Armed Police have been deployed at Choma Milling Company Depot in Mazabuka, Southern Province where residents have been struggling to buy mealie meal following the shortage of the commodity in most leading super markets.
A survey conducted by ZANIS in Mazabuka this morning revealed that some residents woke up as early as 03:30 hours to queue up for the commodity which has become scarce in the Central Business District.
Staff at Choma Milling Depot explained that the company sought the intervention of the Police in order to maintain law and order.
And a resident of Chivuna area in Chief Hanjalika, Moses Mweemba told ZANIS, he has spent two days in Mazabuka town to buy mealie meal because of the long queues.
Mweemba urged Government to find a solution to the problem before the situation degenerates into a crisis.
Mr Mweemba said hunger in rural areas has reached alarming proportions adding that the development has also affected pupils’ school attendance.
He also urged authorities to screen the people buying mealie meal adding that most people queuing were buying in bulk in order to resale at exorbitant prices.
And District Commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba has disclosed that the shortage of mealie meal has been compounded by the temporal suspension of Mealie meal production at the local Kapinga Milling Company which has completely run out of maize.
Mr Hamaamba warned that unless the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) offloads maize to the millers now, the district will be plunged into acute food shortages in both rural and urban areas.
He said FRA should also allocate more tonnes of maize for sale to starving people in rural areas to reduce the long queues of mealie meal that have become a common feature at Choma Milling Mazabuka Depot
Mr Hamaamba said his office is concerned with the severe hunger ravaging the district.
Meanwhile, Chief Hanjalika has urged Government not to play with people’s lives because the hunger situation in the area is real.
‘’Right now I cannot talk because even if I talk there is nothing that is going to happen, so my subjects will continue suffering,’’ said Chief Hanjalika.
Chief Hanjalika said repeated appeals for relief food to be sent to his chiefdom to save lives have gone unheeded.
ZANIS/ENDS/HC/CLM
Atleast at last people are able to buy mealimeal
Really ?
Nyama soya’s govt is working hard to address the problems! RB is a total failure
Too bad ,it is amazing hearing stories like this especially after having been assured that we had a bumper harvest.Rb do your home work mwana abantu bafwa nensala
What’s surprising is that mealie meal shortages are being reported at a time when the price of mealie meal was said to have been reduced. Things fall apart.
its a pitty. Dora thinks she is too wise. in her article she did not address the issues raised by the post. the post is dealing with issues. but dora is personal. they refused to bail out zambian airways good. but where is the money. People are dying in choma. is this not poor planning. Dora and ur govt we want to hear what u doing not what the post is doing. look at wat is happening in choma. and someone is busy defending amalabishi. please be an issue based govt. u re lost. amaphone is not food. lye naba1 mulyo first bakabwala. Namufyilwa. sumineni. this govt has failed. ukufilwa kulelpela.
ici ci govt niimbwa chabe. poor planning. filibafye.Lesa twafwe. Please God sort them out. Please help us sort them out. Please God we CRY as zambians. sort them out by helping us find a way of pushing them out. we dont care the method but deliever mother zambia.
Meanwhile, Chief Hanjalika has urged Government not to play with people’s lives because the hunger situation in the area is real. please is this really life? i c something wrong. why in choma and southern province in particular. a they being punished? in Eastern province everything seems fine. ok we shall c.
Abusu sure pomutumila police?
Seems we are back to the UNIP era when queues for Mealie meal,cooking etc were the order of the day.
I wonder how much smuggling into Zimbabwe has to do with the shortages as previously Mokambo smuggling contributed to the shortfall of the essential commodities in Zambia.
CAN THEY JUST MAKE THE COMODITY AVAILABLE AND MAKE PROFIT…
Akabwali pa Zed!! :d
BACK TO THE PRE-MULTIPARTY DAYS? I FEEL FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN IN THE LAST TWENTY OR SO YEARS, AT LEAST WE THE MBILI ZA KALE REMEMBER AND WERE USED TO QUEUING UP FOR EVERYTHING, OUR PARENTS USED TO GIVE US MONEY TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES JUST IN CASE SOMETHING BECAME AVAILABLE, THOSE WERE THE DAYS, I GUESS THEY ARE SLOWLY CREEPING BACK! I HAVE TO GO, JUST HEARD THAT THERE IS MEALIE MEAL AT NIEC.
Who shall save the educatd Zambians?? A country that has failed to secure food. People dying of hunger. No food on the table. Where did the maize go? I can smell a big rat here….some one will follow Gladis Njorongo soon. Its a shame to be always talking about food instead of how Zambia can start making cars, exorting food toother countries not blessed with vastland and plenty of water. Zambians we need change just now……. :-t:-t:-t%-(%-(%-(
Armed? Why? 😮
Do we really have government in power? Mr. RBB, you want to feed Zimbabwe when your own people are starving?
Shame ba Banda.
Kaunda era dot com
Please,please do something. I remember I had to put a Stone in my place on the queue because I was too young to for long waiting at Mwaiseni stores.Surprising is that Before elections we were told there was a ‘bumper Harvest’, where did it all go to? Ba Banda tell us. Govt Machinery worked I guess
But president Banda was saying that maize is available and we should give some to the Zimbabwean people. Is he out of his mind.
It doesn`t affect him because his family is in plot 1.
#19 Change your name man.
#17 ,
Spot on. Its back to Kaunda Era.
Anso this govt bayamba ubwetuka bwetuka manje, batampa ukusabaila,.
Yesterday ati lets export Mealie meal, lelo ati queing with armed police.. Awe Zabvuta nkhani.
We just have to continue sending money via Western Union from diaspora to our families in order for them to survive. :-?:-?:-?:-w:-w**==
#18, I knew someone who went to the extent of borrowing some nurses uniform so that they can jump these ques..
I borrowed one too, and it worked… **===))=))=d>>:d<>:d<>:d<>:d<
Its unacceptable that a country that is not at WAR with abundant rain fall and vast fertile land can have its people queuing for a 25 kg of ubunga. There is total lack of proper and quality leadership in MMD government .I knew from the beginning that RB lacked was not the right man to drive this country forward and deliver us from oozing poverty.The character is just busy global trotting while people kwa Mongu are surviving on wild fruits.Shame!
Shame upon the devil why did Levy die so early. This was not heard of in the 7 years he ruled Zambia he even made a dmc. This reminds me of 1983 when people used to say if you here a dog bucking you should that family had food that evening. People just want to create crisis and make profit out of this- Remember that scam someones son
mr president youre so wise.i fully agree with you
You are paying the price for voting a wrong president.
Time to go to [-o<. Very important.
Southern Province the food basket of Zambia? And His Excellency is talking of exporting the commodity to starving Zimbabweans when the country is also suffering a defeceit. Wrong thinking.
Who cares whether those villagers starve to death.
I don’t care, TOAD FACE President does not care, I know you do not care care too. So what is the fuss all about. Get on with your lives, sell Zamtel and pocket the proceeds… Thanks to these starving villagers for voting us into power..aha hah hah haha hah eeeeerrrrrr. Time to reap where we did not sow..
I do not understand why we still have such mentallity of hiding food for Zedians and pretend we have no maize?
The President need to address the issue than going round Africa on a honeymoon with ka Thandi.
It is about time when Zedians where standing in queue for food. :((