PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2019
President Edgar Lungu has said that his government is addressing pockets of hunger in some parts of the country and the skyrocketing mealie meal prices.
The President said that reports of hunger in some parts of the country must not be politicized while attributing the high prices of mealie-meal to maize shortage.
He has assured the nation that the situation is temporal and hoped that the country will have abundant maize after the next farming season to enhance the supply of meal-meal and subsequently keep the price of the commodity affordable.
President Lungu was speaking in an interview with Journalists after his routine early morning jogging in Lusaka’s State Lodge Area.
PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE ©2019
Meanwhile, President Lungu appealed to Zambians to adopt physical exercises and good eating habits to be physically fit and to enjoy good health.
He said physical exercises and good eating habits must be the lifestyles of all Zambians.
The President was accompanied by the Church of God in Zambia delegates and the National Institute for Public Administration (NIPA) Students during today’s jogging session.
The President said preventing lifestyle diseases called for lifestyle change, adding that observing basic guidelines like not consuming too much salt in food, taking time to have sufficient rest and avoiding stressful situations among other things, would help greatly in combating the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases.
And Health Minister, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya said Zambia is very lucky to have transformational and visionary leadership in President Edgar Lungu and that his political will on the agenda for health was one that was being benchmarked globally.
He said President Lungu was not only a good Statesman for good health in Zambia but a global leader for Universal Health Coverage.
He said the President had taken pole position in ensuring health for all in the nation, leaving no one behind.
“Today, leading from the frontline, he led the clergy and student’s in a movement for health. This is the political will that is being benchmarked globally. He is a statesman for good health not only in Zambia, but a global leader for Universal Health Coverage, ” said the Minister
And Church of Church of God In Zambia National Overseer Duncan Mboma echoed President Lungu’s sentiments that physical exercise mitigates non-communicable diseases.
And NIPA Student Union president Charles Mbobela said physical exercise is key to mental alertness.
Various senior government officials among them Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya and Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo took part in the jogging.
Now we are being addressed through these morning jogs what disrespect and who asks a question about starvation when these clowns are exercising with full stomachs. Only clowns will shut down roads to exercise when there are so many gyms around. You don’t have to drag so many people with you if you truly care about exercising, besides if one of these clowns get injured we’ll have to pay for their medical bill abroad
Lungu is wasting time, all he should do is direct Mama Sumaili to tell the nation to fast for some time every year after National Prayer day. It will save him from having to explain things all the time.
I doubt this statement is Lungu’s. LT are making stories up like Nollywood. Copy and paste.
Truly Ba Edgar, how can Dora tell people in Bweengwa to fucck themselves?
Now i remember, we gave the Maize to Malawi and Mozambique.
He has already politicized it himself and his ministers. What else can anybody do? State-owned media won’t visit famine-hit areas unless he himself visit them. Even then the story won’t be the famine but his visit to those places.
Only if this affected other parts of the country.
HH is wasting time. He cannot be and will not be a president. He can try in Namwala as a Section Leader.
Whenever the PF have been caught pants down,they defend themselves by calling it politicking.
There is excessive load shedding……no its just politics.
Zambia has rampant corruption…..no its just politics.
Zambia’s economy is declining ….no its just politics.
Zambia is in a debt crisis…..no its just politics.
WE ARE NOT KIDS OR YOUR BLIND PF CADRES…
Exercise on an empty stomach, are these guys serious?
Ba Lulu has a sour sense of humor.The masses are being pee’d on daily and every time serious issues are brought forward he and his circle of thieves just flip their middle fingers what a gruesome 7 years people will have to endure.
Lesson lent!!!
President Lungu is more concerned by the well-being of a small fraction of the Zambian population that over eat and need to jog than about the lager part of the population in the country that are affected by food shortage and high mealie-meal prices and are starving.Is this all he has to say about the food shortage and widespread hunger ? That we should not politicise the issue and we that we should wait until for the next year`s harvest for us to eat? If politics is not about food for the people,then what is politics about ?Keep on jogging Dr President Lungu. Maybe Mr.Bowman Lusambo and Mr Mwila will solve the serious problems facing this country:load shedding,youth unemployment,rising prices etc.It will be a terrible miracle to win 2021 elections.
The man has a very parochial view of life.How that is so is a serious indictment for a former resident of Chawama.How many people need jogging in Chawama?His mind has totally forgotten where he is coming from,one would think he has always lived in New Kasama/State Lodge.And now he admits there is maize shortage, just a few months ago he was justifying exporting it claiming we had enough,whe people argued he ignored them and continued exporting
Says the man who wanted to politicize the judiciary with threats following Kenya elections annulment.Lungu makes me sick sometimes.
Dr. Chitalu Chilufya says Zambia is lucky to have visionary leadership in President Lungu is he aware that the Lungu he touts as visionary himself proclaimed that he doesn’t have a vision for Zambia?
Yes Mr president, …….your incompetence as leader of Zambia should also not be politicised……also the rampant reports of corruption in the country should not also be politicised …….
“The President said that reports of hunger in some parts of the country must not be politicized and attributed the high prices of mealie-meal to maize shortage”.
???? Just like that Your Excellency? No apologies for a possible error? Didn’t you tell us barely a few months ago that Zambia had surplus maize stocks and your cabinet actually approved exports to neighbouring countries? This is the kind of inconsistency that both PF and UPND leaders like HH are known for.
Looks like cabinet ministers have to change their story too.
And now I am more worried, if there is a shortage of maize in Zambia according to the Boss himself, is it true that there is enough food for famine relief operations? Maybe we should revisit the advice by British high commissioner Cockerel Diet before we…
“The President said that reports of hunger in some parts of the country must not be politicized and attributed the high prices of mealie-meal to maize shortage”.
Just like that? No apologies for a possible error? Didn’t they tell us barely a few months ago that Zambia had surplus maize stocks and the cabinet actually approved exports to neighbouring countries?
While people in Zambia starve this pwazi lungu even has energy to exercise and open his mouth carelessly.
…….Maybe we should revisit the advice by British high commissioner Cockerel Diet before we start politicising the potential negative impact of hunger?
PF and UPND leaders, I have never come across such an inconsistent crop of leaders!!
What a bunch of insensitive lunatics! Instead of addressing the hunger that his people, Zambians are facing, he is bragging about eating well and excercising his useless and unhealthy body. Does he need to publicly stretch his lean arms like that ? Honestly?? Why can’t he gym indoors with his wife?
The hunger that is affecting parts of the country needs to be attended to by his government- politicians , and that then means that the issue is political!! Why is he evading the problem!
…….Maybe we should revisit the advice by British high commissioner Cochrane Diet before we start politicising the potential negative impact of hunger?
PF and UPND leaders, I have never come across such an inconsistent crop of leaders!!
“And Health Minister, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya said Zambia is very lucky to have transformational and visionary leadership in President Edgar Lungu and that his political will on the agenda for health was one that was being benchmarked globally.”
Dr Vuvuzela Chilufya Chitalu.
Even Lungu knows that Dr Vuvuzela Chilufya is just trying to please him
Is this for real? There are people still starving in 2019? With all the modern agricultural technology the world has? With all the water in Zambia? Why all the energy used to demonize the overfed xenophobic SAns is not used to fight starvation? Did you know SA is an arid country? They even import fresh water from Lesotho via an artificial river to the Vaal dam which supplies Johannesburg and Pretoria. Remember the artificial river was constructed by the Mbeki government. Did you know 60% of food consumed in Zambia is produced in xenophobic SA? Yet Zambia have the mighty Zambezi River. 80%of food consumed in Malawi is produced in SA, yet they have fresh water sea in the name of lake Malawi. Please guys use your PhDs to feed your population.
Them Zulu’s must be fantastic farmers than.
Stop mocking Zambians, eating health foods when there is no food. Are you serious.
If Dr Chilufya is being groomed to take over in 2026, he would make the worst president of Zambia ever. The guy has no mind of his own, and can’t even keep his mouth shut to hide the fact. I mean I have no iota of confidence in underfive HH but given a choice between the two I would probably vote for HH, i.e. if he renounced his tribalism.
…failing that I would rather vote for a frog.
ECL WILL NOT BRING YOUR POVERTY TO AN END. IN FACT NO ONE WILL DO . YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD, GROW MAIZE AND OTHER CROPS TO FEED YOUR FAMILY. ECL IS NOT THERE TO SPOON FEED YOU. EVEN IF YOU CHANGE GOVERNMENTS YOU WILL CONTINUE STARVING AND BLAMING GOVERNMENTS FOR YOUR LAZINESS. WAKE UP FROM SLUMBER YOU LAZY PEOPLE. NOT CRYING HUNGER, POVERTY EVERY DAY. WHAT HAVE YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COUNTRY APART FROM COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR EMPTY BELLY. THAT’S WHY SOUTH AFRICANS ARE BURNING YOU. ITS BECAUSE YOU WANT FREE THINGS. ATI BOMA IYANGANEPO.
Trivializing the hunger situation in the country at this time of the year, barely Six months after meagre harvest is bad politics! Past years have taught us that the hunger situation is worse around January to March each year! It’s not just people talking about hunger. We see it even here in Lusaka. The number of beggars on the streets has equally increased! That is a Social Indicator of things getting worse! Is he celebrating because the most hunger-stricken areas are opposition strongholds? Ubepelefye! Just allow the many good-hearted Zambians move relief food to the hunger-stricken! In any case, we don’t blame him because he has no vision, He rarely stays in Zambia, He stays in the Skies in his jet, the streets are clean of beggars whenever his motorcade is passing and his inner…
the streets are clean of beggars whenever his motorcade is passing and his inner circle has confessed that they have thoroughly insulated him from reality on the ground to protect themselves from looking incompetent to him. A wise leader takes a personal and independent fact finding mission to see things for him/herself on the ground! False intelligence is what cost RB the presidency! Chagwa and his PF are the ones trivializing and politicising everything! How can those who robbed Widows and Orphans without mercy be expected to have a good and caring heart? How can those who donate Jiggies to TB orphans be taken seriously? Please you Zambian voters, give us “Intungulushi Ishamano” next time you have an opportunity to vote! Vote for leaders who have a personal story of success not those…
Vote for leaders who have a personal story of success not those who could not run a simple Law Firm! How many jobs have they created for fellow citizens is one of the key questions to ask! If they have no idea of how to create jobs at personal level, how will they manage when in power? When you vote a poor visionless person into power, their first term in office is always about feathering their nest, enriching self, family and friends and justifying it with Ubomba Mwibala thieving sayings! Twachula nomusalula wa ba Lungu! As Christian’s we claim to be, God cannot be happy with what our leaders are saying and doing in this country!
The comment from ECL about ‘not politicizing’ the hunger situation, clearly shows why he is vision-less and incompetent. How can it not be political? Hunger is very much political. Zambia has the resources, and everything to end hunger, except the political will. The man assembles a group of the privileged and those who feed from his banquet table, and preaches to the hungry about exercise and good dieting. ECL and his cohorts can afford to shed the extra weight from their caviar diet and detox on the Jameson whisky without patronising those they are meant to serve.
An empty stomach does not practice politics your excellency sir, neither does it have loyalty. It is such a mockery to see you and your minions jogging. yOU ARE ABLE TO JOG SIR BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT HUNGER PANGS FEEL LIKE NOR THE DESPAIR OF A PARENT WONDERING HOW HE OR SHE WILL MAKE THE EXPENSIVE MEALIE MEAL LAST TILL THE NEXT BAG. Do not be blind or deaf to the cry of your people.
This guy is a very poor reincarnation of Marie Antoinette. Wait until people come running at you pushing a guillotine. Vision and Transformation will both go under that guillotine. Muzamuziwa wanjala a mambala inu.
Meanwhile, President Lungu appealed to Zambians to adopt physical exercises and good eating habits to be physically fit and to enjoy good health.
He said physical exercises and good eating habits must be the lifestyles of all Zambians.
Honestly how can you have good eating habits when pockets are empty high prices of mealiemeal etc
The PF were voted in office to improve the lives of Zambians but have disappointed them . The president is always traveling around the world on his new plane with a large entourage who basically go with him as tourists .People are hungry and starving and he decides to go to Japan saying because a certain president visited him in Zambia last year and therefore he needs to visit him too.“We chimpwena ulakula”.When the opposition and majority of Zambians complain of hunger and reminded him of his duties as head of state, he says it is political.Yes , it will turn political if they continue going on empty stomachs every day and meanwhile, his ministers using government vehicles decided to go to state house to join him and go jogging on a Saturday after having a 5 star breakfast and…
(Continued )
Saturday after having a 5 star breakfast and then tells Zambians to exercise on empty stomachs.Chachine Ba Lungu has got no clue on how to govern this country and he reminded PF before taking office that he was not the right person to lead Zambia, but PF fools kept saying, “Ifintu ni Lungu “ and voted him in Office not knowing that it was going to be an economical suicide .None of the guys in opposition either has the muscle to take this country forward as at now, but for prosperity and development we definitely need some body with 5 Senses in state house urgently,who can be there all the time and solve our problems. Ba Lungu is a failure and disappointment.Advice to the president; Cut out on traveling and solve Zambia’s numerous problems.Stay at state house all the…
(Continued)Stay at state house all the time and do your work. Have confidence in your self and hold press conference with the nation .Leave the small projects needing commissioning around Zambia to permanent secretaries. I know Power is sweet and blindfolds ,thinking everything is alright but not and it’s important that he has the right people next to him and not those clowns, Lusambo, Siliya, Kampyongo etc , the list is endless