.HICHILEMA
By JOWIT SALUSEKI –
OPPOSITION United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema is confident his party will emerge victorious in next month’s Mangango by-elections.
Mr Hichilema said he was confident that the UPND candidate Godwin Putu would win the Mangango Constituency by-election slated for August 19, this year.
The UPND leader expressed similar confidence of scooping more parliamentary seats during the September 11, 2014 by-elections in five constituencies.
The September by-elections would be held in Solwezi Central and Zambezi West in North-Western Province, Vubwi, Kasenengwa, both of Eastern Province, and Mkushi South of Central Province.
He commended the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for setting the date for the by-elections in the five areas.
Mr Hichilema said this during a press briefing at the UPND secretariat in Lusaka yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mr Hichilema said his party would not be dragged into commenting on the health status of President Michael Sata but that Zambians should continue praying for each other.
He said he would not want to be part of perceived contradictory statements surrounding the President’s health and wished him well.
He also welcomed former MMD Chavuma Member of Parliament (MP) Jerry Muloji and Victor Chilufya of Kafue who defected from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) to join UPND.
“As UPND we have successfully filed in Mangango Constituency and almost all the wards where by -elections will take place and I am confident that we are going to win. I am, therefore, urging all our party supporters to go flat-out to campaign for all our candidates who have been adopted to stand on the part ticket,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Hichilema bemoaned this year’s maize floor price which has been increased from K65 to K70 per 50 kilogramme bag alleging that the price was a mockery to the farmers as the prices of farming inputs had increased.
“The resultant effect is making farming non-viable in Zambia. The price of maize should have been increased to K80 or K90 per bag,” he said.
