By Merlyn Mwanza
President Hakainde Hichilema says he knew that governing the country was not going to be a walk in the park and that it would be tough.
And President Hichilema awkwardly warned about the involvement of the new Director of Public Prosecutions and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general when talking about inserting a liquidator into KCM in order to “squeeze cash” out.
The President further justified the steep increment in electricity connection fees, saying Zesco needs to survive.
During a press conference at State House, President Hichilema said when he reads social media postings and commentaries he gets the impression as if he has a one year mandate as opposed to a five-year one.
He said he knew that governing was not going to be a walk in the park and that “it was going to be tough.”
President Hichilema said there were those who took pleasure in abusing the President, but insisted that his administration would still take away the law on defamation of the President.
But asked on the fact that his administration has not given the way forward on the issues involving mining companies Mopani and KCM despite the people on the Copperbelt suffering greatly, President Hichilema after meandering through to address issues about other mining companies around the country, finally came to the issue, saying the country was paying the price over the former administration’s decision to put in a liquidator rather than management. He said it was done so in order for some people to squeeze cash from the company but awkwardly warned that “you will see what will happen with DPP and ACC director general.”
He said the government was talking to Vedanta as they together with ZCCM-IH are the main shareholders in KCM, arguing that Vedanta could not be wished away as the court matter involved them too.
But on Mopani, the President described the negotiating process there as pretty easier.
President Hichilema also addressed himself to the issue where his critics, both nationally and internationally have accused him of being a stooge and puppet of the west, by saying that China was Zambia’s all-weather friend and that government was working on resetting relations with the United States and with China, with the ultimate purpose of benefiting from the global family.
Asked if his administration should consider stopping electricity exports in order to cushion supply to the local market and avert the six-hour load shedding announced by the government, President Hichilema said the key was to secure the international markets to maintain the flow of energy exports as the country aspired to increase generation into the future.
President Hichilema further said there has been too much noise about the auditing in the security wings, but that the audit is not targeted at the security wings per see, but the contracts involving the supply of goods, with there being suspicion that those connected to the former ruling party made a fortune off of that.
He said those from the “utusaka twa ndalama” brigade cannot even buy spare parts for their vehicles now as the taps from which they used to finance their lavish lifestyles are now drying up, saying the argument that there was liquidity under the PF in the economy was fallacy as the money was in the hands of a few people.
“You are talking about impeaching HH over saving money … I don’t think you will manage to do that,” President Hichilema said.
And the President justified the decision by his administration to steeply increase electricity connection fees arguing that Zesco has to move to become commercially viable, saying the last time the connection figures were made was in 2005 and that they were not adjusted because of politics.
President Hichilema said “you can’t continue killing a business”, adding that the key was to make adjustments over a period of time.
“We will have the last laugh because Zesco should be able to deliver for the public,” said President Hichilema.
