Democratic Party President Harry Kalaba says Zambia’s economy is on the brink of total collapse.
Mr Kalaba says with the rising cost of staple food and the total lack of access by the common man, this has placed Zambia under a severe form of food insecurity with mealie meal costing K150 to K200.
He said while the government continues to deny the food insecurity of the country with millions going without food, the same government seems to acknowledge food
insecurity of an area which is having a bye election, and taking relief food in exchange for votes.
Mr Kalaba says the debt burden continues to rise reaching $11.2 Billion dollars as of December 2019 and said the reckless borrowing by the leadership while
disregarding the constitutional requirement of having parliament approve debt has put the country’s economy in jeopardy, with borrowings that are motivated by self-interests and corruption.
He has regretted that Zambia’s bonds are the worst performing on the international market, even worse than countries recovering from wars and conflicts.
Mr Kalaba said as at 15th December, 2019, Zambia found itself listed on the African Development Bank’s Sanctions list for failing to honor $1.4 million Loan obligation while Diplomats in Zambian missions are going for months without salaries.
“Unemployment continues to rise with almost half the people being unemployed. The Youth our most prized asset of development continue to languish in the streets with no possibility of a job anywhere. While we continue to create employment for other countries, there is an
ever increasing number of graduates being churned out and entering the employment market with a lot of anxiety and yet the PF government under President Lungu does not seem to be providing them, with any hope at all”, he said.
Mr Kalaba has also noted with regret that the energy crisis continuesto persist with Zesco increasing tariffs by 200% in the last 2 months, for power which it doesn’t even have.
He said Load sheddingof more than 4 hours for any responsible government is catastrophic.
Mr Kalaba, the former foreign Affairs Minister said the impact of the increase in the energy price and the shortage of power has had significant inflationary pressure on the Zambian economy with reduced operational effectiveness of the industries.
“In addition, Fuel prices have hit sky high with ripple effects on food and every other industry including increased bus and taxi fares. Mr. Edgar Lungu, Mr. President, Food insecurity and power insecurity
border on national security. Please work on correcting the situation urgently, and engage and reassure your people with strategies of how you are working to correct the situation”, He added.
Mr Kalaba advised President Edgar Lungu to talk his people directly and not through his press assistants Isaac Chipampe.
Bambi mukalanya amenshi yeka yeka….twale myeba ati aikona ukuvotela abena dununa reverse!
Mealie meal is what it is today as farmers are getting a cool K200 per bag of maize and laughing all the way to the bank-no future GRZ will reduce ubunga if maize costs that much. It seems Kalaba and DP are the ones on the brink of collapse as there’s nothing new he has said that is different from the opposition alarmist rubbish they spew everyday!!
Youre really a senseless id10t. I know Kalaba is headless but he has a very valid point. 50%unmployement needs rational minds not you cadre minded and inclined hooligans. How far do you want the country to fall. There 20,000 farmers and 14million Zambians where are you thinking from your dirty back side to even post a statement like that. You basta3rd3 have really destroyed ECL
@Cat Power: your insults are proof of how low your intelligence is. No wonder Bowman called people like you in diaspora as mere white bottom cleaners because you really talk rubbish!! Now, since 1991, didn’t we call for free market policies?? So how do you expect GRZ to control price of maize today?? Willing buyer willing seller.
It is a governance issue actually. The fact you can even use leadership examples like Lusambo’s crudely vulgar nature as a tool for rebuttal is testament to how steep the degeneration slope is. This idea of exchanging ideas by putting one another down is an interesting development of how discourse has also been flushed down the toilet. Enough said. Let me go wipe me some bottoms.
Kalaba if things are so bad I am sure you have the resources to immigrate. So what are you doing here ? This is the type of fake news we are talking about. When you get arrested for causing alarm and threatening peace do not blame anyone. Simply grow up
I don’t think you guys know what you are playing with. You can call each other names and laugh about it now but when you end up inciting hate here as I read through your posts here and a real civil war starts in your country you will regret what you are doing now. Your religious and political leaders are trying to divide you between religious lines and you are helping them do that rather than standing up and say we are all Zambians never mind our tribe, region or religion. That’s the only stand that will save your blessed nation. The foreign powers pushing the government to take certain decisions will abandon you when you start killing one another and reject you from running to their countries so be careful. Our 11 year war in Sierra Leone was not even based on religious or tribal…
Kaizar ur imaginary little power should not go to ur head u can jst respond to someone without threatening to arrest who do take urself to be the president 2021 is very near i v always said u will look for a small hole to hide like saddam hussein when that time comes
Cat power is just a clown with no substance. Citizen do not take him seriously. These are people who sought economic refuge abroad and now naturally despise any positive growth back home because they don’t want to realise that things are much better here than being a second class citizen there. It is for this reason our government introduced dual citizenship. We hope they take advantage of it
On the brink??
THE ZAMBIAN ECONOMY IS ALREADY DEAD!!
Was brought in dead, ever since the Corrupt Nepotistic & Violent Mukula loving, by -election addicted P.F took over from M.M.D, & eventually linked itself with its Spiritual Nigerian Godfather 4ndr3w Ej!m@du.
Indeed 7€ for a bag of maize meal is ridiculous
HK are sure of what you are saying or just want to be heard.
David 7 € can buy you a packet of cigarettes in some countries to smoke in one day
Don’t politicize if the economy is dead then bring the solution share it to the govt,but the problem ba HK you don’t have the solution that is why you are saying like that,there is no presidential qualities in you so just shup up and work on your manifesto.How popular are you, explain, your membership is less than 2000 the whole country and you are mayoping alaa.
Mr Kalaba economy is not on the brink of collapsing.Just to remind you meal mealie prices have gone high because in past two years Zambia has had drought in southern,Eastern and Central provinces these are major contributors to our staple food.Another factor is load shedding had affected traditional economies especially at the lowest ebb society.This year God almighty has provides rains and definitely farmers across the country will have good yields.Loading will soon improve according to the government policy.
Mr. Kalaba don’t just advising people on the decline of National economy but provide solutions to the matter.
Why make noise busy budying around wasting the camera Man`s time and journalists, Mr.Kalaba. Its really a crime making our eyes look, read your nonsense.
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Mr Kalaba for how long are you going to go round preaching about the falling of Zambia’s economy?
why don’t you provide a solution to the problems you’re talking about?
Zambia in the past 2 years experienced drought in provinces that are the main producers in maize production in the country and the same droughts is the reason for the load shedding Zambia is encountering today. Busy blabbing just for politics just sit down sir!
Climate change has been the major contributor to the economy of the country and we need to face it as Zambians, This season there’s been quite a good record on the rainfall hence, a lot of farmers will good harvests this year.
THIS REMINDS ME OF THE STORY OF CHICKEN LICKEN WHO WENT PREACHING THAT THE WORLD IS OVER AFTER A CASHEWNUT FAIL ON ITS HEAD. IN AS MUCH AS WE KNOW OUR ECONOMY IS IN SHAMBLES KEEPING ON REMINDING US WONT TO ANY GOOD TO THE ECONOMY. IS ZAMBIA FOR PF ALONE? NO, SO WHY DON’T WE TRY REASON TOGETHER AND GET PAST THIS. WE ARE ALREADY IN THE MESS, HOW DO WE GET OUT, WHAT MUST WE DO TO GET OUT, WHEN SHOULD WE DO WHAT MUST BE DONE TO GET OUT OF THE MESS.
Harry Kalaba should desist from making reckless statement that will make people lose hope. If he haa nothing to talk about he is better rather keep quite. This is not time to be making wild rantings when the country ia going through and recover from bad turbulents instead of fuelling the fires.
“(Lower taxes, more jobs and more money in your pockets)” I usually wonder what happened to this motto. It is now a distant memory. Interesting to see what will be the motto this time around and how Zambians will embrace and believe it.
Humility is such a powerful asset.. Admiting that you are wrong will put anyone in a great place to start a negotiation.. Burying your head in the sand and pretending that we don’t have a debt problem, pretending that majority of Zambians are doing well and eating cheese, pretending that Majority of well deserving young people have got jobs, only exposes this government’s lack of vision for Zambia… It’s painful to watch young graduates with immense potential loitering the streets while good for nothing filling clerks with no background of policy advising the president!!! God help us.
HK Was simply issuing a statement from his “cabinet” he will deny it when prices come down saying it was a cabinte decision! kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
kz you are an ***** and on a wanted list. You are the same people who are stifling free speech. How is stating a fact that the staple food is out of reach of the many ordinary Zambians alarming the nation?
Mob justice awaits you. Watch your back!
Interesting how cadres will acknowledge that we are in a mess but would insist that anyone that would state this should keep quiet and rather provide a solution. The one thing they will not do is demand a solution from the people that caused the mess and are being paid by the tax payer to rectify it! Well, I guess Kalaba was part of this mess- causing bandits and used to use the same lines PMK, Rowdy, Tikambe, Mr P etc are using on him now.
Harry Kalaba is at a blink of total collapse politically.
Didn’t we tell you that you were total nonentities.
Bamibula, bamisambika, bamipela ka position mu Government. Umutwe wakula. Ati iyo naine kuti nateka.
Simaloza ayo.
Heads need scrutiny.
Nomba kulabwatabwatabwatabwatafye kwati munkoyo wapachililo nangula chilemba uwakana ukutikama nangula magma wapali volcano. Too much hallucinative allegations.
I hate those citizens responsible for gassing ordinary poor folk, when a clear candidate is walking around………like Kalaba. Why disillusion struggling citizens?
The funny thing is that people in the UK are struggling for different reasons, with many visiting food banks due to the high cost of living. We need a kinder world and more people willing to share their good fortune. I for one believe in the hard working people of Zambia, and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is!