Zambia’s commerce minister Chipoka Mulenga has told off Haut-Katanga Governor Jacques Kyabula Katwe to leave Moise Katumbi out of the high prices of mealie-meal being experienced in his province.
Katwe has been in Zambia in a bid to find solutions to high mealie-meal prices in the DRC.
The country imports most of its mealie-meal from Zambia but Kyabula accused Katumbi, a former governor of Katanga, of conniving with Zambian authorities to stop exporting maize to DRC.
But Chipoka in no uncertain terms told off Katwe that Katumbi was innocent.
“He was openly chastised for the allegations. He was told Katumbi has never been to Zambia and has no role to play in the high prices. If anything, he was reminded that when Katumbi was Governor of Katanga, he used to pay Zambian millers directly on time whenever DRC imported mealie-meal or maize from Zambia,” sources who attended the meeting disclosed.
“He was told DRC needed to put its house in order and pay all the outstanding dues to Zambia if any solution was to be found.”
Kyabula was reminded that Katumbi was a credible person and businessman who should not be victimized.
“We wondered why these people cannot sort out their problems internally. Zambia has been dealing with different countries on mealie-meal exports but those countries have been paying unlike DRC,” the sources added.
The sources said it was strange that Katwe would accuse Katumbi in the manner he had.
“What about the long queues of trucks at Kasumbalesa; is that also because of Katumbi?,” the sources wondered.
Meali meal prices have skyrocketted in the DRC with a bag of a 25kg going at $45 in some cases.
