Chingola has become the latest town to be hit with critical shortages of mealie-meal as residents scrambled for the commodity on Monday.
The continuous scarcity of mealie meal has angered a lot of Chingola residents who have described the situation as unacceptable.
Residents were queuing up from as early as 08:00 on Monday at the Pick ‘n’ Pay town centre branch with the hope of buying a bag of mealie meal.
The residents talked to blamed the authorities for not being strict enough on those who are smuggling the commodity.
“I think this just show how weak our President is because he has the power to stop those taking the mealie meal outside the country, but he is not exercising that authority”, said one of the residents.
Others expressed concern that the PF government was taking the country back to the UNIP era when queuing up for commodities was the order of the day.
“It is saddening to see and experience what our parents and grandparents used to go through at this time and age when the world has developed. This country has enough maize to cater for everyone but it is like these people are more interested in making huge profits by selling the mealie meal to the neighbouring countries,” complained another resident.
And the residents have since urged the government to put up strong measures in order to curb and regulate the movement of mealie meal.
“We are seeing tracks loaded with mealie meal going towards the border, how can you decide to feed your neighbours when your people are starving, if they have failed let them say so because we cannot continue to leave like this,” said another resident.
The residents further said that if they manage to purchase the mealie meal at pick and pay they would only spend something like K75 to K80 for a 25 Kg bag of breakfast, but when it goes in the hands of other traders it costs much higher.
And Chingola Mayor Titus Tembo said the pandemonium which was at Pick n’ Pay yesterday was uncalled for.
Mr Tembo said the mealie meal short was artificial because Chingola receives the commodity in large quantities.
“What happens is that several times the commodity comes in the afternoon and the owners sells a bit with a promise of selling the rest the following day. But when residents go to buy the following morning they find mealie meal smuggled out.
“As a party in the district we are very concerned but we are meeting the District Commissioner Mary Chibesa today to put our heads together with a view of finding lasting solution,” he said.
Blame it on the opposition and global…
Even in America there is a shortage of meal meal, if that is any comfort!
VIVA HH 2016
Ifintu ati shani?
PF is a caring govt, Its allows exports of maize and lets its people suffer. surely is this a party which shall for govt come August?
Shortage of Mealie meal
shortage of condoms etc…
The rule of supply and demand is not well balanced here. The government needs to sort this issue quickly and seriously without blaming the opposition. We bought big machines from China to increase power generation at jariba and the opposite is true. More loaf shedding. We bought Chinese akasuba run vigayo and there is kaunga shortage…..
Where are the paid up PF paid morons who insult here day in day out? am waiting for your comments you scumbags!
They have all gone to insult HH
Fear not my blogging friends, Patriot abroad, that !diot Kudos and the other dunderheads will find someone else to blame apart from Humble Lungu. That is their level of moronity.
@Dudelove
Hilarious but accurate. Especially, Kudos it’s like it’s an automated bot that has been programmed to hate on HH. I wonder what he will do if HH becomes overall winner.
“Others expressed concern that the PF government was taking the country back to the UNIP era when queuing up for commodities was the order of the day.”
Absolutely, but why worry? Just like KK, Sata and Lungu both enjoy the safari suit look of the 1970s so go buy one of those and at least you will look fabulous standing in queue! Darling, you look wonderful.
…never mind that so many still wear the “rags and poverty look” which also never seems to go out of style in Zambia. Ooops, guess my pocket has a hole in it! Right?
For the last 20 years we have had no shottage of melie meal and the sale to other neighbouring countries has been going on. reason we have had no shottage is that the govt has been planning based on our consumption patern. when these morons came in ni chimbwi no plan, they have been exporting maize, soya and gaga without considering our consumption levels. then they start blaming the opposition, smuggling, God etc.
If it was in my country someone would have resigned or fired for this food shortage you are experiencing on the Copperbelt
The problem with Chingola is they have a Milling firm called Muss Milling,which is run by a batch of incompetent employees
Possibly they are also the same ones producing mealie meal in Ndola because most of the shops don’t have the commodity and we have to drive around to find it!
Comment:ati ifintu ni pf!!come 11/08.we shall choke you out mwachimfya sana kuma prices.you think that we are happy with this kind of behavior and you expect people to vote for you.mwalamwenako uno muku.
Zambians they will queue and still vote for the same cause of the shortage of mealie meal. awe sure ifintu ni ……. and then you go home and sleep on an empty tummy. you even celebrate the day elections are announced that we have again won!
Poverty is the trade mark for Zambia. Ati Lungu bag again.