Cost of living goes up in spite of kwacha’s stability

The cost of maintaining a family of six in Zambia went up marginally between February and March in spite of the central bank introducing measures that raised the value of the local currency against the US dollar, PANA reported. A survey by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection noted that the cost of a family food basket rose from 328,000 kwacha (US $117) in February to 335,300 kwacha in March (US $120). The report said low paid public workers like primary school teachers with monthly salaries of 150,000 kwacha (US $54), nurses and secretaries at 175,000 kwacha (US $63), and policemen at 180,000 kwacha (US $65) were struggling to make ends meet.