MARKETEERS at Chisokone Market in Kitwe have started receiving soft loans under the Presidential initiative and have commended President Lungu for fulfilling his promise of empowering them financially to boost their businesses.
During his visit to the Copperbelt, President Lungu assured marketeers in Chingola, Kitwe, Kalulushi and Ndola that loans will be disbursed to traders to help them sustain and grow their businesses.
A check by the Daily Mail yesterday found marketeers filling in forms for the soft loans while others had already collected their money and planning how they were going to spend it.
And speaking in an interview yesterday, Association of Vendors and Marketeers in Zambia (AVMZ) president Abel Chikwa said K1 million was disbursed to Chisokone market traders.
Mr Chikwa said so far, more than 500 marketeers have obtained the soft loans since the exercise started this week, while many are still submitting their details to the people disbursing the loans.
“So far, the disbursement of loans to the marketeers is really going on very well. Some marketeers who obtained loans earlier have even started their businesses for them to quickly start paying back the loans,” he said.
Mr Chikwa said the traders do not need any sureties to obtain the soft loans but only proof of residence in the market.
He said AVEMZ is helping Government identify the marketeers who operate in the market to avoid giving the loans to people who will have difficulties in paying back the money.
Mr Chikwa commended President Lungu for his commitment to improving the lives of marketeers through the disbursement of loans.
And Hilda Mumba, 43, a trader at Chisokone market, praised President Lungu for being a father of the poor.
“We had people who would come to the market with nothing to sell but today they have gotten loans to help them improve their businesses. Indeed President Lungu is a father of us the poor people of Zambia,” Mr Mumba said.
Another trader, Jackson Ngwezi, said the soft loan he had obtained from the government has really transformed his business, which had not been doing well because of limited capital.
campaign mode now ba PF. Buying people in the name of loans. This money where did it come from? Uhh! I know from that money allocated for roads in the copperbelt. Zambia my beloved country.
The Eurobond for consumption. Poor marketeers don’t even know that this will enslave their future generations for 100 years to come in order for EL to continue cluelessly ruling them.
This electoral fraud disguised as soft loans. PF is definitely feeling the heat from UPND, thats why they have now openly started dishing out money to buy the voters. PF has this scheme even during by elections. PF dished out money disguised as loans to the youth and women to buy votes.
This move by the PF to buy votes does not surprise us at all. MMD and UNIP in their last years did a lot of it but they were still voted out by the Zambian people. Zambians are canning in the way they boot out rogue regimes.
PF has borrowed massively and is still going to borrow massively to buy votes just like its predecessors did before being booted out. The writing is on the wall thats why PF is in panic mode trying hard to win the lost political fortunes in the copper-belt , Luapula and…
The writing is on the wall thats why PF is in panic mode trying hard to win the lost political fortunes in the copper-belt , Luapula and Northern provinces.
We wait to see for how long PF will continue to give these marketeers loans to win their support for 2016 elections.
This move by Lungu’s PF raises the following questions concerning the miners who lost their jobs and the fairness in the political arena.
1. Will all the retrenched miners get the same loans as well?
2. Is UPND also allowed to give out loans to marketeers?
PF needs to respond these questions without fail.
UPND the only party to restore Zambia.
Shame on poor marketeers, hoodwinked with short term gifts from Euro bond! if these women can realise that this man once said i have money for campaign..so its just that campaign not necessarily a heart for them,Mumbi Phiri said monly interlectuals won’t vote for PF” indeed coz they understand these loans are mere tacts to win support ku ba sulwa…ala ba mayo pokeni mulye no ku bafunyapo mu 2016 eepela…filya fine twa kumpwile Rupiah.
Where is ECZ with their Prsicilla Isaacs – one that can’t be bothered with Re-runs??? Here Azagwa is busy BRIBING MARKETEERS with “SOFTENING” Loans – WHEN DID THE PRESIDENCY BECOME A LENDING INSTITUTION??? So PS in President’s office is simply turning a blind eye to MISUSE/MISAPPLICATION of GOVT MONIES in his office??? Where is the ACC??? THERE IS NO LENDING FACILITY ASCRIBED TO THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE – This is either PURE BRIBERY or GRAND THEFT of national monies.
The only institutions that are allowed to lend money LEGALLY, ARE REGISTERED WITH BOZ, as such, as well as with PACRA & this is enshrined within the constitution – Where are all the INSTITUTIONS that are supposed to FIGHT MONEY LAUNDERING/BRIBERY/THEFT OF PUBLIC MONIES/ Someone wantonly & openly breaking the LAWS HE SWORE…
..TO UPHOLD when he took office – WHERE I ASK AGAIN IS PRISCILLA ISAACS & ECZ????
The opposition are sat there “Ati Ndwi, is olighty, kabili tu ma soft loanny!!” The are too donsie!!
KWENA UBUPINA LISAMBI SANA – THAT”S WHY ZAMBIANS WILL CONTINUE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF SUCH PRACTICES. KA LUNGU IS BUSY HOODWINKING MARKETEERS ON THE COPPERBELT WITH TUMA SOFT LOANS SOMETHING WHICH HE’ S DOING NOW IN ORDER TO WIN SOME VOTES AND SHALL NEVER DO IF ELECTED BACK INTO OFFICE NEXT YEAR . THAT’ S WHY AFRICANS ARE EASILY CHEATED ON PETTY THINGS WHICH ARE NOT LONG TERM. NAINE NOMBA NDETENDAKA UKUTEKA IFISHIMU FILYA ABA TONGA BATEKE NG’OMBE. BUSHE ICHISHIMU CIMO NISHINGA PA MALIKETI ?
Soft loans my foot!!!! These people will simply drink that money and later come back to the status quo.You want to empower people,train them in entrepreneural courses and not giving them money..
@TIA
You are spot on. They drink the money and then continue to criticise the PF as failures. How will the marketeers who depend on miners working and getting paid expand their businesses when most of their customers are broke and without jobs?
PF is turning all the mining towns into ghost towns.
UNPD forward is the only way out of this mess created by PF.
Do not worry, chance created for Christmas gifts, receive and observe how soon it disappears after the the festivals. African useless politics at work, shame.
I wonder if that is the right way to give loans and empower people. Wasting tax payers money. This type of loans will never develop Zambia or empower Zambians to be financially well. How is the government going to recover the money? One will think the president is doing something good for the nation. These kind of the loan is just taking Zambia into poverty. The money will just be “eaten”.
Edith Nawakwi is distributing farming inputs. Where is Pricilla Isaacs??? UPND cares and Haters just because it’s the PF initiative once again u r choking with envy
Start giving out cattle to the poor in southern province if you feel left out
When Nawaki started her initiative, Lungu vilified her using some agent as well as an ‘honurable’ minister.
Now for Lungu it is ok? I think you have selective reasoning.
This kind of thinking really makes me conclude that it has to do with the air being breathed in Zambia.
nakaso kabo kuti ba kwanisha muntu wandi
@ Canicius Hichilema. I lik your thinking. U deserve to become a politician.
Politics of Poverty!!!
Way to go my president…! My vote for u!
The donci kubeba will be donchi kubebad
With our Taxpayers money!
YOU will now have to pay it back, not the useless drunkard Lungu!
What about marketeers in southern, eastern, western, northwestern? This lobsided way of doing things especially by someone at the top has potential to divide country.. Challenges are everywhere across the country and we all need empowernment like yesterday.
No shame at all…if this lazy bum can give out taxpayers money like that imagine how many soft loans he gets himself!
…vote rigging come in so many ways…..we are busy borrowing money to lend it out…are we even sure that these are soft loans or gifts in the name of loans…..next it will be the youth lining up for the same…..
Yaba! Eurobond finding its way out to a marketeer for a 2016 vote. No profit.. HH will be president for ALL zambians 2016 and beyond.
I actually think that its not a bad idea. Yeah a few are going to squander the money but those serious will use it wisely. Most people, all they ask for is a chance. I am not a fan of this government but man a spade is a spade.
Comment:Copperbelt,Luapula and Eastern Provinces are on record of being the strong hold for PF,why those soft loans not distributed in Southern Province? When the UPND comes into power next year this collapsing man Chagwa pansi wil face the law like his friend Bwezan Banda during our beloved the late president Sata.Will those soft loans be distributed country wide or not.ACC where are you?Kalusha is under investigations with ba ACC,how about chagwa.where is that money comming from when we are still in poverty with the limping economy.Chagwa why didnt you help the homeless families with that huge sams of money in Lusaka West? shame on our president who dosent care for the poor.Openly buying of votes with no doubt and tomorow you wil hear Chishimba Kambwili and Chama commenting rubish.
Iam so embarrassed ,surely the whole of a president can do this.President Lungu ,you are a big disappointment.With your level of education,you should do better than this.
What Edith Nawakwi is doing is more sustainable,not what you are doing,flashing out money.I pity my country ZAmbia.This is a big shame .I don’t even know what to say..the office of the president is too big to be involved in such practices.No wonder the Z economy is in shambles
@Tia,,very good point,train them if you sincerely care for them,not handouts .Coming from a president,it is sad
Tnis country is going nowhere with PF under Edgar Lungu.We are slowly but surely trekking back to stone age.Who will rescue this beautiful country.It has fallen in wrong hands.for the sake of perpetuating stay in state house,you start vote buying the very thing you should be against as father of the nation,nd where Mr President are you getting this money during campaigns you were so broke by your own admission, 11 months in state house you now have enough money to throw around.This is not Sata’s vision.And now all marketeers in Zambia will want the same loans.tell us how you have gotten that money.I could never understand why people were against you but now I can see.You are doing RB’s politics,your stay is shrouded in controversy.
I miss Satahe truly loved Zambia I miss Zlevy,he…