PF media director Sunday Chanda says UPND president Hakainde Hchilema is being insensitive in his call for government to apply a complete lockdown following the COVID-19 outbreak.
The country has seen a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 cases to 36, prompting Hichilema to call on the government to immediately implement a complete lockdown as a way of stopping the spread of the disease that was first recorded in China’s Wuhan City.
But in a statement, Chanda stated that Hichilema should observe how civil unrest has brewed in many of Zambia’s neighbouring countries that were under lockdown.
“We are very disappointed with Mr. Hakainde Hichilema’s insensitivity to the realities of the COVID-19, all in his quest to sound relevant. At a time when everyone is putting their differences aside and coming together to fight a common enemy, Mr. Hichilema is busy politicking by running knee-jerk political radio and TV adverts calling for a ‘Total Lockdown’,” Chanda stated.
“Mr. Hichilema is not making the call for a total lockdown in good faith. Mr Hichilema and UPND are aware of the civil unrest that is brewing in neighbouring countries that are under lockdown. There are long queues of people struggling to get food supplies in compounds and shops in high density areas while others are running out of stock as people queue for hours. Their armies are being compelled to use force to control crowds. A total lockdown may work for the ‘Mayadi’ elite like Mr. Hichilema who can afford to stock up food for months on end but elsewhere in the compounds, it will be a total disaster. This is the problem they’re facing in South Africa. People are coming out of homes in the name of going to buy food from selected supermarkets.”
He stated that according to Zambia’s social setup where people live hand to month, a lockdown may spread the virus aggressively.
“Where people live hand-to-mouth like our compounds, a lockdown must be the last thing anyone would wish for the majority poor. This would result in the crowds queuing up for food supplies, a situation that would have the potential to spread the virus even more aggressively,” stated Chanda.
“Either Mr. Hichilema is a political novice who is given to impulsive decisions or knows the cost and he is trying to make political capital out of it. It is disturbing that while our nation and the world come together to fight COVID- 19, Mr. Hichilema’s deviant behaviour may end up worse than the virus. We call upon all Zambians to ignore his politicking as we all come together to fight COVID-19.”
6 responses
Chanda you were told by Zambians please stop these Chinese people coming there is a virus outbreak. You guys called fellow Zambians racist and all sorts of names. 16.3.20 still allowing Chinese nationals in
Even if you have borrowed too much money from China, you could not allow them to destroy Zambians.
The same thing HH is saying is what China had done complete lockdown.
PF guys you are too faced . People who were shouting loudly Lusambo, Liya and Nakachinda all of them are MMD, chanda, concentration on the damage limitations that those from MMD serving in PF govern they are causing.
Lusambo was a call boy, he knows what it means not to have food or a shelter. Why arrest children who have chosen to help their parents falsed out of work by PF govern?
These kinds of behaviours are making the same man Lusambo wants to please by sebana wikute Lungu very unpopular and people wishing him to leave office for someone. Lungu is a good man but lacks management skills and abilities help himself.
Chanda just say you guys hv stolen all the resources & hv nothing left for citizens. You are a reckless poor planning lot & your non consulting stakeholders will soon kick you out of office as Zambians are tired of chipante pante PF Government which stole about $30 million from the fire truck tender . No contingent plans please leave HH whose interest is with the Zambian people to save life!!!
Just say you don’t have resources to buy food for the people. Don’t give excuses. China managed the deases because they locked down quickly, the USA took long to lockdown and you see how fast it has spread. Until many people get infected then you come opening your stinking mouth for a total lockdown.
If you think critically, its true that i there can be total meyhem if total lockdown was to be implemented. Most Zambians lead a Hand to mouth kind of life. Please god help us.
If you are a person who points fingers all the time, its time to reflect. We have a serious problem at hand which was not caused by any of us.
I think Chanda was unrealistic as the one he is against in that in southern Africa, where our neighbouring countries are; I think we have SA and Zimbabwe. SA its not having civil unrest, or people queing for food as he says. I think army is there to help control the people. And the abuse of the people at the hands of the army has been condemned, as these are people found moving in the streets. Zimbabwe it started on Monday, so there are ques or and civil unrest. I may not know of Namibia and Angola. Thats my submission.
It is better for people to gather food which can last for a selected number of lockdown days. This can help us as Zambian from getting a COVID-19. I think Mr. Hichilema Hakainde is right. A single day cannot make un Elephant to go wrotten. Prevantion is better than cure