Thursday, March 28, 2024

The PF Government will not shy away from Borrowing-President Lungu

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President Edgar Lungu (left) listens to a child as he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka's Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017
President Edgar Lungu (left) listens to a child as he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka’s Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017

President Edgar Lungu has said that the Patriotic Front (PF) government will not shy away from borrowing because money is needed for infrastructure development such as water systems, Schools, Hospitals and Roads and not for consumption.

Speaking yesterday when he visited Lusaka’s Garden compound which is among the areas that have been affected by Cholera, the President said that his Government will borrow to make sure that the country moved forward, adding that his Government did not borrow to eat but to make sure that there is development and people are living well.

“So, we shall work and if it is money, we shall borrow if we don’t have money to make sure that the country moves forward, it doesn’t matter if people will talk so much against this. Because when we are in an emergency like this, it is time to borrow if we don’t have money. So those who are telling you that government is borrowing too much, when we borrow, we don’t borrow to eat, we borrow to make sure that there is development and people are living well. We fix the water, schools, hospitals and roads. That is why we are borrowing money,” he said.

The President said that the PF government is in a hurry to upgrade all shanty settlements across the country as stipulated in the PF manifesto and the Constitution through the Local Government Act.

President Lungu said that the move is meant to ensure the citizenry have access to decent housing and sanitation which will subsequently prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera.

The President explained that government is addressing the problem of unplanned settlements by upgrading shanty compounds which will see to it that all housing units are connected to proper water reticulation systems and sewer lines to curb water contamination and the outbreak of water borne diseases.

“What we have discovered is that at independence, kwalifye mayikulile [people were constructing houses anyhow] and this is the price we are paying, we have all these shanties.

“Going forward, we will begin planning settlements because as you know, Lusaka is a big shanty, so we have to upgrade these shanties to ensure there is reticulated water and toilets. This is an inherited problem and this is the job we were given by Zambians,”

The President was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, Minister of Local Government, Mr. Vincent Mwale as well as other Government Officials and Community representatives.

Meanwhile, Lusaka residents are happy with President Edgar Lungu’s pronouncement that Government will upgrade all shanty compounds in the capital, to improve sanitation and curb perennial diseases like cholera.

One of the residents, Smart Phiri said that the pronouncement is a welcome development as it will improve water sanitation and the drainage system.

Mr. Phiri said that the upgrade will also help develop feeder roads in the compounds and improve security system in such areas. Another resident Mike Banda said that it was high time shanty compounds got upgraded.

And the Zambian DNA has said that it welcomed President Edgar Lungu’s pronouncement that all the shanty compounds in Lusaka should be upgraded.

Zambian DNA spokesperson Spuki Mulemwa said that the unplanned settlements in Lusaka record large numbers of water bone diseases like cholera because they were not carefully planned.

Mr. Mulemwa said that the head of state should now ban the mushrooming number of shanty compounds especially in Lusaka.

Mr. Mulemwa also appealed to politicians and citizens to offer constructive criticism to government if the country is to excel economically and socially, saying it was disappointing that politicians spent 2017 finger pointing and name-calling, which should not be the case in 2018.

President Edgar Lungu (left) listens to a child as he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka's Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017
President Edgar Lungu (left) when  he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka’s Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017
President Edgar Lungu (left) listens to a child as he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka's Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017
President Edgar Lungu (left) when  he toured the Cholera affected places in Lusaka’s Garden Township on Saturday,December 23,2017. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2017

84 COMMENTS

  1. Ya! Ya! Ya! You can’t be bold about borrowing. After all its not even your debt to pay but your children’s children

    • They have to borrow so they can steal. They can’t steal what they don’t have. Responsible borrowing calls for accountability. This PF government has none. And yet they insist, they must keep on borrowing!

    • So the chimbwi, sorry koswe has a plan after all – and it is to borrow and pay back with the sweat and toil of us all, while stealing some of the borrowed money and giving himself and minions credit.

      Oh happy day !!!!!!!!

    • Is that the best economics we can apply?

      Granted the Cholera issues, but we have to know what we are getting into and how we shall get out. I have always said the issue is to eliminate shanties somehow. We can do it.
      1. Build well spaced, serviced multi-storey flats in those shanties
      2.Improve water and sanitation in all towns and townships
      3.Take development away from Lusaka and curb rural-urban migration by promoting provincial cities
      4.Deal with basic cleanliness by legislation and enforcement
      i.e. remove vendors from streets those selling vitumbuwa and yesteryear’s nsima and soup in those plastic and cardboard restaurants.

    • When we told you not to put this CORRUPT LAZY BUM into State House, you insulted us.

      High debt means monies collected from taxes goes straight to debt servicing instead of hospitals, road maintenance, schools, farming inputs, etc.

      STYOPET ID1OT CORRUPT PF-PRESIDENT.

    • What a hopeless chrismas message from Chakolwa Lungu the grand thief!

      He must have been drunk for sure. He sounded like a man who has drunk all his pay and now is conforting himself that he will borrow more kaloba to help him until the next pay.

      Lungu has totally gone mad due to alcohol abuse.

    • Just the four Cars in the last picture cost about K8 million. The motorcade for Edgar was more than 20 cars and we are told money needed to control cholera is K12 million. Edgar is really the most ignorant and clueless president we ever had.

  2. You don’t just borrow like it’s one person borrowing from another person. They are systems in place in these contractual agreements. You must think of your grandchildren and what they will inherit. You don’t seem to care Mr. Great Leader of this great nation. What a legacy. A careless legacy.

    • Just the four Cars in the last picture cost about K8 million. The motorcade for Edgar was more than 20 cars and we are told money needed to control cholera is K12 million. Edgar is really the most ignorant and clueless president we ever had.

  3. Clueless indeed! He’s not even ashamed to talk like that? Who depends on borrowing and aid for their 100% survival as a nation? You need to have a government that generates money, not borrowing to spend. I would give you a benefit of doubt if you reinvested what you were borrowing to generate revenue.

    And just how long will you be borrowing to improve the poverty? Cholera in 2017? Unbelievable! This is simply translated as “I will be borrowing to continue fattening my bank account until I can’t count the money and until you all perish from your poverty”

  4. Awe Ba President,you CAN’T borrow to achieve basics!! We DON’T NEED to borrow to fight cholera!! WE NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND BETTER ORGANIZED!! Where is the MAYOR and his COUNCILLORS?? YES we need to REPLAN,NOT upgrade shanties BUT WE DON’T need to borrow to keep CLEAN!!

  5. Borrowing for development is fine, especially for projects that will increase the GDP. That is the only way to do it. It is consumption borrowing that UNIP was known for and that is the most dangerous.

    It is a fact that China and Japan the largest foreign holders the most public debt of the US, meaning the US borrowed a significant amount of Money from foreigners and and we are talking about trillions here. Debt is not as evil as some of you put put it.

    Whether PF is borrowing for consumption or development is another matter altogether.

    • Bootlicker, mate please stop supporting stnpid things just for the sake of sounding intelligent. You can’t compare USA borrowing to this s!lly PF borrowing. So you don’t know if PF is borrowing for consumption (in fact corruption and stealing)? This is the kind of pretence that is driving this country backwards to the stone age period while the rest of the world is matching forward. IMF just refused to lend you money because of your irresponsible and unbridled borrowing to ‘consume’ and you still want to bury your head in the sand pretending all is well. S!lly!

    • They had capacity to pay back. I mean they had thriving industries. They were innovators. They were manufacturing stuff. Their GDPs were pointing up. Unlike in Zambia were your GDP growth is less or equal to the population growth rate. You can’t beat poverty. You are just like a moving average.

      We are still using salaula. We don’t manufacture anything worth talking about. We import all machinery, and most of all we depend on donors for our bare survival.

    • @bootlicker please try to differenciate countries that have debt capacity like America from Zambia. America has the capacity to repay because it has manufacturing and services base to generate income and add value to its currency. On the other Zambia has only thieves like head thief Lungu whose aim is to borrow and steal all the money.

      The Eurobond billions PF borrowed should have by now been able to generate income enough to service and reduce the debt. But instead PF stole all the money and borrowed to service the debt to a point where even China said we can not lend you anymore hence the begging from IMF.

      Lungu is a stup1d f00lish liitle man autioning Zambia to the highest bidder. The sooner these thieves are got rid off the better for Zambians

      Next year there will no…

  6. No, no Mr. President, I strongly disagree!

    Borrowing is not the best alternative. As a borrower, you are always at the mercy of the lender. We need to look at other means of getting self-dependent. As a leader, we expect you to lead the nation away from this borrowing mentality that we’ve had for so long.

    Zambia, and Africa as a whole is too rich to borrow. We are only kept poor because things are not working right – starting from corruption, to misappropriaton of funds and even injustice in international trade laws. All these are problems that government should be addressing instead of finding excuses to borrow!

    • So lelo your eyes have opened to see how these people you have strongly supported in the past have messed up the country? Kikikikiki

  7. Lusaka Times, is that a child Mr Lungu is listening to in the first picture or even 2nd? Jeez LT, mediocre everywhere even on a news blog… it’s embarrassing, please lift your game!

  8. Borrowing means to pay it back sometime….but you know that will never happen,thats why it is stealing from other Nations Taxpayer.Merry Christmas.

  9. PF administrationis not reflective listening to the people.

    To make a long story short, is the administration happy with division of labor in our country.

    I think people want to know how you Going to pay back the borrowed money.

  10. Dangerous desperation. This, we should have seen coming, we should have seen knocking on our door. Now it has taken occupancy, holding our very destine hostage. If truly honest, we can only blame it on ourselves.

  11. So when this cheap man said he had no vision he was this serious! He speaks as if he is speaking to fellow jameson drunkards in Chawama. I can’t believe he said this.

  12. To think this is the best the country can offer, putting him to be in charge of their future is indeed a scary thing. Hate to say it but there’s no country here unless and until you start putting people with a clue in leadership positions.

  13. Mr President, please dont also shy away from facing the fact that your civil service is too inefficient to handle the same money that you borrow. Your legacy is that of inefficiency and starting from yourself.
    Lusaka is now the epidemic capital!! SHAME ON YOU!!

  14. He says he will borrow to fight cholera yet sanctioned $1 million For a fire truck that costs 280k, 42 ,times and 250k for an ambulance that has an equal at 52k, 25 times………what a corrupt chap lungu is…indeed the waisted years.

  15. You fools, if we dont borrow what are we going to steal. Please leave us alone your time will come in 2026 to borrow and steal. Mr President please borrow some more these Zambians just talk no action. If they were smart they could have got court injunctions to block our corrupt procurements of amblances that have not yet delivered but no, so borrow and give us the cardes contracts we also payback 20% to PF bank account and 10% to Kenndy and Mwila.
    Ata jealous let us eat your time will come.

  16. For your information you visionless zambians who are complaining about our stealing, we are in power and nobody can stop us. Right now we have shown UPND that BOMA NI BOMA in Solwezi we are opening a Bus stop at the City Mall.What can you say? The first in Zambia a bus stop at a mall all fees to be collected by us. The PF, we dont care the cries of the locals as long as we get the money. More money in our pockets. Who are the people with no plan coz us is to make money thats our plan.

    • So in your narrow view a bus station at a mall is gonna get this country out of poverty??Now it is such shameless and reckless admission which you could only find in a country headed for an explosion!!

    • What about the road? Nanga nkhani yanu na Kavindele over the North-West Railway Company how far? You could have helped divert some heavy copper loads from pounding your cheap short span roads on to the railway line.

      The things your are boasting about, anyone can do them.

  17. Lungu should listen to IMF advice when it tells him that Zambia is now over borrowed and runs the risk of defaulting on its foreign debt. At a country and Individual levels we must live within our means. When we borrow we must have foreign exchange reserves to service and repay the foreign debt. Foreign borrowing should only be justified if a foreign loan will generate exports and jobs. External borrowing should only be allowed for productive rather than for consumption purposes. Lungu and his Koswes borrow externally to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses.The PF Koswes are corrupt PF thieves.Period.

    • He is praying, yes, praying that once again Zambia will be declared an HIPC and all the debt be written off again. Look at his face does he look like a man with solutions? No! Surely No Bali ndwiiiii!

  18. We continue to pay for Sata ‘s mistake of appointing this id#ot to run the country in his absence. We do not borrow in order to keep clean. We need education and capacity building fool.

    • 50+1 % voted for him. So what is your problem kanshi? Lungu’s wisdom surpasses your lame thinking which must make you the f.ool. He is not a thief, that’s why he talks the way he does. He is clean. But if you are in a hurry to come into government so you can steal, you are gravely mistaken. Start thinking of 2031, maybe. Hoping that by then you will have matured as a party (UPND).

  19. Here we go again, when are we gonna become self sufficient? We are still puppets of the masters of the universe, good lord help us.

  20. All people that voted for Ba koswe jonny walker should blame themselves for this ma rubbish PF. Not we the sensible people of Zed that would neva vote for a drunkard and thief.

    • It is shocking when you visit CB and LSK where there is massive hunger and unemployment to hear people still insisting that they will still vote for their own -Lungu because he speaks their language and he is like them (poor and a drunkard). I feel sorry for these lost souls.

    • Name calling won’t take you anywhere. You will die a bitter person. Free yourself form hatred and start living. You will be glad you did.

  21. it must be hurting really bad. 2021 its more agony. you cant win with 3 province. the game is between koswe na kolwe.

    but koswe is better. look at kolwe chiluba did in a maize field

    • The agony is it is your children, grandchildren and relatives that will be hurting and will suffer…….hehehehe…

      .

    • our grand children on the cb will forever suffer because of u5 wicked deals with valitine chitalu who sold mines.

      u5 will go to the grave as a plundere and he will never be burried at embassy park.

      anso nga akakana ama results mu 2021 akamona

    • Iwe rat, you can’t compare bwana FTJ to Edgar.

      FTJ came in at a time when the economy was down. It was crumbling. Heavily indebted, finished infrastructure, nonperforming parastatals, shortages of essential commodities for daily survival.

      FTJ’s team of bena Penza, Nawakwi and Katele worked hard to take us through the harsh economic reforms of Structural Adjustment Program (SAP).

      By the way, SAP had many stages, which included privatisation, downsizing the civil service and many other reforms. We went through SAP, then Enhanced SAP, then HIPC all under FTJ

      The man wanted a third term in order to see some fruit of his effort because only HIPC Completion stage was remaining before debt forgiveness. Mwanawasa and Magande came in and tinkled with fight against corruption and…

    • …Mwanawasa came in and tinkled with fight against corruption and got all the credit. More so with the Zamtrop issues. Yes that was bad, but he equally did a damn good job!!! Just that we have no credible book writers in Zambia.

      Mwanawasa did a good job by building trust with IMF and other donors due to his apparent fight against corruption and his sincere disposition and his professed rule of law. But the hard part had been accomplished by one FTJ.

      Mr Rupiah Bwezani Bandah had to quip that “Chiluba was a damn good President”. He knew why he said that.

      So iwe Koswe I can tell you that each time there is regime change, the Kolwes are involved. FTJ from UNIP to MMD. MCS from MMD to PF and it looks like Mbwili will take out PF… Your Lungu is fill in the blanks…pure…

  22. Such reckless borrowing is shameful and it says a lot for a president to claim he will not shy away from doing so knowing only too well the dangers of debt burden. We surely are in maningi trouble with this idi,ot who doubles as a Koswe Mumpoto and a Kaminamisa.

  23. So depressing to see Zambians waste time debating NOTHING.

    Mr Lungu has clearly put forward his analysis of the problem and his solution.

    In his understanding,Cholera is simply a symptom of a deeper problem created many years ago due to poor town planning.

    That is why he calls Lusaka a big shanty compound and I agree.In fact, anybody who has lived in Lusaka knows that.
    His solution is also correct.
    We have to redesign and rebuild most parts of Lusaka to put in place modern water and sewage systems .This solution requires so much investment that borrowing maybe required.
    No wonder Mr Lungu’s govt thought of moving the capital city to a new location that would be well designed.
    Zambia has the funds for addressing a Cholera outbreak.However,without addressing the underlying causes,we all…

    • Upgrading shanties is not a new idea. It started in KK’s time. The problem with PF govt is like it is run by aliens who don’t know where we have come from so far. It is like everything is new with a ‘living for today’ attitude. Self-centred myopic cocooned view of the world and what the hell we’re here for.

    • If there is a government which has implemented things which were paid lip service in past administrations, it is the PF government. Give credit where it is due. Do not condemn everything out of spite. It’s not good for your health of mind. KUTI KAPOSOKA KA, but thank goodness, we have Chainama hospital.

  24. …we all know cholera will be always with us.
    OPTION 1
    Build a new capital city like other countries like Nigeria have done.
    OPTION 2
    Redesign Lusaka to include modern water and sewer systems .
    Both require huge capital investments that may require borrowing using perhaps a model like PPP.
    HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all bold Zambians like Mr Lungu.

  25. People who have NEVER lived in Lusaka don’t understand its politics.
    MMD wanted to demolish all the shanty compounds in Lusaka.
    However,the political risk would have had a huge impact on their political fortunes.So,for 20yrs they did absolutely NOTHING.
    The PF markets itself as PRO POOR and I can’t see them demolishing these shanty compounds like Kanyama .

    Mr Lungu’s guts,however,are something to admire.He can borrow money and put up serious housing on Garden for example.
    There are many ways he can achieve this and cholera will be gone from Garden FOREVER.

    • And you live in Garden for sure. So what is the solution? We keep the cholera infested, eyesore compounds for the votes?

      That is lazy thinking

  26. Palibe chigayo spa

    The Head of state noted that cholera outbreak was as a result of unplanned settlements hence the need to upgrade.

    He said if it means borrowing, government will borrow for development and ensure that cholera was eradicated.

    “If it means borrowing, we will borrow for development. We will borrow to improve the lives of the people,” he said.

    He said it was his government’s
    desire to play a proactive role to prevent disease outbreaks by ensuring a healthy environment.

    “For now the idea is to reduce or eradicate the current outbreak of cholera and a long-term solution is what we are discussing with Ministry of Health, Local Government, Ministry Housing and other ministries involved.

  27. As it stands now,Garden compound is right in the MIDDLE of Lusaka town.
    So what kind of upgrades can we do?
    SOLUTION
    Literally remove everybody and compensate them.

    Build high cost housing to recoup the funds used for compensation.

  28. Zambia ,per LT, is so richly endowed with economists, educators, planners, constitutional scholars etc whose platform is LT itself because these “Experts”are incapable of practical contribution to alleviate the immense challenges facing the nation. You sorry pessimistic nincompoops spit at every government undertaking. How sorry. Run for office so we know who you really are instead of this negativity and mongering. Oh, LT is HHs official site?

    • Me thinks, we should try and get leaders using a different method than elections for us to get the best. We could assemble a panel of very eminent personalities like Koffi Annan, Thabo Mbeki, Goldstein, etc to interview our candidates and select one for us. At least we’d be assured of someone with something between their ears not just because of where one was born.

    • Even then, nothing would be acceptable to UPND unless their leader is selected. You panelists would be insulted out of the country all the way to the airport. Your choice of the panel looks for, among other things, maturity which your u5 lacks. Considering that the UPND manifesto is an edited copy and paste version of the PF’s, Chagwa would emerge the undisputed victor. In any case, such a choice excludes Zambians and it can’t work for Zambia. Come 2021, Chagwa will get 50+1 votes with a huge margin this time around.

  29. On the positive note whilst Sustainable Investing is the key and fast tracking critical infrastructure Investments is among the WORLD’S LEADING GROWTH DRIVERS , priority strategy for countries worldwide creating an advantage over investments FDIs as investable smarter nations and cities with quality invested Infrastructure projects ,critically and well appraised
    In Zambia we are basically at Survival in Infrastructure or yet to reach Basic in infrastructure like water ,roads ,education,hospitals,airports,energy, transport and other soft infrastructure base like IT and systems
    We are by in terms of infrusture on the Index , far l lagging behind the global index to attract similar investments from those…

  30. ADVACED NATIONs setting the pace globally as the cities and nations or economy to follow and attract FDIs
    We should consider to either proactively or actively Invest in Infrastructure Quality and attractiveness as Zambia , the basis for the Zambia’s Growth Prospects needed for improvements of Incomes and quality of life
    We are still at Survival ,Simply at BASIC which we have been for many years, yet to set the standard TO SPUR the GROWTH prospects TO GROW THE ECONOMY as we match at least the basics for advanced economies and well-being of the many Zambians.
    Fast tracking is what we need as the economy commensurately grow and sustainability critical yielding commensurate…

  31. results from Survival status to Basic then advanced
    You can spend upfront and recoup or wait for years and save to Reinvestment but the Zambian Economic Size in relation to Infra spend, How would you grow exponentially .Reinvestments cannot simply be a thought from one financing or structure All options must be optimised to achieve that pace

  32. Please think for once, you borrow to buy planes in the name of having a national line? You will be lucky if it last a year. Ask Kenya and British Airlines.

  33. There is always some weight and critically priority and agency when it comes to infrastructure that is of PUBLIC GOOD and for which private capital usually comes later when GRZ has often laid the Basics in Infra because of the capital intensive nature The current refinancing mode in case of roads and Lusaka water is good but not necessary adequate

    The case of airline is another though business but even then there are opportunities in cost saved landing fees baggage fees with increased volumes of cargo and passage planes with externalities in other sectors like hospitality local taxes value of properties and general attractiveness

    Though the structure of…

  34. One is left to wonder if this man has an economic adviser in State House. He talks like that and exhibits his ignorance of basic economics. The reason IMF can not extend us any more monies is that our debt is unsustainable. Its common knowledge that you want to borrow on the pretext of sinking the monies in development when most of it ends up in our account and fellow koswes! What does it take to impeach this man for this maladministration?? When he talks to Ian Khama, you would think he would ask him how with less resources Botswana has created a sinking fund from which IMF borrow to lend to us!!!

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