LET’S BRACE FOR HARDER TIMES
But Mr Kalaba, the president of Citizens First says he is extremely concerned about what he has termed the double-edged sword of the implementation of load shedding and the hike in electricity tariffs at the same time.
“We find the logic behind this announcement to be faulty and highly inconsiderate in the sense that Zambians will be paying more for the power that will not be available at the height of load shedding starting in May, 2024.
This is a double-edged sword formed against citizens will push many of our people to the extreme end of economic hardships.
As Citizens First, we urge government to put in place measures that shall cushion the suffering of the governed because those governing have everything on their disposal,” Mr Kalaba said.
Mr Kalaba, who is a member of the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) said the timing of subjecting citizens to load shedding as well as expensive electricity was coming when millions of Zambians were surviving at the barest minimum.
He said millions of Zambians were struggling and barely making it to earn a decent living and to be hit by load shedding and an upward adjustment of the cost of electricity was to condemn them to severe suffering.
“While in opposition, President Hakainde Hichilema boasted of having solutions to problems of load shedding and enjoyed casting aspersions at the former government for their alleged lack of vision and competency,” Mr Kalaba said.
Now to repay the Zambian voters who trusted his campaign message, he said President Hichilema had subjected the nation to hunger when the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Mtolo Phiri raided the country’s silos and sold all the maize in the strategic reserves the UPND had inherited from the previous government.
“The UPND has not only plunged the country into famine by selling the maize in the national strategic reserves, but has also failed to provide leadership and implement the solutions he boasted about while in opposition to end load shedding and lower the cost of living,” Mr Kalaba said.
“By failing to implement his highly talked about self-praise of a vision to address many economic challenges facing the nation, President Hakainde has exhibited the highest levels of incompetency by any President in the living memory of Zambia,” he said.