Zambians cant breathe, says mumba

Zambians cant breathe, says mumba

Zambians cant breathe, says mumba

Zambians can’t breathe, says Nevers

NEVERS Mumba says Zambians are facing a brutal reality of existing without the support of their government.

In a statement, Mumba, the MMD president, said the government had a responsibility to help citizens cope both in good and bad times.

He said because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were unable to work as they used to before.

“They are out of jobs and they are being restricted to stay at home, meaning the income they used to make is no longer available. It is at this time that any government around the world is having to rethink and recast its vision and responsibility to its citizens,” he said. “Unfortunately, in all of our compounds, whether it’s Chawama, Mtendere, Kalikiliki, Mazabuka, Chimwemwe, people are no longer reporting for work as they used to. A lot of them are out of employment, they are not receiving any income since the pandemic started.”

Mumba noted that the owners of houses they rent were demanding rentals at the same levels.

He said Zambians were paying electricity bills which had even tripled ever since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

Mumba noted that Zambians had continue paying water bills at extraordinary rates.

“Our people are having to pay for fuel at the same rate as though there was no pandemic. Government has made no intervention to come to the aid of the poor people in our nation, they are facing a brutal reality of existing without the support of government,” Mumba said. “I want to say to government; the reason why people pay tax in good times is so that government can remember them in bad times. And this time, responsible governments all over the world are thinking on how they can lighten the burden on the shoulders of their people. In Namibia and in Botswana, we notice that they have cut down on the costs of the utilities like electricity, water, rentals, government has absorbed some of the costs during this time of the pandemic in order to give a breather to their citizens, because that’s why governments exist.”

He said governments exist to maintain the atmosphere for people to put food at the table.

“Unfortunately, for us instead of consideration to reduce the cost of these costs I have outlines, they have remained constant and sometimes have continued to go high,” Mumba said. “As the late George Floyd of the United States said before he died, he said ‘I can’t breathe’, because a policeman had placed his knee on his neck until he died. I wanna say to the government, the people of Zambia are saying ‘we can’t breathe’. The burden on them is so heavy that if government does not come in to find a solution to this problem of whether this knee can be released from the neck of the Zambian people, a lot of our people might die for lack of support from their government.”

Mumba said he was aware that the government had released K10 billion for businesses to lighten their commitment.

“Unfortunately, that is for the apamwambas (affluent), those with companies and facilities in their banks. But here I am talking about those who have not even opened a bank account in their life and have no access to those resources,” Mumba said.

He said even the companies that were meant to borrow from the K10 billion have failed to do so because the economy had slowed down and were afraid of liabilities if they did.

“I think that the poor and the poorest amongst us must be thought about. The same way we thought of raising the US $5 million for a consultant to come and help us think about how to pay our debt, such amounts could be invested in our people,” he said.

Mumba proposed that some of the K10 billion that companies had failed to uplift could be utilised to absorb some of the costs on citizens.

“I hear a cry across this country because of this pandemic and stagnant economy, with no money in people’s pockets, I hear the words, we can’t breathe. I hope the Zambian government will not wait like those policemen looked on as that life was lost,” he said.

Mumba also expressed “deepest pain” at what was happening in the United States over the loss of a black life.

He hoped violence would not come from the US government and applied on the minorities.

Mumba hoped equity would be found in the US.

“In the meantime, we also have a situation in our own country where Zambians are looking to their own government for a reprieve for some kind of help during this pandemic,” said Mumba.

Source:https://www.themastonline.com/2020/06/05/zambians-cant-breathe-says-nevers/