“ZAMBIANS MUST STOP CONSUMING CONTAMINATED MEALIE MEAL IMMEDIATELY”- NAKACINDA

“ZAMBIANS MUST STOP CONSUMING CONTAMINATED MEALIE MEAL IMMEDIATELY.”

Good afternoon fellow country men and women, the international community and the media. I want to address the nation and I pray and hope that this message reaches all well-meaning Zambians in good time, those in govt, the church, faith-based organisations, civil society, international community, members of the ruling party the UPND and Zambians in the diaspora. Today is indeed a dark day for our beloved country mother Zambia.

For the first time in the history of our country the Zambian people have been brought to shame and absolute ridicule for their love for their staple food nshima.

On behalf of the Patriotic Front and the suffering masses we want to add our voice on the unfolding scandal concerning AFLATOXINS contained in mealie meal that has caused the death of dogs and exposed the widening scandals in this UPND govt led by Mr. Hakainde Hichilema.

Firstly, I want to say There is no mealie meal for dogs, first humans consume and left overs are left for dogs, this govt must for once be serious and stop insulting the intelligence of Zambians with this issue of focusing on dogs which died.

In this new dawn govt nothings seems to be working. Yesterday Minister of Health held a hasty presser to shield the selected millers that govt identified to supply this imported maize and not to safeguard the lives and health of citizens which is supposed to be their number one responsibility and priority. Instead, he went in circles defending the known millers.

The levels of corruption at the ministry of health are alarming because this is not the Ministry of Health we know. Alot of illegalities are being perpetuated and the ministry is turning a blind eye. From procuring fake drugs, to missing drugs to expired drugs and now to protecting known millers that are deliberately offloading mealie meal imported by govt to the market that is contaminated without recourse. That is why many have said the people Mr. Hakainde Hichilema appoints are highly incompetent and messy. We also know that his MP Kalila is a doctor why not appoint him to that Ministry to avoid this chipante pante at such a sensitive ministries like ministry of health.

Already we want to inform the nation that it is alleged that money is exchanging hands among selected millers with the ministry of health official and some state House officials to prevent the public from knowing which millers of mealie meal brands that have contaminated mealie meal. And because Mr. Hakainde Hichilema is the papa of corruption, don’t expect anything from him but expect a press briefing defending the millers who are offloading contaminated mealie meal. We want to challenge the gentleman whose dogs died to mention the mealie meal he gave the dogs to announce to the nation. We are challenging the media to follow that man so that he discloses the brand of the mealie meal that caused the death of his dogs and that will be the starting point.

However we want to state the following, there is no system in Zambia which is working, everything has collapsed. The mining sector, the health sector, the agriculture sector, justice, law and order just everything has collapsed under Mr. Hakainde Hichilema.

It is a known fact that the Zambian government is importing mealie meal and maize into the country from South Africa and Tanzania that is officially but we know that there is even maize coming from America. And nangu tapososwa Americans don’t eat nshima so you and I know that the maize is specifically grown for animal feed and so you know the chemical inputs and hence you know its GMO. There is GMO mealie meal on the market currently and Mr. Hakainde Hichilema will never tell the Zambian people the truth. Hakainde Hichilema cares more about business syndicates other than human lives. To be poor now is a death sentence under Mr. Hichilema. Mr. Hakainde Hichilema now looks at everyone as if we are animals or cows, and it is not right.

The Zambia compulsory standards agency did their due diligence and this report has been sitting with Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and the OP and Ministry of Health for over 8 months since last year, but they have decided to neglect it because for them it’s about tonnage of mealie meal to play with price so as to look like they are working.

In Zambia, under UNIP and MMD govts developed silos which were for strategic storage of maize and those can store maize even up to 10 years. But in the countries where we are importing from mealie meal is not their staple food and hence these problems.

The beginning of the problem is that immediately after Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and UPND formed govt they over promised on the issue of the price of the dollar. That was the source of the problem, when HH gave the mines which are our number one export dollar earner he gave them tax holidays because of obligations he had over the years to the UPND sponsors who had mining interests for the period UPND was in opposition. He promised them mining rights and tax holidays in order to recover what they invested. So once in govt he got desperate to show off that the dollar was improving hence the only commodity at his disposal was maize in order to earn dollars. That’s why you saw that the dollar was reducing but he didn’t tell you that he was selling strategic maize reserves left by the Patriotic Front this same Mr. Lungu he insults day and night. Hence after they were exposed and the Zambian people discovered we saw conflicting statements from govt, but Chushi kasanda is our hero because she went open and announced to the nation. That’s why she was removed from the ministry and they brought in a a vuvuzela who acts like he is on steroids and gives conflicting statements with his PS Thabo Kawana. After HH ran out of maize to export so that he can play with the dollar, the next available commodity was electricity, and until now with no shame he is still exporting electricity at the expense of the Zambians. All this is just so as to earn a little dollar to caution the price matrix in order to present himself as fixer when in fact not. Very soon he will run out of what to export and the kwacha will be in free fall, and mark my words very soon.

Back to the issue, the maize that was produced by small scale farmers was sold. It is irresponsible for any govt, how can a parent sale food in his own house and remain empty. FRA gets most of its stock from small scale farmers those who benefit from FISP. Most of commercial farmers are allowed to sale some even export. Now the hard-earned sweat of tax payers’ money was quickly exported just to caution the dollar. It is a blue lie that we owed the farmers and needed to sale the maize in order to pay what was owed, it was even better we sale State House because he doesn’t even live there than sale the maize in our strategic reserves just to caution the dollar.

How then does a minister come on a presser and say we have tested some samples and found them positive to aflatoxin but we won’t mention the brands. How can a govt be protecting millers at the expense of the life of its citizens. UPND is nothing but a criminal enterprise/gang that has put business ahead of its people. Hakainde Hichilema is really a dealer who cares less about the welfare of the poor.

He came in, made the citizens vulnerable by stripping off their dignity by squandering off their staple food to neighboring countries and then introducing Eagle mealie meal which is widely speculated to be imported GMO meal then packaged in ZNS bags. Firstly, videos surfaced of maize packed in ZNS bags being imported. When Zambians questioned them, they resorted to import unpackaged mealie meal and maize which they later came to pack in ZNS sacks. It is all GMOs and am challenging them to subject the ZNS mealie meal to an independent test and audit. Or let them allow us to get ZNS mealie meal samples to labs abroad to verify that this is number one not GMO and also not substantially carrying aflatoxins. Our research bureau has revealed to us that aflatoxins are widely contained in genetically modified foods.

The real solution is Zambians should stop consuming ZNS mealie meal until a thorough report is issued by relevant authorities. But even so, to trust anything from the UPND govt is risking your own life. They are insincere and for them everything is about propaganda. How can a govt be more interested in propaganda at the expense of the lives of their citizens. Govt must close all ZNS milling plants until the next farming season and should stop the distribution of ZNS mealie meal. All supermarkets are advised to stop displaying and selling ZNS mealie meal forthwith in order to wait for proper reports from Zambia Compulsory standards agency.

When there are diseases such as these that threaten the lives of people in greater proportions the World Health Organisation (WHO) must take keen interest. We are calling on WHO to send health experts to conduct thorough independent assessment. This is a shameless govt, amidst a drought and national disaster, we are calling on international relief and aid yet feeding our people toxic food.

We are giving the govt 48hours to disclose the brands of mealie meal that has tested positive because govt has acknowledged that there are several and not one brand that have tested positive to Aflatoxins. Because this is genocide and health terrorism against its own citizens.

Am appealing to my fellow citizens in the compounds to refrain from consuming ZNS mealie meal, stop preparing nshima with ZNS in the restaurants. I want to appeal to prisons service to desist from giving inmates ZNS mealie meal and conduct tests of the mealie meal you are giving inmates, otherwise this govt can be suspected to be conducting genocide to its own citizens by depopulation the prisons indiscriminately.

An independent assessment must be done about which areas this contaminated mealie meal is going so that we stop speculating otherwise we are just thinking wildly about this scandal.

We are all literally dead and just waiting to be buried. Just imagine the proportions of cancer that is brewing in our bodies and is yet to blow up in the face of our health facilities. We are all cancer patients so long as you eat nshima. And this is outrightly on the hands of Mr. Hakainde Hichilema who equally received this report and turned a blind eye from Zambia Compulsory standards out of business interests and political expediency. On matters of health, you just have to be truthful, and not play politics or play to the gallery.

We are calling upon everyone regardless of where you are, civil society, students, pressure groups, stakeholders in the health sector, to conduct peaceful demonstrations and put pressure on Mr. Hakainde Hichilema to immediately withdraw and apologies to the Zambian people. And on this one let not even the police prevent anyone who feels aggrieved and wants to conduct a peaceful protest. The police equally consume nshima and allow us express your frustrations on your behalf.

Mr. Hakainde Hichilema is no longer only an economic hitman and agent of international business men, he is now a fully-fledged health terrorist and we the Zambian people must resolve to get rid of this UPND govt. Prepare your NRCs and register to vote, UPND and HH kuyabebele.

HON RAPHAEL MANGANI NAKACINDA, MCC.
PATRIOTIC FRONT SECRETARY GENERAL