FDD President Edith Nawakwi has challenged the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Authority to tell the public the truth about the status of their water with regards to the ongoing Cholera epidemic.
Speaking when she featured on The Burning Issue radio program on 5FM on Thursday morning, Nawakwi said the government was finding it hard to contain the disease because “people are eating and drinking their own faecal matter” and that the authorities should quickly find a way of putting an end to that.
Nawakwi the only female President of a political party in the country observed that permanent solutions should be found to the challenges being faced by the country and not cosmetic ones as in the case of street vendors who were allowed to operate in town without toilets and clean water.
She said leaders should stop making populist decisions which are injurious to the nations’ well being and look at the bigger picture.
She explained that it was not only those in high density areas who were eating and drinking their own faecal matter but that even those in low density areas because of the boreholes which are shallow and next to septic tanks.
“…Tell the families we are eating our own faeces, in Chalala, in Meanwood where we have allowed these boreholes to come up like mushrooms. The sooner we educate our people the better. This issue could have been resolved a long time ago but because Government has no plan and no policy hence nothing going on other than actions meant to deal with symptoms instead of dealing with causes”
On the much talked about latest money spinner the Mukula tree, the former Minister in a number of Ministries during the Chiluba government said the Mukula was a variable national asset which was being exported in the form of “fire wood” instead of ensuring value addition before exportations.
She called on the government to immediately cancel all the licences given to people to harvest the Mukula and ensure that the country starts exporting processed products of the tree.
She wondered how government can create employment for the youths if such opportunities are passed by.
“…this is not the function of the Minister of Home Affairs, it is the function for the Minister of Environment (Lands)and Natural Resources and the spokesperson for that department is the Director of Forestry. I want to know from him how many how many licences for Mukula he has issued, to who and where they are and they must be cancelled because we don’t want to see any more fire wood being exported to China.”
On the challenges in the agriculture sector Nawakwi said the solution was to dismantle Mulungushi house and ensure that it is decentralised.
She said government should stop paying lip service to the sector as its viability can drive the country’s economy.
“We need to tackle issues which are outstanding in agriculture because this year and next year we are going to have hunger. This is a sector which can drive our economy, lets stop paying lip service, let us decentralise and dismantle Mulungushi House. This is a job for people who were born to wear boots not for the faint hearted,” she said.
The Iron Lady of Zambian politics further said her party will talk to the people in power because there are pending issues regarding the electoral system which needs to be resolved before the next elections.
She said those who are refusing to talk should come out in public and tell the nation that they are comfortable with the current electoral system.
“We need to talk to those in power, specifically the presidency because as FDD we want to know type of electoral system we are going to go into 2021 with because there are pending issues at ECZ which Chairman Chulu openly said tilibe tanwi bana banga lets go through this tizavichita sort out gati tasiliza those things are still on the shelf and we cannot say we cannot talk to each other unless we are accepting now and we should make public statements on the current electoral system,” she said.
On the repayment of the monies owed by those who illegally remained in office the opposition leader told Zambians to take to task the Secretary to Treasury and Secretary to Cabinet and get answers as to why they are not implementing the Courts’ decision.
“Its not for the Ministers and MPs to pay back. It is for the Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary to Cabinet to implement the courts decision. There is a court decision, they just need to go to there payrolls and start deducting so when you are saying that the ministers are not paying back, they are not suppose to be getting the money in their accounts but they are suppose to be direct deductions. They should be deducted at source so the people to take task is Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary to Cabinet, why are they not implementing the court decision.”
Ba Nawakwi naimwe uko
What is not mentioned in the article is that the so called iron Lady imported dodgy diesel when she was Minister of Finance in Chiluba’s government. Nawakwi retire from politics for Antonio to take over. Go away
The title in front of Nawakwi looks good, “The Hot President”. Maje Ba Edith ni bana mwelepete!
Nawakwi is intelligent but she is a sellout. Sometimes she appears to have been bought. Other times she goes back to her rightful role as an opposition leader.
Out of Topic. Would any of you guys on here know if you can transit in Dubai without a visa. As is spend the night there and leave the next day. I am looking for flights to Lusaka and the Emirates one looks great except for the transi part. Any body know something?
@1.4 Gorilla, as far I’m aware, most countries have a 72hour visa-free transit policy as long as you are in possession of a Visa & ticket to your destination. Since you’re connecting the next day, it should’nt be a problem to stay overnight unless you intend to leave the airport, in which case you will require a transit visa. To avoid any inconvinience, better you verify with your airline or travel agent. Bon Voyage!
That’s like grading one’s own paper. Please call for an independent body to determine the quality of, and availability of water, not the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Authority.
*******SHE SOUND MORE PRESIDENTIAL THAN POOR HH*********
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She deserves my vote post ECL era. Woman of substance. Kindly let ECL beat you again in 2021 in readiness for your landslide landmark victory in the 2026 polls.
*******SHE SOUNDS MORE PRESIDENTIAL THAN POOR HH*********
********************************************************
She deserves my vote post ECL era. Woman of substance. Kindly let ECL beat you again in 2021 in readiness for your landslide landmark victory in the 2026 polls.
This is another one like Tayali…they are like Jukeboxes you just need to put coins in them!!
@Nine Chale . Thank you Boss.?
@Gorilla, it’s risky to leave airport. I was asked to leave passport, but get a pass to show at hotel. But I told them, No f@@##king way.
So I spent 14 hours in airport bars etc, and noticed that even the locals in their robes do drink like Ba Lungu.
Stay at airport, it’s beautiful there.
@Gorila. You can’t leave the airport without a visa. You can apply for a visa on their online site for few days stay if you wish. It’s quick and you don’t need to visit their embassy. I used this process when I stopped over for 5 days.
Zambia has moved on to Mulusa then to Kalaba elyo mulefuma muchani kwati no Koswe.
Mwashibukeni ba Nawakwi mukwai.
How well did you sleep over the year?
So Edith is still around and a President for that matter?
They are not paying the money they owe tax payers for overstaying in office because the decision was rubber stamped by their President who has not played his part and paid trolley load of money e owes Zambians.The money which could have been used to clean the city of Lusaka and provide clean water to the people of Zambia.
Especially the electoral issues. Its useless to come and start complaining over the same system we know is flawed at the time of new elections. I thought our friends in upnd the chief complainants will champion this, especially with the numbers they have got in Parley, but somehow there priorities are elsewhere.
Another great response on the paying back of illegal salaries, In Zambia people have a tendency of making noise everywhere except where it matters! You find even an NGO peddling social media gossip! Lets have action from these NGOs / political parties that claim to be fighting for the people by holding the right people accountable not just making noise on social media. More from you madam President!!
LT please recruit well trained journalist who can write better English. It is not pay roles but payroll.
Fuseki, in Zambian languages payroll and pay role is the same thing. Do you want to have English journalist in Zambia?
When finance minister, this lady is the one who used to give a huge bag of unaccountable/unaudited money to the head of state. It was called the Presidential Slash Fund. What a waste that was!!
She has just awakened from her slumber. I had held this woman in high esteem until after the last general elections when I realized that she was just a typical Zambian woman with no direction. Bamuselela kwakaba
Nawakwi was the best Minister of Finance of Zambia. She used to pull her skirt above and beyond the knees during IMF negotiations and got us good deals. The woman was and is patriotic.
The Madam president is far more sensible than that tribal clown who seems unable to clean his mouth to produce suitable speech.
Nawakwi is better off retired. She should give the Mantle to young Antonio Mwanza. She is absolutely bereft of any ideas, no morals / integrity. It is difficult to know what she stands for, she does not know whether she is going forwards or coming.
Instead of responding directly to what she argues, some bloggers are raising irrelevancies and insulting her personally. Stick to what she is saying and respond constructively if you have any intelligent response or other assessment. Rushing to personalities is a way of hiding your own inadequacies.
How you have forgotten what she did last election, who she backed when there was no need to back anyone…
Better question what happened to the foreign aid, yes foreign the ones we can do without that are neo colonists.
That was specificallly for improved sanitation for lusaka.
HE ECL has stated that we will be an urban society by 2030
Its 53 years since independence and we stiii have rubbish sanitation how will upgrade in 12 years.
HE in his new years speech said we will grow economy by 5% in 2018 World bank predicts global economy will increas by 3.5 %
Time pipo are told the truthm mulungshi textile,mukula trees maize prices all stories to keep pipo believing
Despite the shadow of the Carlington Maize Deal hovering above her, Edith has asked a viable question. Cholera broke out in October when people had contaminated water from some borehole. And I am sure she remembers how people perished in Kitwe when KCC supplied raw untreated water to Buchi, Kamitondo and Bulangililo, it was an epidemic caused by authorities. These water utilities have now become a nuisance and we don’t any improved service delivery that was envisaged at their formation.
On the repayment of the monies owed by those who illegally remained in office the opposition leader told Zambians to take to task the Secretary to Treasury and Secretary to Cabinet and get answers as to why they are not implementing the Courts’ decision.“Its not for the Ministers and MPs to pay back. It is for the Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretary to Cabinet to implement the courts decision. There is a court decision, they just need to go to there payrolls and start deducting so when you are saying that the ministers are not paying back, they are not suppose to be getting the money in their accounts but they are suppose to be direct deductions. They should be deducted at source so the people to take task is Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary to Cabinet, why are they not…
Nawakwi are you serious? The secretaries to cabinet and treasury to effect deductions from ministers’ salaries? You think the two number one civil servants do not love their jobs?……….I think this issue of those minsters paying back let’s just forget it till a new government or President is in power and that President should not have been part of those ministers who illegally stayed in office.
Every one want to talk about job creation, okay fine, how about when one gets employed and finally retires? As for me, I will only vote for a candidate who will come up with a clear road map on retirees…Job creation, job creation and yet you dont want to plan for their after math…RUB1SH…
I support ms Nawakwi on the issue of obvious neglegence by the Lusaka Water & Sewerage company. Without bringing in politics, we have to admit that people are now getting employment not to work but to get a salary. Right now as I am writing a council truck is parked or should I say hidden under a mango tree near a club. The driver and his companions are drinking right now in the morning. Which ever department they serve will definitely attend to anyone requiring its services.