The cost of living for a family of five in Lusaka has reduced to K9146.06 in September 2023 as compared to K9267.34 in August, 2023, according to the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket (BNNB).
However, the reduction is still K295.68 higher compared to the K8850.38 which obtained in September 2023.
The news on the reduced monthly cost of living of K121.28, according to JCTR is indeed welcome news, during this period when positive news is at a premium in the country, with all the gloom and despair occasioned by the same high cost of living.
Zambians are not having the easiest of times indeed. The fact that they manage to carry on with their day to day activities is mainly thanks to their resilience in times of great difficulty.
Government has tried to come up with interventions to try to improve the situation, however, that too has not been enough, like the much hyped “emergency” mealie meal going at the highest of K230 from around over K280.
The K230 is still too much for the ordinary in Zambia, and even for the well to do, as they have to cater for the other expensive goods in the economy apart from just the mealie meal. These are the same people who are now being required to buy fuel at K30 per liter. The burden on the same people has grown further owing to increased dependence by their family members and friends, in this high cost of living owing to our cultural values where one’s responsibility is not only to their nucleus family but the other close relatives and friends.
It is always good news to hear of a reduction in prices or even the cost of living, small as it is, especially when there is too much gloom in the country. We just wonder if that trajectory will continue trending downwards, and we shall be the happiest for that to happen, but we think the projection will trend upwards again because there was a further adjustment in fuel prices at the end of September or beginning of October. And with the rise in fuel prices also comes an escalation in the prices of other goods and services.
The sustainable way to address this high cost of living is for the government to take bold steps by increasing revenues from our country’s mainstay, copper and other precious minerals. This issue of giving tax holidays to the mines is an injustice to the millions of Zambians who are paying for their living through the nose. But that idea of getting meaningful rewards from our mining industry already seems far-fetched going into 2024 given the policy directive announced by the minister of Finance in the 2024 national budget. In short, the country will not get anything meaningful from the mines.
In an ideal situation, more could have been gotten from the mines in order to subsidise the suffering Zambians on essential goods and services such as on electricity, fuel and mealie meal. A reasonable and responsible government would never leave such necessities to be determined by the market forces. That is more like killing your own people you were elected to serve.
The UPND administration argues that the subsidy programme from the PF administration was fake as they left a debt of over $700 million which the current administration was still addressing. If indeed the PF erred in administering the subsidy programme, won’t the UPND ensure that it is properly administered if it were reintroduced, especially that the President claims to be a better manager than former president Edgar Lungu and all the other former presidents he engaged from Levy Mwanawasa, to Rupiah Banda and Michael Sata.
We urge the UPND administration to change its approach in managing the people they were entrusted to lead. The President is very much fascinated with this phenomena of prioritizing market forces, but even in the most capitalist of nations on earth, they still subsidise essential elements like gas, agricultural produce and manufacturing.
Hichilema, there is extreme and excruciating despair and hopelessness in the country you are leading. You sure don’t want to be leading a people who are depressed and moving in hopelessness as these are the same people you will actually need to help your presidency succeed. If they are happy and properly incentivised, they will put in their very best in all they do, and subsequently raise the somber mood that has befallen this great Republic.
By Daily Revelation Editor
The cost of living for a family of five in Lusaka has reduced to K9146.06 in September 2023 as compared to K9267.34 in August, 2023, according to the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) Basic Needs and Nutrition Basket (BNNB).
However, the reduction is still K295.68 higher compared to the K8850.38 which obtained in September 2023.
The news on the reduced monthly cost of living of K121.28, according to JCTR is indeed welcome news, during this period when positive news is at a premium in the country, with all the gloom and despair occasioned by the same high cost of living.
Zambians are not having the easiest of times indeed. The fact that they manage to carry on with their day to day activities is mainly thanks to their resilience in times of great difficulty.
Government has tried to come up with interventions to try to improve the situation, however, that too has not been enough, like the much hyped “emergency” mealie meal going at the highest of K230 from around over K280.
The K230 is still too much for the ordinary in Zambia, and even for the well to do, as they have to cater for the other expensive goods in the economy apart from just the mealie meal. These are the same people who are now being required to buy fuel at K30 per liter. The burden on the same people has grown further owing to increased dependence by their family members and friends, in this high cost of living owing to our cultural values where one’s responsibility is not only to their nucleus family but the other close relatives and friends.
It is always good news to hear of a reduction in prices or even the cost of living, small as it is, especially when there is too much gloom in the country. We just wonder if that trajectory will continue trending downwards, and we shall be the happiest for that to happen, but we think the projection will trend upwards again because there was a further adjustment in fuel prices at the end of September or beginning of October. And with the rise in fuel prices also comes an escalation in the prices of other goods and services.
The sustainable way to address this high cost of living is for the government to take bold steps by increasing revenues from our country’s mainstay, copper and other precious minerals. This issue of giving tax holidays to the mines is an injustice to the millions of Zambians who are paying for their living through the nose. But that idea of getting meaningful rewards from our mining industry already seems far-fetched going into 2024 given the policy directive announced by the minister of Finance in the 2024 national budget. In short, the country will not get anything meaningful from the mines.
In an ideal situation, more could have been gotten from the mines in order to subsidise the suffering Zambians on essential goods and services such as on electricity, fuel and mealie meal. A reasonable and responsible government would never leave such necessities to be determined by the market forces. That is more like killing your own people you were elected to serve.
The UPND administration argues that the subsidy programme from the PF administration was fake as they left a debt of over $700 million which the current administration was still addressing. If indeed the PF erred in administering the subsidy programme, won’t the UPND ensure that it is properly administered if it were reintroduced, especially that the President claims to be a better manager than former president Edgar Lungu and all the other former presidents he engaged from Levy Mwanawasa, to Rupiah Banda and Michael Sata.
We urge the UPND administration to change its approach in managing the people they were entrusted to lead. The President is very much fascinated with this phenomena of prioritizing market forces, but even in the most capitalist of nations on earth, they still subsidise essential elements like gas, agricultural produce and manufacturing.
Hichilema, there is extreme and excruciating despair and hopelessness in the country you are leading. You sure don’t want to be leading a people who are depressed and moving in hopelessness as these are the same people you will actually need to help your presidency succeed. If they are happy and properly incentivised, they will put in their very best in all they do, and subsequently raise the somber mood that has befallen this great Republic.
Please take a moment to reflect and listen!
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