MARKETEERS at Choma’s main Makalanguzu market have said calls by the Patriotic Front for countrywide non-violent protests over mealie-meal prices are ill-conceived and unjustified.
Market chairperson, Charles Siazilo, told ZANIS in Choma today that marketers are not in favour of PF’s move and will not support any political party agitating for protests over the sky rocketing price of mealie meal.
He said marketers are aware that PF has a hidden motive for calling for protests adding the issue of mealie meal prices is merely being used as a scapegoat to destabilize the MMD government.
Mr Siazilo said it is surprising that the Patriotic Front could think of protests when all avenues of dialogue with government have not been exhausted.
He said PF should realize that Zambians are wise enough to know that what is happening in the country is reflective of the global economic situation as Zambia is not immune to the financial crunch.
Mr Siazilo said politicians should exercise maturity and avoid inciting people to resort to violent means to resolve issues of national concern.
He said the issue of protests is a non starter in Choma as the people in the area do not like violence.
ENDS/CM/PK/ZANIS.
nambala wanu
nambala tu
And as for the story so what
What can these tonga chaps tell us.
Imagine
Campaigns are over the people voted on whom they thought would improve their lot. It is time for the people to work. What time will people work if they start demostrating.
Even marketeers think better than Sata.Its a free economy.Important comodities dont have to be cheap in a free economy.Sata killed Namboard and cooperatives when he was part of gvt and now what is he saying????If people cant buy mealie meal its high time they started farming.There is a lot of land for farming in the country.NO LAZINESS
LAZY PF
Zambia and Zambians
It is now rain season and I am informed that PF is planning toprotest against these rains. I thought these people should be offering solutions to gavment. And if they were in power they would behave the same.
Don’t put Sata on the chopping board over Namboard. Robo Bank (RB) Should know the story better. It is very know to let the leaders know that people are not happy with what is happening. In the world economy, governments are doing something to safe guard their people. What have we heard from our government nothing except to plead for sympathy. They have increased their salaries and mines are busy cutting down on workforce as well as reducing their workers salaries. But in like you like condemning people give Sata a break. Why do we have a government that is not ready to explain to people what is happening?
I gave these PF chaps a piece of land to do a bit of farming.In stead of cultivating they are busy protesting this and that.I will reposses it and give it to Nkana surporters. Yes Nkana surpoters. Oh no! I cannot risk insults. I will think over it.
sata is an asshole
Yes Choma marketeers are more inteligent than these chaps. Viva markeers. Viva Zambia. Viva comedians.
Mr Siazilo is not telling the truth. The sky rocketting of mealie meal prices is due to poor planning by the MMD who sold some maize to Zimbabwe. I hope bloggers do remember that Mugabe was castigating our government for not sending the maize in time to his country. If we never sold sme maize the country was going to have stable mealie meal prices. Whether economic recession or not the prices in Zambia would have gone up. Just after 2001 elections, the prices of mealie meal went up again, do you remember the Katumbi saga. The credit crunch did not start now. Why did RB and his MMD tell people during campaigns that they were going to reduce the price of mealie meal and fertilisers.
people in Afrca dont know that protesting and demonstrations are part of their constitutional rights.You have the right to protest over high prices of commodities but alas we know you are benefiting from these high prices because you are black markeeters.
Any one who thinks they can survive the current maize meal price can only be mmd, tycoon or racketeer
PF it is rain season, go and do some farming instead of running up and down in the streets and corridors of supreme court pursuing the wind.
#16 We are totally on the same page.Life in Zambia has become unbearable.These politicians have taken the peace we’ve been enjoying to there advantage.This is a wake up call.If we don’t demonstrate these vampires will suck even the only drop of blood running in our veins.Wake up Zambia.
These marketeers should never complain, i guess they are comfortable with the high mealie meal prices.They will only realise that things are not ok when they begin to see that their children are growing thinner by the day.
The Govt IS doing something about bringing mealie meal prices down. They recently directed FRA to offload 20,000 metric tons of maize onto the market every month until March 2009. This was reported in all the usual print media. So the protests are ill conceived. What I do not understand is why FRA was hoarding the Maize in the 1st place when they have plenty in storages across the country.
There is no short cut into government, SATA should start focusing on internal problems in his party with his “rebel” MPs,if he continues with this type politics i can assure SATA and his supporters that he will never govern this country, he tried the same with Levy, he used to have weekend rallies, where did they take him? U PFs kindly advise your leader, UPND is proving to be a mature party, i would go for it. Instead of demostrating why not concentrate on organizing the party in areas it is not popular, let people understand it vision for zambia. SAta is really a RUMPEN. Fighting his own “relative” Faustina Sinyangwe what a shame.
These chaps have maize fields and they eat mugayiwa(they grind their maize for mealie meal instead of buying from the shop’s)
You can learn something for the sotherners’
AM NOT SUPRISED AT THIS HIGH LEVEL OF MORAL AND WISE DECISION FROM THE SOUTHERN ZONE.DID YOU PIPO KNOW THAT THERE ARE MORE SCHOOLS WITH HIGHET CUT-OFF POINTS IN SOUHTERN ZONE THAN OTHER PROVINCES.
# 13 what are you???? A bit of respect goes along way. I saw your DVD when you where f…king a dog
#21
I support you there. But what of fertilizer, it was just a political gymic right? Maybe Sata should focus on that one though its not that much of an issue for the urban voters who make up the majority of his supporters
price of a 50 kg Bag of Maize is US$387 calculate that by the exchange rate oh my god crazy price!!
# 20
These guys are self sustaining and mostly into farming… so if you talk about fertilizer maybe there hearts will be moved not mealie meal. They dont buy from the shops.
violence should never be resorted to colleagues. They’re always better ways of doing things in a democratic arena. The problem with violence is that you have to be more violent every next time you protest and the cost is normally to high..
Prices controls disappeared with Kaunda. Now, prices of cooking oil increased, drastically and PF never protested. There was a time, not too long ago, there was a critical shortage of sugar because Zambia sugar decided to horde, PF never protested. Any Zambian can tell you that beef prices on the Copperbelt, for example, are mad high and PF never complains. Why demonstrate now, after losing an election? If PF intentions are sincere and genuine, the timing is not on their side, PF can’t read the time. They are behaving like rebbied dogs. Let them see sense in constructive contributions. Most millers are PF members, has PF taken the lead to urge them to reduce prices? During elections, Nat
During elections, National Milling reduced mealie meal prices. Although the reduction was very minimal, there was a countrywide protest NO!!!!!!!! from Sata. He wanted mealie meal prices to be high as other milling companies, What irony! PF be reasonable please.
Ala imwe bantu, a first from southerners. They are marketeers with higher reasoning. Don’t find pleasure in demonstrating and civil disobedience acts like children. Ala
#11 good point
Demonstrating would not help anyone for now. Let the economic processes take their course. Even if RB was working, he has only been in office for just about a month now? Even the 90days Sata was promising hasnt elapsed! Let the big Man find his feet then we can start condemning him after 9months if things get worse. For now lets not pressurise him too much. Lets not solicit for another election or worse, a state funeral!
They must be very happy with the current K75,000 per 25kg of mealie meal.
I dont know what kind of a president sata would have made; the man seems to thrive on disorder and anarchy so much that he is probably not capable of functioning in a peaceful and sane environment. Hes just using the mealie meal situation as an outlet for his anger over his shameful defeat in the 30 October election. Someone should tell him to try personal introspection; its more effective than anarchy. But then you cant teach an old dog new tricks. Look at the mess he has caused in PF; thats what he would have done to zambia if he had won. Thank God sanity won.
I really dont know what to say about Sata’s calls. Dignity calls for sane reaction to defeat. I wish he could have capable advisors. But surely who can advise SATA?
#37 not choma marketers that’s for sure…
Can PF learn from the Choma intelligent guyz. That is why it is important to have strategists in someones camp. The lesson is rural guyz for them the mealie meal price is not an issue coz all they do is take their maize ku chigayo or just do the pounding themselves using ibende (i tell you this mealie meal produced in this way is good). Another lesson for PF over mealie meal price is that some of us have farms besides our jobs we do and normally around this time Nov-March the price of meali meal goes up (only that this time the margin is high) coz we hold on to our maize for consumption and so when we sell it is at some higher price. so PF stop this toy-toy and get to work. The rains are already here lets go farming. And knowing PF it will be violent. By the way who are they going to direct their protest at? I am sick about this failur by PF not face reality that they lost! Give us a break and get to work!
These protests will just reduce production in the country.Loss of man hours.Instead of protesting they should voted.Africa is not ready for protests,protests can be a recipe for tension.I advise choma residents to concentrate on preparing the fields and ploughing.we are in rainy season
SATA and his followers do not belong to this age and times.
The protests will take place no matter what you say. You do not even know the extent of the npoverty prevailing in Z. Your relatives barely manage one meal a day and you say Sata is unintelligent for protesting on behalf of the poor?? What kind dunderheads r you that you cannot understand? You r behaving like the famous ‘family tree’ that caused the French revolution by saying ‘if they cannot have bread, why cant they eat cake’?
We expect SATA to first tell us what he could hav done if he PF were in Gvt.Were they going to protest as well of find a solution ?
I know the attitude of villagers. They hoard their maize stocks and sell in December when the prices go up. Therefore, the high mealie meal prices favour rural farmers. It is illogical for them to demonstrate.
Shibumi, go and demonstrate alone. Don’t incite or differ with those holding opposing views. A Nyanja proverb says “never hold the mouth of one crying”. Uzalila uzaleka. Suzalila milopa.
LET THEM DEMONSTRATE BECAUSE RIGHT NOW PEOPLE ARE STARVING. LESS THAN A DOLLAR MEAL PER DAY. MY FELLOW BLOGGERS MOST OF YOU ARE SAFE BECAUSE YOU ARE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WHEN YOU ARE PASSING THESE COMMENTS PLEASE THINK OF YOUR RELATIVES WHO ARE HERE STARVING.
HUNGER WILL KILL MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE.
so whats PF’s solution, let them tell us what they would have done differently. Protest!!! after the protests so what???? Am now having a feeling that even if Sata has won, he was still going to protest againist his own govt like he is doing against his own MPs and Veep
BELEIVER, IT IS UN ZAMBIAN TO INSULT ADULTS. MIND YOUR LANGUAGE PLEASE.
we tongas are cows dug
The poeple of Zambia have spoken. K75,000 is ok for the mealie meal price. Its alright to starve for now will be better in the future as by January the bag of mealie meal will be K100,000.
SO WHAT we love peace. Viva K75,000. We are tough.
People please!! when are we going to learn that Nshima is not the only food source on this planet! We need to diversify in what we eat. As for Mr Sata, can he explain to the same people he’s organizing to protest on his behalf, how he intents to correct this situation? how much money is this man spending on buying his ticket to state house? enough is enough! political circus should be confined to fun faires where he may get some support from kids. Education pays dividends. How can one be sleeping all this time and then wake up one day to say food is expensive – lets go to state house and remove MMD from power. What utter nonsense!!
Gentlemen, what is the solution to the mealie meal price?? has Mr Sata suggested any solution before going to the street.The best is to suggest a solution and if govnt refuses to implement then you can protest. Even you guys on the blog dont just ague without suggesting a solution to the problem.
#7, Have you tried to find out who was the MD at Namboard? Not Sata, but RB. Probably you need to know how such parastatals were abused by MDs. Ask Hachipuka at ZR, Kaunda at ZCCM, RB at Namboard. Probably you will contribute to this issue effectively. That time my friend it was the Party and its Government. UNIP yalebbebba. All those appointed by KK were untouchable. Do you remember Captain Kawanu turning off electricity at Lusaka International Airport? UNIP and KK killed Zambia. Oh, when we say KK, sounds like we just linked RB to such abuse.
Siazilo learn to understand issues, here the PF is talking about a non violent protest not a violent one. Peace and violence will never be the same.After all Zambia is a democratic country and protests are a normal thing.Do not oppose any how, even good things. Wake Tonga Chicken.
Protests are always ill-timed and not the answer.The opposition lost the battle by being divided.Neva mind the current situation just work hard reduce your spending as a house hold and hope sata and HH will put aside their selfish ambitions and put the country first
#52, Nshima is not the only source, but remember grain is the most used to make any edibles. So, the shortage of grain ultimately means the shortage of nshima or any other edibles. So, criticizing people at Zed because of nshima lacks merit. People are protesting the shortage of grain. Zambia had a good harvest, but with lack of govt control, all grain was exported when Levy was in … It is well known that every govt does have policies. What is the zambian govt policy on agriculture? How they failed to function when infact they had 2 Ministers of agriculture as compared to one person, Mundia Sikatana? Something must be wrong. People must hold their govts accountable. Social Contracts.
imwe vi pf kalimeni atase. violent or non-vilent protests will waste your time. the rains are here, lets farm. if you want to shine that ur in town and cant ask for a piece of land in the outskirts mwalimako, lwenu.understand that u dont live in a bubble separated from the world. economic problems are every where. u shud be grateful u have felt the harsh effects of the credit crunch till now. rb has only been in office for a month and you are already demanding for earthquakes of change.kulani bane.vintu sivienda so.he’s not some wizard who can just wave his magic wand and make life a bed of roses.be realistic in ur demands.thats how we separate kids from adults..
this problem is everywhere, am in Kenya and the prices here have gone up esp mealie meal and if we think rioting is the way forward then am sorry coz its our infrastructure that will be destroyed It starts as peaceful demostration but ends into a riot. Pliz Zambian lets reason like Christians we claim to be.
These Choma marketeers were told to protest by HH this time we are talking they would have been at Mwanamainda matching to protest in Lisaka. As rough as they are, they have even started killing their animals and beating their wives on the way to Lusaka to protest because HH told them so.
i dont get anysense in these protests what we need now are sugestions to resolve the problem, work is what is needed, not making lining up in the street and making noise ba PF. Zambians shall we work pliz mwebantu!!!!
Yes we need to hold the govt accountable especially the presido this time RB for whatever issue affecting our lives. but as we do this we have to be responsible. Can the PF guyz give RB and his team 90 days their losing candidate was preaching about and then they can commence giving solutions before they go to the street to waste time! One of the solutions the govt should do and do it fast is to subsidise production by reducing taxes on fertiliser(FSP exists but it needs refining and sustainability) and other inputs to a minimum level like they have done it in Nyasaland. 2. Do all the feeder roads permanently not the every year thing we do so that access to markets is made easier or better still introduce marketing depots by demacating some areas. For the immediate offload FRA maize on the market and let FRA import maize and not private mealers so that they private mealers do not bring in the story of taxes. when FRA buys it should be duty free. Introduce govt farms were prisoners and all those PF protesters who are bent on violence once arrested can go and work as sentence so as to reduce on fuel for tractors. Lastly PF go and plough its rain time. I go to the my farm every Friday and come back on a Sunday morning for worship. PF let your president lead by example by cultivating this time around so that he can tell us next harvest season that he is gonna harvets so many bags and we shall send ZNBC or MUVI tv to cover him!
A court dissolved Thailand’s top three ruling parties for electoral fraud Tuesday and temporarily banned the prime minister from politics, bringing down a government that has faced months of strident protests seeking its ouster. zedi must do so through PF the only wise party.
PF NEVER GOES TO SLEEP!! UPND GOES TO BED WITH MMD WHILE HP QUICKLY GOES INTO OBLIVION AFTER EVERY ELECTION. WE IN PF DON’T BROOK NONSENSE. WE SHALL KEEP HAMMERING SENSE INTO THE MMD GOVT AND ITS SUPPORTERS-UPND,NAWAKWI, SAKWIBA ETC! WE PLAY THE ROLE OF A REAL OPPOSITION PARTY AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE THE MOST FEARED OPPOSITION PARTY BY MMD!! VIVA PF. WE DIE HARD!!!
Bashi Chilufya is a chatterbox and the Post has decided to be his megaphone.
RB will just be working and all you will be seeing are results. He has decided never to respond to Sata because if you keep responding to Sata you won’t have time to work. Sata is addicted to his own voice.
Protests do not belong to the current generation but to pipo who fought for independence.some pipo are long over due to retirement. Sata wanted to be a presido by all means unfortunetly the villagers rightly refused and he wants to create more problems than the current prices of mealie meal. This era belongs to pipo who can follow the changes/factors and trends in world economies. Otherwise you contributions will be always outdated.advise for you Sata is to simply rest and let others take it up from you. there are pipo in the your party that are learnt and able to interpret current developemnts.I declare you desolate.Protests lead up to many unpleasant happenings. Protests noooooooooooooooo
Demonstrations are health in a democracy, Rupiah made promises and it is just fair that he is reminded! Americans are going through rough times and they are freely discussing the issues,here we are just being ‘told’ the ‘good’ things Rupiah has done i.e dancing at some function,pretending to be awake at church, his a hapiness on increasing salaries etc
#67
These people ( MMD and their suspect supporters even on this blog), do not like democracy and civil liberities in practice and are quick to denounce anyone who speaks up, as being a trouble maker who is inciting violence! it is beyond ridiclulous that in this day an age, expressing an opinion or your displeasure is actively discouraged, they are a bunch of Nazi hypocrites!
the problem with the majority of Zambians is that they do not want to stand up for what they belive in! you need to have the courage of your convictions, iregardless of what political party you support! How can you say protests are wrong? how else are people supposed to hold their governemnt to account? protests do not equate violnence, protests are a way to show your displeasure simple as! and the only people that are inciting volimence are the MMD and the police with their exaggerated over reaction to EVERYTHING! geeeesh!
It is sad no one is saying that these are signs of the second coming of christ.people read the bible and you find the answer.
No.60 hh does not sink so low to protest over something that does not carry any water. He is a mature person and he means what he says and not talking before you think. HH is a negotiater and not a violent person. He leads people who can reason and can ask him why they are protesting and not Mungulu fwe.
that is how it all started in kenya peaceful protest if u want to distroy your town go on am happy am from choma