TAKEAWAYS FROM THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA PRESS BRIEFING
Today the Minister of Information and Media and Chief Government Spokesperson Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa, MP held a press briefing at which a number of issues were discussed.
Here are the highlights:
• He dismissed as fake, a video circulating on social media with a manipulated image of President Hakainde Hichilema and an audio mimicking his voice saying he will not contest for the 2026 general elections.
• He described the video as political manoeuvres by the opposition and urged Zambians not to take it seriously. The Minister urged those involved in political propaganda to stop using social media as a tool to manipulate the innocent Zambians.
• The Chief Government Spokesperson also announced that Government through the Ministry of Water and Sanitation that repair works on the Lolanda One Water Treatment Plant in Kafue were completed as of Friday, 29th September 2023. He said the spillage point has been sealed and within the next few days there will be water circulation in Lusaka and other affected areas. He called for calm as final processes to normalize the situation are underway.
• He recalled that yesterday, the 9th of October, the President Mr. Hakainde Hichilema directed the newly appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy Mr Peter Mumba to interrogate the fuel monthly reviews and come up with a better model that will work for the Zambian people. He said as a listening Government, the President was responding to calls by many citizens to help them plan properly in a predictable manner.
• The Minister also stated that it was unreasonable for the Patriotic Front (PF) to state that they subsidized fuel and therefore, should be remembered for their legacy. He stated that to the contrary, the PF were not being honest with the people of Zambia because they never paid for the fuel they claimed to have been subsidizing leaving the country in a debt amount to over $700 million which Government is currently offsetting.
• He also disclosed that yesterday, Government through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development hit another milestone by signing the first ever concession agreement for the reconstruction of the Katete-Chanida road stretch worth $79.8 million. He said the project will be undertaken through the Public Private Partnership financing model. He stressed that the project is a clear indication that the PPP model Government is promoting is working. He expressed Government’s happiness that the project will be done by a Zambian construction company, an indication that Zambians are ready to take the construction industry to another level.
• The Chief Government Spokesperson also indicated that Government has taken the public pronouncement made the Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy National Chairman for Mobilization Mr Bowman Lusambo that former President Edgar Lungu is still the President of the Patriotic Front (PF) and that he will be returning to active politics, seriously. He stated that necessary and relevant considerations and legal ramifications will be taken on the pronouncements adding that the nation will be kept informed on the matter.