By Mubanga Mubanga
Government should give us more information concerning the poisonous maize, demands former Zambian Ambassador to the United Nations Dr Mwaba Kasese Botha.
Speaking in interview with Daily Revelation on Wednesday, Dr Botha, who is also a qualified medical doctor said government had not provided enough information regarding the poisonous maize, which had left the citizens panicking, because they did not know if the maize they were eating had toxins or not.
“You know it is very worrying the fact that Zambia is actually eating this maize. But at the same time, we want to thank the government. They have been very outright, they have told us the truth that there is this maize. But just telling us the truth is not enough! They need to take action,” Dr Botha said.
“And this is where they are not doing anything. Right now they have caused some much panic in the general population. People don’t know whether they are eating the mealie meal that has toxin or they are not.”
Dr Botha said if the situation continued the way it was, where by government was not telling the public which maize had toxins, it would mean the government was poisoning people, and the implication was that children would start having mental and growth defects.
“They have to show responsibility, because if we continue at the rate where we are, it means that they are actually, the government is poisoning its people slowly. This is a slow poison you know. Our Children are going to have mental defect, they are going to have growth defects,” Dr Botha said.
She said even after five years the country would start seeing a number of people with liver cancer.
“And that is just what it is, so the government needs to do the right thing. And the right thing for the government is to recall the mealie meal which they know has aflatoxin,” she said.
Dr Botha said before the government considered recalling the mealie meal, they had to first tell the people which mealie meal had aflatoxin .
“For them to recall the mealie meal, they need to inform the public where this mealie meal is. Because they don’t take a register of us buying mealie meal. They don’t know who has bought the mealie meal and who has not bought, they don’t know who is eating it,” Dr Botha said
She said the responsibility now was on citizens, and the government should give citizens enough information to take action.
Dr Botha also said while the government had a primary responsibility of ensuring the health of each and every citizen, the citizens had to also play a part.
“If the government does not give us enough information we cannot play our part to ensure that we have a healthy generation of Zambians. So they should tell us,” she said.
Dr Botha further said if the government did not tell the citizens where the maize with aflatoxins were, it only meant that government was the one with the maize which they imported or the friends of those in government were the ones that had maize with aflatoxine.
“The government needs to do the right thing, and the right thing for the government is to recall the mealie meal which they know has aflatoxine. And for them to recall the mealie meal, they need to inform the public where this mealie meal is. Because they don’t take a register of us,” said Dr Botha. “But he gave us half truth because the other half … Why are they keeping the other half? Is it because the maize that has afratoxine is the maize they imported? Or is it because the owners of those companies are their friends?”
Furthermore Dr Botha said by government not revealing which maize had aflatoxin, they were prioritising profit and money at the expense of people’s lives.
