Eleven separate oppostion events in Zambia have joined forces to sentence the “economic hardships”, “poverty” and “unemployment” they are saying have risen underneath President Hakainde Hichilema.
Leaders from the events – who held a joint press briefing on Wednesday – mentioned they have been deeply involved and known as for a nationwide convention to debate the state of the nation.
In an open letter to President Hichilema, they listed 18 points, amongst them “the very high price” of primary items and the “arbitrary arrests and constant harassment of members of the opposition”.
The letter additionally alleged that the federal government’s promotion of “multinational, corporate, foreign and ultra-liberal policies [has] caused tremendous damage to the economy and to the wellbeing of our people”.
The Socialist Party, the All People’s Congress Party and former governing social gathering the Patriotic Front, are amongst people who signed the letter.
The southern African nation has skilled a three-year debt disaster – it grew to become the primary African nation to default on its debt funds in the course of the Covid pandemic.
Despite being copper-rich, loans and excessive rates of interest have severely restricted Zambia’s potential to spend money on vital social programmes and infrastructure.
In June, President Hichilema unveiled the outlines of a deal geared toward bringing Zambia out of the pink.
BBC/Jide Johnson
