This recent fuel pump price hike signifies an economic collapse that will further inflict more pain to our people in terms of survival and here is the simple reason why.
As a result of poor planning and maintenance of ZESCO generation equipment the PF government is currently implementing unprecedented levels of electricity load shedding. This is despite supposedly having injected huge amounts of borrowed Eurobond bond money into ZESCO.
As an alternative measure, Zambians at various levels from domestic to industry have resorted to using alternative electricity sources such as gensets that use fuel for production. These machines use fuel, which the PF has now increased the price of precisely when one would have expected a reduction.
[pullquote]PF government will hoodwink us by reducing fuel next year towards elections[/pullquote]
This fuel price increase will now mean a further reduction on economic activities as production costs will escalate further. This situation will automatically lead to price increases on all goods and services, causing a further rise to the already very high cost of living.
A genuine government that is currently facing bankruptcy and cares for its citizens would have considered taking pay-cuts by President Edgar Lungu himself and his cabinet.
President Lungu is currently the only happy Zambian getting double salary as Republican President as well as Defence Minister and at the same time travelling and getting allowances together with the large cabinet that he should have been considering reducing as one cost saving measure, among others.
Zambia can do better than the current PF government. There are leaders that care for their shrinking economies, such as newly elected Nigerian President General Buhari who this week cut his salary by 50 percent to demonstrate that he is also tightening his belt having inherited a bankrupt economy.
In the face of all these price increases, the only thing that has remained stagnant and frozen are people’s salaries and lack of employment opportunities, especially for the youths.
What is even worse is that the sharp fall on the Kwacha that has finally breached the K8 to US$1 due to poor economic performance will put a further strain in an import dependent economy that will affect even small businesses such as cross-border traders.This increase will equally push transportation costs higher at a time farmers are moving their produce to the market as the PF government has so far refused to buy their agricultural produce.
This fuel increase, coming at a time the price of oil prices on the international market are coming down, is totally unjustifiable. The price of Brent crude fell sharply last year from US$115 a barrel in June to US$45 a barrel in January (see here.
As Zambians, we should now brace ourselves for more job loses due to the ever-shrinking economy. But make no mistake, the same PF government will hoodwink us by reducing fuel next year towards elections purely to solicit for your votes like they did towards the January 20th elections.
For motorists, transporters, minibuses, and tax-drivers, it is double tragedy as the PF government have also increased Road Tax licenses thereby making it difficult to operate your vehicles.
While we blame those in government for reckless decisions, it is time we as voters also shoulder the blame for electing people who openly confess they have no vision.
It is high time we took a deep reflection on our political choices and for once think of the bigger picture and put national interest ahead of our trivial and petty political persuasions based on imaginary boundaries within our country.
Have a great day and God bless you.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
Personally AM GLAD LET PF chock you with so many surprises, thats what we voted for. VIVA PF AND LUNGU
Indominus Rex bites again. Sitting here listening to Al Jazeera that is reporting that oil prices have fallen and are expected to fall further. Enjoy The movie!
only a bemba will be happy seeing the country being destroyed as long as it is his tribesmen doing the destroying and stealing..
Tell them, bauze those voters who don’t think when voting. They should fell it more than this. Bad days are coming under PF
We surely deserve what we are getting.
Lungu cannot be faulted; he honestly told us he had no plan/vision, but we still went ahead and voted for him. What do you expect?
Chikwandasorus Rex: A genetically modified dinosaur designed to ravage economies. Roar roar munch munch munch. Enjoy bena Zambia. Let them eat cake…..
Dont worry citizens, fuel will be reduced again a month before next general elections and increased again after you vote. Ha ha ha Zambians doing the same things and expecting different results. Enjoy………… these are truly unprecedented developments………… (using deadnbc English). Enjoy
HH keep kicking the can down the road and see if it helps any one!
Lungi our great leader aka Free Man of Blantrye, where art thou in this time of need? Another fuel price hike has hit your poor people of Zambia.
Please pour unto us a saving strategy garnered from your many travels abroad attending independence celebrations. Save us please!!!
Yesterday the global prices for oil fall to a new low due to the Nuclear Deal between Iran and major powers. This implied more oil into the international market. The Greece out come on the bailout was favorable too, which meant crude oil prices falling slightly too. PF is really depending on the ignorance of people on this matter. The truth is that the economy is not performing well due to a number of intrinsic factors such as over expenditure, failure to focus economically and huge cabinet in place.
In politics you can either choose the right leaders to do the right things or elect the wrong leaders and beg them to do the right thing.
Concentrate on funding your tribal meeting. You as an economist you are supposed to be the first one to sit down with your colleague to help find solutions. You think you can only help when you become President. Time to show the people what you can do. Mind you your leadership has never been tried not even at ward level keep on ranting.
You want other pipo to find solutions for this useless sitting PF government ? if they are the government why should other pipo do their jobs for which they get big salaries ? we citizens observe and comment. Also if you talk too much sense, the bembas start saying you are treasonous. All they can come up with is building piramides for past presidents and suggestions of alternative energies and electricity from ships parked in oceans
Chris what ever you call your self, just shut-up if you are an empty calabash that makes noise. Many Zambians are suffering after 50 years, load sheading is the order of the day, kwacha has lost value, because of bad polices (Wako ni Wako). Chiis we now you are eating with them, so stop mocking and continue eating and enjoying. One day God will hear our cries and will come to our aid by giving us good leadership.
@Chris, why should you expect HH to to work on the economy whilst Lungu takes the credit for doing nothing. You made your choice at the ballot box last January by voting for a visionless leader, so enjoy the consequences.
Hakainde, you’re too much of yourself you cheap “politician”! Brace for another defeat next year. The quagmire Zambia has found itself in has its foundations for years. You can’t blame the current government for whatever you think is wrong. Your mouth is stinking; kindly shut it up!
People let’s be reasonable when commenting, we should not regionalize this fuel issue. HH gave this statement because he is Zambian and not Tonga. It bothers me so much each time I read childish comments. please if we do not have issue based comments lets be quiet. do not show us your social levels
Hahahahahahahah … only Govt can implememt solutions chiimbwi please
This is the kind of stupidity which will leave us poor!!! Why are you blaming HH for not helping? You think that the stupid drunk Edgar Lungu will listen to HH if he gives the advice? Do you think this drunk Edgar has the right team to implement anything??? This is stupidly ridiculous!!! Shut your gob and eat grass!!!
HH sometimes doesn’t understand what he himself says. How do you blame the PF government for everything that happens world wide. Fuel price increases are everywhere. What kind of an economist are you? If UPND was in government it would have been the same my friend. Wake up. That’s why its difficult for you to win elections in Zambia because you condemn even where its not necessary to do so. When the oil prices fall at the source, how do you expect the government to reduce the price of fuel? I don’t see you winning elections in 2016. Remember too much ranting doesn’t cook rice. Tone down mate otherwise you are bound for another failure come 2016. EL is working and people are appreciating and that’s how Zambian politics work. You are busy condemning your friends without offering…
My name is Vodkar Jameson Agwa Lungu, eeeh eeeh my vision ,I have no serious vision except that of Mr Sata.My other vision is to work with RB and ensure that we make Zambia poor.
There he goes again. SA has had 4 fuel hikes this year. First find out why the hikes! A government that doesn’t want to lose an election cannot increase prices of commodities without reason. Anyway KULA UMONE. MMD cheated us in 1991 that food prices would come down if we voted for them. At that time mealie meal was K5 per 25 Kg. But soon after MMD came to power the price jumped to K25 per 25Kg. The rest is history. UKULANDA KWALYANGUKA
Zambia is not South Africa. South Africa’s economy is very different from ours. Zambians suffer more with every increment more than South Africans because we are poorer than them. Besides South African fuel is at 13 Rands which is about K7. The bible says those who compare themselves amongst themselves are fools. Should my children not eat because my neighbor is starving? Lets call a spade a spade. Our current government is not equal to the task of our current challenges.
It suits you to compare Zambia’s failures to other countries successes. Try this Hakaivotala Humwine all he will give are excuses.
@Ndaje – South Africa under Jacob Zuma is headed for disaster. You better start looking elsewhere forcomparisons. Otherwise you might just tell us it’s okay to have loadshedding because South Africa has a similar problem.
Find success stories to compare with instead of being content because of the disaster looming in the neighbourhood!
Shallowness is all we expect from PF dunderhead cadres like you so nothing new here. At least I can respect PF cadres like Peter coz I have seen that he is commenting objectively now because he has seen that things are going to sh!t under PF and Lungu. Your motivation to be blind as far as I can conclude is that somehow you are connected to PF maybe through these diplomatic postings and your butt is scared for your job. Emmanuel Mwamba, is that you?
Ndaje using your logic, If your neighbours daughter is a prostitute will your aim be to train yours to be one too?
Calculator culture in a utopic, myopic and reactive mode. That’s UPND at its best
IN 1991 THE ZAMBIAN ECONOMY HAD COLLAPSED BEYOND REPAIR AND WHEN MMD CAME INTO POWER THINGS IMPROVED , PLEASE DONT CHEAT PEOPLE.
I’m sitting here imagining how the PF folks would have mauled Hakainde if he was president today. In Zambia we have never seen such unprecedented happenings ever since this country (oops! sorry concept) came into existence.
Can you imagine if the unprecedented power cuts were done by UPND and Kambwili was spokesperson for opposition PF?
Can you imagine how Hakainde would have been mauled and swallowed by opposition PF for increasing the fuel twice in six months? Can you?
Can you imagine if that cadre who used his car to plow citizens at the magistrate court in Lusaka was a UPND cadre and those maimed in that incident were PF members? Can you? Can you imagine how Hakainde would have been vilified if Banda was left of the hook by Hakainde’s courts? Can you?
Lessons in indeed!
so what is your point if any Sir?
@Chris…
The government of Zambia does not have a cabinet or ministries that provide for the input of the opposition. What kind of ignorance are you displaying in your comment? For your information deputy ministers do not make decisions in ministries in case you think the opposition can use their MPs appointed into government. Besides these opposition mps were appointed against the wish of their sponsoring parties. With this kind of ignorance we shall go nowhere. Even the hourable members of the government you are trying to support must be embarrassed by your level of ignorance.
I feel sad for my brothers and sisters in Christ that daily struggle to meet their daily needs and yet support this useless government. SHAME …. viva Chagwa, viva less money in our pockets, viva wage freeze, viva employment freeze, viva power load shedding, viva fuel changanya smuggling, viva useless cadres, viva-viva more money in PF’s pockets.
@Chris you are the most useless person I have heard in my life, you are worse than feaces.
There is no Good Leadership that can manage to run a party and to be a succeful Businessman like HH.
HH is the only solution to the economy of Zambia.remmeber he said once he is voted into office he will sacrifice his salary .
Walipena iwe! Where did you test Hakainde’s government leadership qualities. Being successful in business doesn’t entail a successful political leader. Constain Chilala, Bill Gates, Dangote and many more are successful business men. Have you ever heard them talk about politics! You must have a very small brain. Wake up!
@Basket mouth. How can HH be the only solution to the Zambian economy when all he has known is to make money for himself not forgetting the liquidation of the country’s parastatals to benefit himself whilst throwing many Zambians on the streets and sending some of them to their early graves? Can a character who has a history of working for himself be expected to work for others? Show us evidence of HH’s service to the public. This is one bozo who even takes away land from our rural poor for his animals to graze on whilst he also fences of water sources for his animals to drink from. And you call such a character a saviour. Come on, tell us something different! We have heard enough about this fake Moses.
Our God has spoken the best economist so far.
Comparing GOD to HH, mmm guys those are extremes now; though he has made his points in his press release!
This is bull sheet iwe how do you compare HH to God? Kolwe! You are a fu lishi BED BUG (NSANYA)
let’s try him as president of southern province for 90 days.
Indications are that times ahead will be very difficult for Zambians. Shrinking Kwacha in an import oriented economy is not good at all. To-date, the Govt has not yet announced floor price for maize and yet the same Govt is encouraging farmers to sell their maize to private millers. The Govt should at least have announced floor price & started buying maize so that farmers would have an alternative market in the event millers do not offer good prices. Truly the nation is on the verge of collapsing. The Tonga-PF stand-off has also been poorly handled as though the Govt consists of under fives only. A simple and harmless issue if poorly handled can grow into something big that can consume the whole country.
Wamene uyu chakolwa niwamene tifuna, ifintu ni Lungu!! I was shocked when I heard people say he was the prefered man for president, as if we have runout of people. The man said, he had no vision, unfortunately he has even killed MCS vision for Zambia. He is clueless, he is busy talking about non issues. I feel sorry for Zambia.
I do not believe the dollar is responsible for the increment. Who is responsible to strengthen the kwacha? The PF govt. So PF is responsible!
A reasonable person compares himself to two faculties: rules of the book, and other people. You cannot develop if you only compare yourselves to rules of the book; you need to see what others are doing as well. China is developing rapidly because it has realised that the socialist economy of the book has proved impossible (USSR and East Germany collapsed). After observing economic success of liberal economies, China also adopted liberal economy.
We need to understand the macro-economy of Zambia and other countries if at all we will develop the country. If the increase in fuel prices has been effected to punish Zambians so that the government can reap profits, then that increase needs to be condemned, but if it is being done to avoid subsidised costs then no reason to use the podium.
PF’s days in government are numbered
I have heard all that has been said on this fora, but very few of you are reasoning. PF (Poor Fellows ) when they were coming into power they promised more money in the pockets by cutting the TAXES and reducing on most essentials but what happened later on is something else, so, even this so called HH (HAYESHA HAALWA) will behave the same way. this are politics no one can be cheated unless you are so dull and cant see the people you are choosing are . they behave the same way. Only Mwanawasa had a bit of vision for this country. This HH failed to run a small company (COIN ZAMBIA), what more a country? Chaps think…….. Fyakulya abachenjele bakaamba……..
kkkk typical foolish cadre.
Ba Zambia finshi mulefwaya natwishiba fwe bene eeeeh Lungu eeeh Lungu eeeh Lungu eo tulefwaya x2 via singing…..kansi ni ma labishi yeka yeka
Yaba, tomato tomato balunda
Onion nayo ya dula
Uuno mwaka tulefwa ku nsala
Na bola winee efyo tu loosila
Tomato balunda mayo tomato balunda..
Choices have consequences.
Hear hear……. garbage in garbage out. Using a ndombe recipe and expecting caviar. Enjoy
The economy is biting everywhere ba pushi imwe.
just vwork hard and buy fuel for your vitz or noah from japan
Even worse, they approve building mansions for the dead. Lungu and his government are full of selfishness!
Upnd you are not able to see my views logic because all you spend time on is to find small things to accuse PF of failure. Especially you who are overseas whose majority are Tongas. You only negatives. Comparing Zambia to SA does not mean it is ok to suffer because SA are suffering. I cant compare Zambia to Greece or Ireland , Portugal or Spain(the Eurozone countries currently in financial problems) because we don’t have much in common. It is not good just to say SA is doomed without analysing why the Rand is losing ground against the dollar just like our kwacha. Take time to study why this happening. All stocks lost ground in the West when Greece voted NO against tough conditions on the bail out. Have you asked yourselves why Tokyo which is far away got affected.
But I can assure you HH wont make it even next year. He is not down to earth and he is insincere by trying to portray that these problems have just surfaced during PFs tenure. Even you as a civil servant you are to blame . You have been stealing from the government. All these cars which have choked the streets from Chililiabombwe to Livingstone, where is the money coming from if not from stealing and fraud? If not the Zambians are doing very well especially that queues in Shoprite Pick n Pay etc are never ending. There must be a lot of thieves in Zambia
@Ndaje Kahks, My fellow citizen
We are judging the PF based on what you PF guys told us. Let’s do ourselves favors by avoiding skirting around issues and talk about real issues.
Cars on the roads and lines at Shoprite and Pik-‘n-pay have never anywhere ever been used as economic indicators for a good economy. Power cuts, increase in fuel prices, a depreciating and bleeding currency, high taxes and increases in the prices of goods are real pointers and no defending of the indefensible will ever make them defensible and correct for that matter.
BUT AGAIN, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK THE WAY YOU DO AND I RESPECT THAT!
Warlord don’t be naïve. Which political party will promise you suffering in campaigns. Right now HH is promising you heaven on earth and you have taken it hook , sinker……….. Also answer my question where Zambians are getting the money to buy all these cars and building mansions. As I am writing while going to Kalulushi I can see the forest that existed between Kitwe and Kalulushi is now covered with Nigerian type mansions.
Ndaje
I am not sure about about the naivety and what it is about. I have no idea and will not pretend to know where Zambians on the Copperbelt find money to build big houses.
As for your saying that no political party has ever promised bad news to voters, I agree BUT I am also saying PF has taken the skill of lying to voters in their faces to unprecedented levels. My father in law in Kitwe said it very well 3 weeks ago when I visited him.
He said and I quote, “Ba PF balishuka sana pantu muno chalo abashasambilila balifulisha sana nga watiulande po kutibakukoma akasembe!”
So there you have it from a 75 year-old Mzee!
@Ndaje you sound like someone with a troubled past.If you are being paid money for the rubbish you are uttering here please just enjoy your money and know that there should always be a future for both you and your children,therefore if we destroy the country with this PF you are supporting who have vividly failed what will be at stake for your children in future.Please think beyond your stomach and also dont expose your ignorance so better you zip it
@ Mwila Ingu 4.9 above,
My point was that you PF made so much bloody noise when Mwanawasa was ruling on all matters whether fuel price increase, NCC or appointments. You guys only sobered up when he took Mr Sata to RSA for treatment. You called him all sorts of names and the records are there and now you want to pretend to us that all is well just because you are in power when we know that things are worse off now. This was my point.
Warlord in as much as you are making a lot of sense, I have a problem with people who want us to believe that we have a messiah in Mr. Hichilema! Remember,we have been down that route before through the FTJ led MMD and later on the Sata led PF. To me all politicians are just the same like you aptly put it that no one can promise you hunger during campaigns. You know what you meant by that? ALL politicians are cheats! Man is never to be trusted, simple. True but sadly so, Zambia politicians have redesigned politics;you have to lie your way to plot 1 and it works, it’s all plain to see.
The upcoming diaspora meeting in London and Manchester should focus on the state of the ZAMBIAN ECONOMY AND POSSIBLY THE IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT to be replaced by the CARTEL as government in the interim capacity. A New political party should also be formed with the High commissioner in London as presidential candidate for 2016. The most vocal people on LT should be parliamentary candidates then come 2016 we go and rule the st.upid ZAMBIANS who keep voting wrongly. If they need a LADY VP Mushota
BB2015 was already subjected to an election on LT, she can just walk into VP’s office, no need for elections for her. I am sick of these people ruining the country. If they don’t like the idea like they don’t like the Tongas they can leave. We are different!!
HH, dont cheat the people by looking at one factor in price increase of fuel.Yes crude oil has dropped but what about the dollar that is keeping on gaining stronther against convertible currencies among others
For one week I was in Tanzania I missed my friends from Upnd
Am not for HH but what he says is not that all rubbish after all. One needs to digest and analyze and am sure you will pick some few senses here and there.
After all I do not care who becomes the president none of them will provide food on my table.
Politics is just a dirty game and citizens have been fooled for years and years and government coffers continue becoming bottomless.
We have 95% of politicians recycled who move from one party to another and have no interest to serve the country other than theirs.
Politicians have formed a curtail and protect each other through kick backs and work together with these useless lawyers in the same ways paralyze the judiciary and sit to agree who will handle which case.
Literally nothing meaningful comes out for the interest of Zambia
Zambians never cease to amaze me. Who bewitched their reasoning and made then blind. How can a normal person continue to chant slogans of a govt that is making life difficult like this and failed lamentably? How can one stand up and say “its a global problem” and so what? Cant we look for solutions and make a difference hence. The fact here is that we have no sound leadership full stop. Fuel is the engine of every economy and messing up with it causes a lot of damage to everything. My tribal link has nothing to do with improving the economy and if one is capable of making a difference to our rotting economy why not give it a try.
By the way I never belonged to any political party and I not received any money to express my opinion. Insults won’t deter me
@Ndaje Kahks
Your question is, where are Zambians getting the money to buy all these cars and building Nigerian type mansions?
My question also is, why do Zambians have a collapsed or non existent health care system, dilapidated education system and no social security for elderly, venerable and disabled?
This is the kind of stupidity which will leave us poor!!! Why are these PF dunderheads blaming HH for not helping? You think that the stupid drunk Edgar Lungu will listen to HH if he gives them advice? Do you think this drunk Edgar has the right team to implement anything??? This is stupidly ridiculous!!! Shut your gobs stupid PF cadres and eat grass !!
Well said, true HH, true, the only problem is that you are not a credible alternative to the current , previous or future leadership of this country. The desire to become President of Zambia clouds your thinking and it is that which disqualifies you to be elected to the highest office in the land. Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing you can do about that, self control is simply beyond your control.
why in Zambian so expensive than other countries?let me know from you bantu ba lungu mybe you can cheat again.