Africa-Press – Zambia. Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director Antonio Mwanza says opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema is not responsible for the appreciation of the local currency from K23 to K20.7 against $1.
Mr. Mwanza said the Kwacha appreciated because of the good policy shift by President Edgar Lungu. He explained that the President allowed Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to reform by sealing loopholes in order to collect correct taxes.
Mr. Mwanza said ZRA exceeded it’s target by 10 Billion Kwacha which was injected into the economy. He said President Lungu negotiated with the mines to pay statutory obligations in dollars which saw the collection of Four Hundred Million Dollars paid directly to the Bank of Zambia which was helping to stabilize the Kwacha.
The PF Media Director said this when he featured on a Millennium TV discussion programme in Lusaka this evening. Mr. Mwanza said the allegation by UPND President Hakainde Hichilema that the Kwacha appreciated because of the UPND’s imaginary opinion poll must be treated with the contempt it deserved.
He said even Mr. Hichilema’s Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Bwalya contracted him on his Facebook page by equally making unfounded allegations that PF stopped importing fuel.
And Mr. Mwanza said civil servants were now getting funeral grants and health insurance because President Lungu cared for them. He said President Lungu controlled the price of fuel by removing VAT and Income Tax to stabilize pump prices forcing motorists from other countries to buy from Zambia.
The PF Media Director said cooking oil prices shot up by far but President Lungu allowed for the importation of 9000 metric tons of edible oil and removed income tax and import duty.
He said mealie meal prices would have reached K500 per bag by now but the PF Government controlled it of which businessmen were now exporting to neighboring countries where they made super normal profits.
Mr. Mwanza said President Lungu never fell for the opposition’s call for a complete lockdown which would have left Zambians in untold suffering. He said the opposition refused to take COVID vaccines even after accusing the PF Government of failing in the fight against COVID 19 when Zambia had excess vaccines.
