[By David Chongo in Solwezi]
PF national mobilisation chairperson Richard Musukwa says the ruling party is not worried about opposition drama on social media because it is already working with people on the ground.
He says presidency is about serious people that propel fortunes of a nation and that the man who has the blueprint for the development of Zambia is President Edgar Lungu.
Musukwa has tasked North Western to score the “winning goal” in the 2021 general elections to ensure President Edgar Lungu returns power.
Meanwhile, the mines minister says the government will meet Kansanshi Mine Plc over the firm’s decision to shelve US $1 billion expansion plans for a processing plant due to recent fiscal changes in mining taxation.
Speaking in Solwezi, Musukwa said the opposition was busy dramatising issues on social media and positioning themselves as if they were already in power.
“I want to assure you that we have started mobilising for the 2021 election. And I can assure you that PF will retain power in 2021 and the opposition will continue dramatising and propagandising like the way they are doing. They are on social media; they are on all sorts of platforms, PF is on the ground because the development trajectory that we have started for this country is there for everyone to see,” he said.
Musukwa said the opposition was afraid of facing President Lungu in 2021 because he was still the people’s choice, who had stuck to development.
He urged voters not to be swayed by those who wanted to be changing leadership like a “baby’s napkins”.
“The Presidency is not like child’s play where you are operating the way you want to change a baby’s napkins. Today there is this one; tomorrow there is this one. Presidency is about serious people that propel the fortunes of our country. And you have those qualities in His Excellency the President to drive this country forward. Ifya kwesha-esha mukasanga mwa-esha ne cha kumilya (trying things anyhow you will end up trying something that will eat you),” Musukwa cautioned.
And Musukwa said PF in North Western needs to work hard to produce members of parliament and councillors in 2021 to command a stronger political voice at national level.
“You must stand up and ensure that you are part of the cake. This election that we are conducting in 2021 is a scientific election. This is a scientific election where we need to galvanise numbers across stakeholders in our country, people who are able to see the future of our country anchored on development trajectory that we have. And the man who has the blue print for the development of our country is His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu. And all of us we must rally behind him to ensure that we work as a team,” he said.
And speaking when he toured the stalled processing plant at Kansanshi Mine, Musukwa noted that even though the policy changes were aimed at curbing unscrupulous practices in the industry, compliant mines had suffered the consequences.
But Kansanshi Mine general manager Anthony Mukutuma said the changes affected progression on its expansion plans and the firm has since shipped out of Zambia some of the equipment meant for the plant.
Mukutuma said Kansanshi Mine required the planned expansion works to ensure efficiency and sustainability as the copper yield lowered the deeper mining excavations went on.
However, Musukwa said he would meet his counterpart at Ministry of Finance following instructions by President Edgar Lungu to dialogue over the differences in a move meant to stabilise the industry and protect mining jobs.
He said the government was equally concerned about the stalled project, which he noted would affect tax revenues in the long term.
Musukwa urged Kansanshi Mine to build capacity of suppliers in Solwezi to ensure contracts impact the local economy.
And Musukwa said ZCCM-IH had started operations at Kasenseli site in Mwinilunga where gold was recently discovered and that the government was working on modalities to ensure the industry benefited people in the area.