electricity.
Mr Mwendapole said most houses in township areas have not been electrified for a long time and this would give them an opportunity to electrify their houses and venture into various businesses.
[ Times of Zambia ]
This is cheap propaganda by the Times of Zambia
Ver cheap indeed. For years now the Mufulira -Kitwe Road has been neglected and yet mines are making lots of prifit. Mufulira Ndola road is not passable at all. Shame on RB nad his supporters. CB is for Sata. Ni BOSI (Banda Out Sata In) this year
In 2001, Sata had no support.
In 2006, he was supported by FTJ.
In 2008, Sata stood against an untested leader in RB and MMD had very little time to prepare for elections.
in 2011, RB is well tested and trusted, MMD have had 3 years to prepare to win this election and literally everybody (including FTJ, KK, etc.) are behind RB.
Simple logic = he cannot lose the election this year. Try 2016 when MMD tries to usher in a new president.
Learn from Nigeria and you will see exactly what i say.
Furthermore, PF has been losing local government by-elections in Luapula which it used to win with a landslide. In Northern, the gap between MMD and PF is getting smaller with each and every by-election.
Sata came second in 2008 with landslide support in Northern, Luapula, Copperbelt and Lusaka. That is 4 out of 9 provinces! In the rest of the 5 provinces, he came last!
Now Copperbelt is being shared 50/50 as shown in the last by election and Lusaka is disgruntled with Sata and PF’s homo stance! Today, MMD can mobilize cadres in Lusaka yet a few years ago, Lusaka was a no go area!
Sata should expect to get only 15 to 25% of the vote this year. HH may even beat him with landslides in Southern Province. As for RB, this is his 2nd term bid and he intends to take over 60% of the vote.
I do not know if I am biased or not. I travel a lot throughout the country but I have not seen any new roads being talked about. Over 50% of the roads I use are in very bad shape.
Its obvious RB is winning. The Satan wants to recruit retired army, police and politicians to stablise the country according to his Post paper. Th kicks of the dying horse.
Good luck RB bit take note of the positive criticism as it comes. You are on the right path. I need a job too but mine is a continued support to small scale farmers
Most of the roads in Lusaka were built by KK and they have never been worked on, they are in a very bad state. It is a good thing that finally, someone thought of doing something about the bad roads. This is  a very good thing, good job RB.Â
Keep yapping ba some of us; and keep praising your kateka for the work that he is paid to do anyway. Ni time yenu, our time will come. Just remember we own nothing so we lose nothing. You own everything so when zambia is on fire you will lose more. Kuya bebele chitole chakwe
Eee kuya bebele ch1t0le chakwe
There is nothing extra-ordinary here! Citizens pay taxes to ensure govt does its job; part of that job is to see to it that roads, hospitals, schools, etc are in excellent condition. If he had taken this move a year ago or so; this action could have been well commended. At this stage, RB’s move can be construed as politically motivated. We need selfless leaders whose focus is on the people of Zambia; I think we have a long way to go to get that type of leadership.
“…. contrued as politically motivated.” RB’s profession is POLITICS…. So he is a POLITICIAN… as long as he is in politics all he/MMD will do is to ensure retain and improve his/their position regarldless at what stage/time of the year it will be. This will be done by taking development to the people and it will be upto the people to judge whether they still need him/MMD or not. All his action are politically motivated same as Sata, HH and the rest of the politicians.
Yes, but Lusaka is not Zambia. Stop thinking like children.
#10, i dont understand what you r talking about. the term for RB is up to November 2011, therefore he has been working from January todate. Development can even come on the voting day it doesnt matter. Last season RB Gov recorded a bumper harvest, even this season he has recorded another bumper harvest is this because of the election year? Are you saying during an election year work by the Gov should come to a stand still and GOV goes on holiday? Please give credit where it is due. In the ten years the Cobra was in Gov he never worked on these roads, so RB is doing a good job and he should be commended and supported.
Sata Chibontaila @ 12, sory you you didn’t get what I said @ 10; let me put it in another way: Firstly, I am no supporter of Sata, apart from the fact he tried his best when he was governor of Lusaka. Yes development should not stall because it is an election year; however, politics being what it is, people will construe his actions now as a political gimmick. Politicians who mean well will start their compaigns well before the whisle is blown- this would, to a large extent, make people believe in their leader. Have you noted how politicians go to visit their contituencies in the year of the elections? In short, this an election year and whatever he does, it will be received with mixed feelings- is it really meant from the bottom of his heart? people will ask!
#12 RB did not record a bumper harvest. We have just had good rains for the past few years. Wait until we have a drought and see if there is anything RB can do about it. The bottom line for us that pay taxes( 35% plus) we are seeing how our money is being used to blind people on ZNBC which we pay a separate levy for and how cheap Chinese structures are being constructed within a short time. These structures will not be of any use after elections. Those that will not be completed by then will go to sleep for another five years. RB is running a screen saver kind of life and real life is coming after election, poverty, unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure, cholera and shortage of medicines in the so called modern hospitals.