HICHILEMA HITS MARKETS, BUS STATIONS WITH EXORBITANT MONTHLY RENTALS
The Lusaka City Council (LCC) has increased monthly levies for shops, stands, and booths in all markets and bus stations.
The revised monthly rentals will be: Q shops have been increased from K100 to K1000; blocked shops from K290 to K1500; and numbered shops have been increased from K75 to K150.
This increment is with effect from January 1, 2024.
It is painful to see Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his corrupt puppet regime exorbitantly increase monthly levies for these properties amidst such cruel economic conditions facilitated by this very government This is precisely what we mean when we say Mr Hichilema is totally detached from reality.
As if ostracizing the street vendors is not enough, this government had proceeded to keep more people to the extreme margins of economic structures and activities through further reforms and senseless decisions. What type of leadership is this that lacks compassion, kindness, and love for the poor people of this country?
Why does Mr Hichilema always view the suffering majority of our people, who are trying so desperately to earn a decent living, as people of very little value to him now that he is president? Why has he forgotten so quickly that these are the same people who toiled for years to get him elected? What type of ingratitude is this?
It is clear that this government has no intention whatsoever to facilitate the growth and development of this particular group of the informal sector. They’re blank and have no policies and structures to deal with this group of the informal sector.
All they’re interested in are profits, even if it means inflicting pain and misery upon the people who are suffering under the most difficult circumstances. They don’t simply care about the suffering and pain they are causing them.
Mr Hichilema is determined to make poor people lose livelihoods at an accelerated pace due to his government’s inability to strategize and prioritize policy-making, especially for the informal sector.
We wish to remind Mr Hichilema that if well developed, the informal sector of this country can be used for poverty reduction and eradication. So let him not be so obsessed with exploiting and abusing the toiling masses of this country.
We demand that these exorbitant and senseless increments in monthly rentals by the Lusaka City Council be stopped immediately.
This economy has become a joke, and we expect this government to be more considerate and less aggressive towards the poor people who need to survive.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
Cost of living is too high. Not just in Zambia.
This is why it is bad manners and pure deceipt for politicians to make promises they know they can never fulfil once elected. That is just immoral and playing on the illiterate vote.
Lusaka City Council has staff working at bus stations who have to be paid and their pay is subject to upward adjustment periodically. What’s champagne socialist Fred M’membe talking about? Ask the Russians why they jettisoned a centrally-planned socialist system. They understand better than Fred M’membe ever will.
Tell us, what alternative policies have you got to develop the informal sector?
HH does not run markets, bwana! This anti-HH phobia that is eating you up will eventually land you in a pit.
Your second last paragraph sums it up.
” The LUSAKA COUNCIL” umm where does HH come into
Sir, for a person with a doctorate and being a journalist …. i think its time you undertook a remedial course in objective reporting.linking headline to content and conclusioj is paramount, oh , unless anti HH propoganda is your aim.A man called Adolf Hitler started a propoganda campaign against the Jewish people approximately 3 years prior to the second world war and we all saw the outcome,, as you are aware propaganda is powerful,,, invariably it is not the truth nut misinformation to achieve a selfish outcome for the proponent.
ZAMBIA BE AWARE
LCC is run by a PF mayor Chilando Chitangala not HH. Please stop exposing your ignorance. If you have issues with rentals complain to the Mayor. Leave our HH alone.
They are just bringing the rentals to realistic values. Those marketeers make a lot of money but look at what they pay. What can K290 do today. It’s not even enough to pay the sweeper who sweeps in front of your shop everyday.
Dr. M’membe doesnot make sense anymore. Like HK above has pointed out, Lusaka City Council is run by a PF mayor as Chief Executive Officer.
So if Dr. M’membe is not happy with the increased rentals, he should direct his discontent to PF’s Miles Sampa or Edgar Lungu depending on who he thinks is heading the PF.