Acting President Dr Guy Scott this morning visited Mr. Price store at Manda Hill Shopping Mall in Lusaka.This was after Dr Scott received information that Mr. Price workers had been stopped from voting.
But one of Mr. Price senior managers refuted the claims that their workers have been stopped from voting.
He explained that the workers are in groups and the first group went to cast their votes and the rest will go at 14 hrs.
Tuesday, January 20 2015 was declared a public holiday.
Meanwhile in Solwezi some employees have been denied their right to voters cast their votes in the presidential by-election.
A snap survey conducted by ZANIS in the central business district revealed that some shops were open and conducting business normally.
Some workers who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization told ZANIS that they had been denied chance to travel to their various places to cast their votes by their employers thereby de-franchizing them.
Casting of votes in today’s presidential by-election has started on a low note in Solwezi district with most rural polling stations recording low turnout.
At Luamala basic school in Solwezi East constituency 139 people had cast their votes out of 2091 registered while at Kikombe basic school in Solwezi central constituency 600 had cast their votes out of the registered 2,925 and at Mutanda mission polling station in Solwezi West 30 out of 805 registered voters had cast their votes by press time.
District Electoral officer Venture Kafula said all polling stations opened at 06:00hours and described the turnout as fair and peaceful in most polling stations.
Mr Kafula said the turnout is expected to improve later in the day as most people had gone out into the fields.
Solwezi district has three constituencies namely Solwezi Central, Solwezi East and Solwezi West with combined totals of 98 polling stations and 106,626 registered voters.
I wish this man was a president of Zambia. I think we wouldn’t be where we are now.
Well done Dr Scott, these are the same imperialist businesses along the likes of Zambia Sugar, Zambeef, Mpopani, Gamestores, Shoprite, Lafarge etc that have long taken Zambians for a ride..under EL expect things to change starting with a good sacking of the likes of Shamenda a hopeless minister if there can ever be one!!!!
Mediocrity, stupidity and backwardness in Zambia. The store manager has a plan to rotate staff on shifts. Why should the country and business shut down because of an election? I voted by 6:30 and wanted to do my groceries and all the damn supermarkets in Lusaka are closed. What kind of nonsense is this? And some are saying, it is patriotism!
Ba Obatala ubufi, where did you vote kanshi? You’re outside Zambia and you come up with this stu.pid contribution of you voting at 6:30 while you’re miles away from Zambia. Did you go on Chimbwi to vote? Kolwe, spare us with your idio.cy please.
We are in the final hours of rule of law and transparency. Tomorrow we will be back to the Stone Age, respective of who wins.
Guy Scott maybe a good and educated man but he is M’membe’s puppet and a shameless liar. He is on record before Parliament lying that Sata was fit, working and woeing investors in Israel, while Sata was on his death bed.
Equally, you do not need a whole day off in order to cast a vote. What kind of society is this where any excuse leads to a public holiday? No wonder the best investment in Zambia is in beer trade.
Not everyone wants to vote and not everyone has a voters card. Employees should allow those workers with voters cards, adequate time to exercise their democratic right to cast their votes, either before reporting for work or on their way home. A day off in utter nonsense and unproductive.
Ba MM Le Grand Patron – This is a useless man naimwe. He just swallowed his pride when Zambians stood up against his nonsense. He hates Edgar so much that he has given Edgar’s campaign lackluster support. Had it no been for RB, Edgar would have failed to campaign. And, by the way, it is RB that this same character was insulting in Chipata not long ago. Let him just get out.
Well said, me too
@MM Le Grand 1
For sure mai Guy Scott is really a Patriotic man. I like him so much.
MAY THE BEST CANDIDATE win the Election as the campaign time is over.
amai is for women please speak your language ,why are you guys so ashamed of using Badaaaala .
Others are registered from other towns/provinces how can they go to kasama from lusaka and back within 6hrs.
@Spongebob,
Some people use what is known as “common sense”. And can easily be applied in your dilemma. Every Zambian has a democratic right to vote and therefore every effort should be made to allow employees to vote. Those voters registered elsewhere can have a day off it’s understood. But those should be very few and should not disrupt business. If indeed Mr Price put staff on a rota to allow them time to vote, then they are a responsible employee and better thinking than Guy Scott. But obviously those that don’t appreciate that it’s the sales that pay your wages and pay for taxes will see it differently. Reduce pay by a day for time owed for voting and the same people will be the first to rise in arms. Civility is the key to unlocking potential
You force them to jump into flight HH2015
Good move dr scott
Is there really a need for a public holiday to vote? Besides some people don’t even vote. What happens to production then? Most countries do not declare Election Day as a holiday. We should begin to count days like today in terms of loss of earnings in companies and we will be shocked.
What she happen is for employers to allow employees to go and vote.
I love you Guy! You are Zambian for a very essential purpose! South African businessmen and investors have to learn of Zambia a free country and a haven for all.
mr price why nt repectn our voting day wat if som wantd to travel out.bad investor
I seen pipo who dont beleive in themselves saying oyu Muzungu is a good leader and they wish he would have been president but they are forgetting his lies few months ago about the health of late President Sata that he was well and working. Shame on you guyz us we compete with these white Muzungus in Diaspora for the sake of the children. Africa should redeem itself from Economic slavery
Been following your comments over the past eight weeks now and what comes to mind is, as a people, is let’s shun tribalism if Africa is to forge ahead. However, some comments were what I would call ‘constructive” while others were really frightening to say the least. Good luck & all the best though.
So what this government is telling the business people is that the workers shouldn’t work but they should still be paid and where the business owners find the money to pay the workers is none of the workers’ concern and government does care either? What a country! Workers taking turns to go and vote would have been a better option!
@8 T Woods,
You are spot on! Some are calling South African companies ‘imperialist businesses’ forgetting that these are the same employers providing thousands of Zambians with a livelihood both in SA and in Zambia.
The painful truth is that SA controls a big chunk of Zambian economy and it will remain so until state house policies change.
Zambia with its begging bowl cannot afford a public holiday to cast a vote. Imagine how many man-hours will be lost today. Even here in the UK that is ever done.
So, because they provide jobs to Zambians, they are not imperialist?
Is it by force!?
We hope this declaration of 20th
January a public holiday remains forever.
@Twaya, If you stopped work, then everyday can be a holiday for you. Why not try it? Then your employer can have a chance to employ someone more deserving!
My wee Scot, you are a great wee man, aye. God bless you pal
just shows that Zambia needs to invest in Zambian companies, otherwise, this crap will continue – we only have us to blame.