Information and Media Development Minister Chushi Kasanda has said that funds that will be saved from the decision by the government to remove subsidies on fuel and electricity will go towards paying retirees and other needy areas.
Ms. Kasanda said that currently subsidizing on fuel alone, costs the government about 67 Million United states dollars per month which can be channeled to other needy areas.
Ms. Kasanda said that it is not fair that Government should continue to subsidize fuel when other people who have worked for the country to continue to live in abject poverty.
Ms Kasanda noted that the monies saved from removal subsidies will go towards providing quality health care through increasing the number of health care personnel and medicines in the facilities.
Ms Kasanda said that government will recruit health personnel and ensure a steady supply of medicines in health facilities.
According to a statement on her Facebook page, the Minister said the monies will also be channeled to empower the vulnerable through high impact empowerment programs that will make them earn sufficient income to cushion them against the impact of
removal of fuel subsidies.
She said the government will do a lot more other things as seen in the 2022 proposed National budget.
Ms. Kasanda further said that it is the UPND long-term vision to improve the livelihood of the citizens and has since encouraged all citizens to trust the government and its leadership.
Yes I get my pension on time. Good. But meanwhile transport and food have become expensive so that pension money won’t take me far both in distance and feeding. Trying to solve a problem by creating a problem. Just like one time we got an increment of K2,000 across board only to see price of mealie meal go up bye K2,500.00
This is not true, please ignore it with the contempt it deserves. UPND have the mandate and let them rule. PF cadres should remain extremely quiet and possibly just lie down from the shambolic way they led the country. We are with you UPND
The country is in debt, thanks to the incompetent and corrupt Edgar China Lungu. So you don’t save money on subsidies, because the money ain’t there. Yes you must pay those retirees but don’t say the money comes from the subsidies.
If you needed money to spend on needy areas, why did you allow the mines to go scot-free free in terms of paying taxes?
Instead, and at the direction of IMF, you go for the soft target, the suffering Zambians.
Please, when you talk to citizens, don’t treat us like children who don’t know what’s going on. It’s better that you just keep quiet if you have nothing sensible to say.
You are scrapping subsidies because that’s one of the conditions given to you by IMF in order to access their loans, chapwa.
Please HH7 get a Govt Spokesman who can quickly think on their toes not one that first goes to a classroom with an army of advisers then comes out after 10 days to respond to issues. Stop telling lies about retirees as if its a huge figure just tell the people its but of the conditions of the IMF who are lending you money…PF of Lazy Lungu did the same when they increased electricity only to use the monies elsewhere!
Ok. My advise goes to the ministry of labour , ministry of mines and the unions, kindly improve the working conditions for employees. Don’t make citizens get stressed.
So retirees were not paid because of subsidies. I thought the money was stolen. I can’t blame pf anymore since I now know where the money went. Atleast funds were used by all of us.
Yes , this woman needs to be replaced…….
Very uninspiring and unconvincing………
GRZ should have embarked on a sanitisation campaign atleast 2 months ago………….
This is the most rubbish statement I’ve ever seen, this lady is really incompetent she could have used a mare convincing narrative, so called educated people.lol…. even if the idea of removing `so called subsidies for a specific period may be a good idea in the long term to relive certain pressures and to pay pensioners who can finally retire and create thousands of jobs,.. it’s misleading to claim it’s the ‘subsidies’ that created these problems in the first place. Pensions are not gifts, money was deducted from employees y r the institutions failing to repay, when it comes to health just deal with the enefficiences and plunder in the ministries e.g. even a child can see a weakness in the way hopitals dispense medicine(there’s no proper documentation) , I know of grz staff…
Honorable, worker contribution to a pension fund are deductible towards retirement. Unless, you are stating that pension funds were utilized in subsidies. what are you saying beautiful Honorable?
It is all smoke and no fire. Ati chushi cheka cheka fye, apa tapali mulilo iyooo.
You are on the right track madam Minister. We had PF for 10 years with 10 years of unfulfilled promises, just follow your road map. No body would want Electricity and fuel prices to go up but we know you are trying to cure the ills left in the economy by the PF , of which PF itself was left a decent economy by MMD and the PF destroyed it
Voters got duped again.
So HH is just a common liar.
Why can’t they recover the alleged stolen money and pay retirees ?
Citizens, let us make sure HH only has 1 term in office.
Madam Chushi Kasanda doing a great job, steady and sure, its not like in the past where everything was being responded to even things that did not deserve a response, she also has work to do, sit in her office and plan and work for her ministry and the country and she can not be responding to PF lamentations all the time, extremely impressed with her intellect, sober mindedness, good sense of judgement(what to respond to and when to respond), demeanor, body language, lack of arrogance in her tone, the best so far
Very level headed minister, no mawala like in the past, studies issues and knows when to respond
She is only good to look at. Useless under 5 minister. But chilimo limo. Kale twali pitamo. Hh can continue eating my left overs. It is well known why he employed her
The problem we have are the so called Economists. Have they been successful as businessmen ? NO – or have they been succefull in any previous government – NO – They are just full of theoratical rubbish and as they say BOOK WORMS.
1. what reduced costs? INFLATION SO NEED TO BRING INFLATION DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS
2. what else reduces costs – COMPETITION – SO MAKE IT CONDUCIVE FOR INVESTMENT
3. IF SUNSIDIES ARE REMOVED – EVENTUALLY IT LEVELS OUT. COST WILL GO UP FOR FUEL BUT WITH INFLATION DOWN RAW MATERIALS OR IMPORT COST WILL GO DOWN SO IT EVENS OUT.
4. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS USE ELECTRICITY – MINIMAL – SO WHY SUBSIDISE ?
5. ALL GOVERMENTS HAVE OVER CHARGES WHILST SUNSIDISING – FUEL LEVY BY MMD FOR ROADS – NOT USED PROPERLY – EURO BONDS FOR ROADS – NOT USED PROPERLY – ALL TO…
Sad to say …………
Dora siliya was far more convincing then this primary school teacher looking minister…………..
When siliya made a statement, she meant business………
#1.1 Zambians… what is not true? What your minister has said or what I have said? I stand by what I have said. Fuel price increase will affect me adversely whether I get my money on time or not.
You will need to stress test and have a clear road map on the impending removal of Fuel and other subsidies You still have enough Fiscal space on the Budget measures on revenues methods and expenditures including financing to help you manage the transition well and avoid the Price spikes that can result in the sudden and not so well thought out removal of fuel subsidies and increment of Tariffs We have no well-developed commuter public transport and infrastructure that will complement and support your decisions to remove fuel subsidies on essential transportation and Reserve fuel system closure facilities The better option still remains to build efficient and cheaper fuels green in nature to…
That is the only way to cure a wound inflicted on Zambia by PF – A painful surgery. If you want to please the patient by not doing surgery, there will be no healing. Madam Kasanda is highly professional. I was especially impressed by her presentation on 100 days of Bally in office. The Lord bless the New Dawn Government.
Am building in Zambia and every day am fighting with my workers thinking they’re stealing money and materials….it turns out things are getting very expensive…..and they’re always demanding more money they can’t afford to feed their families
@Saulosi,
In general, Zambians are indisciplined workers, and its really hard to manage building a structure or running a business from the diaspora without being on the ground. I went through similar pain and struggle 10 years ago.
Just be firm and sort it out, it will NOT be easy, but wish you all success. Be more on the phone and making some trips back to ZED to check on actual progress. That is if you truly in diaspora. Otherwise, fighting with Zambian workers has nothing to do with the UPND government nor the PF government.
Kaizer, you can say all you want.
The thing is , uletekwa. You are nothing. Jealousy, will kill you as you are already finished. Uli chikolopo!
This one doesn’t make sense at all because it is the biggining of real poverty than ever in our land.
The 50n will die because of this.