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PRESIDENT Lungu addresses youths at Kitwe’s Freedom Park yesterday.
PRESIDENT Lungu says Government will be forced to introduce price control measures for mealie-meal and selected essential commodities if retailers continue conspiring with some opposition leaders to raise prices with a view to making the Patriotic Front (PF) unpopular.
Speaking when he addressed a sea of Kitwe residents at Freedom Park yesterday, President Lungu said those conspiring to raise prices of essential commodities will not succeed.
Mr Lungu warned millers against pushing him against the wall because he would hit back and that he will not allow Zambians to be exploited by unscrupulous people.
He said there was no justification to raise the prices of mealie-meal,a locally produced commodity, and that the performance of the Kwacha does not affect the commodity’s production.
He said a special meeting aimed at reducing prices of mealie-meal has taken place between Minister of Agriculture Given Lubinda and the millers.
The President said the Food Reserve Agency will offload a substantial consignment of maize on to the market to help in bringing down prices of the commodity.
He said he would closely monitor market trends and that he will not
hesitate to intervene in signing a Statutory Instrument to control the
prices of mealie-meal and selected commodities to save Zambians from dying of starvation.
“They should not take our silence for weakness. We are well capable of hitting back, so, those who are conspiring to raise prices of goods so that this Government is removed will not succeed. We are here to work and serve the Zambian people,” Mr Lungu said.
He said Government has already started dismantling cartels by millers through the introduction of milling plants to stabilise mealie-meal prices.
On the same subject in Chingola on Friday, the President said: “Those that want to increase the price of mealie-meal should relax. They should not pierce my heart because I am capable of putting in measures to control prices if they push me too far,” President Lungu said.
And President Lungu reiterated his call to teachers engaging in partisan politics to resign from their positions and join their ‘friends’ in opposition.
He said Government had all the details of civil servants that were using their positions to champion the interests of the opposition and warned that they would be removed from the service.
Meanwhile, President Lungu urged Chingola residents to embrace God-fearing leaders that have respect for the people.
He encouraged residents to ensure that they register as voters and participate in next year’s tripartite elections.
And Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Chishimba Kambwili said those that were blaming President Lungu for the fall in copper prices and the power crisis needed to be checked.
He said the problems affecting the mining sector are not President Lungu’s making because he does not control the prices of copper on the international market.
PF deputy secretary-general Mumbi Phiri said women should be proud of President Lungu for appointing ‘their own’ as Vice-President.
President Lungu went into the history books when he appointed Zambia’s first Vice-President, Inonge Wina.
ZAMBIADAILYMAIL
