By Staff Reporter
National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Saboi Imboela says President Hakainde Hichilema is inflicting as much pain as possible on Zambians.
Speaking on President Hichilema’s decision to increase fuel prices by K2.73 for petrol, K2.81 for diesel and K2.32 for Kerosene, effective midnight tonight, Imboela said the country was now living the reality of Vice-President Mutale Nalumango’s “we shall increase in order to reduce.”
“Certainly it is a further punishment because if you look at it, the fuel prices normally impact everything else. So the fact that fuel has increased today everything else will be up by tomorrow. Meaning the transport costs, meaning the workers who had that minimal 10 percent salary increment everything will go to the transport. In terms of the groceries, the food everything will go up,” Imboela said. “So basically it’s a punishment on the citizens of this country and also very unfortunate.”
Imboela said this was a President who campaigned heavily on lowering the price of fuel but has increased the same by an average K10 since he assumed office, saying the same monthly reviews were making even planning all the more difficult.
She said despite Vice-President Nalumango issuing a shocking statement that they were increasing in order to reduce, and that despite her saying a lot of things which leave much room to be desired, her statement was coming out to be true.
“It’s coming out as the most honest thing about the fuel prices anyway. You have seen the way they have increased. In the next one month or two they are going to decrease the prices and when they decrease they want us to celebrate that they have decreased. They are increasing to decreasing,” said Imboela.
