By Brian Matambo | Lusaka, Zambia

PF presidential hopeful Honourable Zulu used his appearance on MAFKEN Radio in Mufulira to deliver one of the clearest policy critiques yet of the UPND administration’s handling of mining, agriculture and electricity supply. Speaking with presenter Misheck Moyo, Honourable Zulu painted a picture of a nation with abundant natural wealth yet crippled by leadership failure. His analysis was sharp, technical and grounded in the lived frustrations of Copperbelt households that have watched their livelihoods diminish while the country’s resources continue to flow out.

Honourable Zulu began with mining, the backbone of the Copperbelt, arguing that Zambia has become a spectator in its own economy. He criticised the government for surrendering vital decision making to foreign interests and for allowing mining agreements to be negotiated in secrecy. According to him, the return of Vedanta to KCM and the unclear structure of the Mopani arrangement are evidence of a government that has compromised national interests.

He argued that Zambia’s mineral wealth should translate into jobs, infrastructure and improved public services, yet under the current administration, communities around the mines remain poor and dependent on casual labour. For Honourable Zulu, the failure is not geological but political. He said the UPND’s mining policy lacks transparency, local participation and strategic foresight. He added that Zambia needs leaders who can negotiate firmly, protect national assets and ensure the value chain benefits the people who live closest to the mines. Without such leadership, he said, the Copperbelt will continue extracting wealth it never gets to enjoy.

From mining, Honourable Zulu moved to agriculture, describing the collapse of the Farmer Input Support Programme as one of the most damaging policy failures of recent years. He said farmers who once received adequate fertiliser and seed now share inputs in desperation, leaving entire cooperatives unable to plan for the planting season. He classified this not as an unfortunate misstep but as a structural breakdown that threatens national food security.

According to him, agriculture requires predictability, mechanisation and efficient input distribution, none of which are being delivered. Honourable Zulu warned that without stable government support, Zambia risks becoming dependent on imports, exposing citizens to higher prices and weakening rural resilience. He said he would restore a functional input system, expand irrigation, promote provincial comparative advantage and ensure that households do not suffer hunger simply because leaders failed to plan. In his view, agriculture is not a favour, not a campaign slogan, but a national lifeline.

Honourable Zulu then turned to the electricity crisis, describing the prolonged load shedding as a reflection of poor leadership rather than natural misfortune. He argued that there is nothing accidental about a country moving from manageable outages to more than twenty hours without power. He criticised the UPND government for abandoning generation and transmission projects that were already in progress, including solar hybrids, upgrades in Luapula and Muchinga, and long term investments in nuclear energy.

He said Zambia should never have been pushed into such deep darkness, particularly while power export agreements remain active. For Honourable Zulu, the crisis reflects a leadership that prioritises public relations over infrastructure planning. He added that industries are shrinking, small businesses are shutting down and households are suffering because the leadership failed to understand that energy is the foundation of the economy. He argued that reviving the energy sector will require a balanced mix of hydro, solar, nuclear and regional trading agreements, all managed with competence and discipline.

Throughout the interview, Honourable Zulu linked these failures to a broader crisis in governance. Mining will not benefit citizens under leaders who cannot negotiate. Agriculture will not grow under leaders who cannot plan. The energy sector will not stabilise under leaders who cannot think beyond photo opportunities. He said Zambia’s problems are not technical limitations but failures of leadership and political will.

As the programme drew to a close, Honourable Zulu addressed the Copperbelt directly, reminding residents that their region has long carried the nation’s economic burden and deserves better than neglected hospitals, abandoned schools and collapsing livelihoods. He urged them to take ownership of the coming election by registering, voting and insisting on honest and competent leadership. The next generation, he said, should inherit a country rebuilt with courage, not a nation weakened by excuses.

He closed by reaffirming that Zambia’s prosperity is still within reach. With strong leadership, strategic planning and a government that respects its people, he said, the country can reverse its decline and chart a new path to recovery.