Unemployment a time bomb - sata
Unemployment a time bomb - sataBy Abigail Chaponda, Misheck Wangwe and Joseph Mwenda
Sun 01 July 2012, 13:25 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata says youths in Zambia will turn against the government if the high unemployment levels are not addressed immediately.
And President Sata says the Zimbabwean International Trade Fair he attended in Bulawayo recently was better organised than the one he officially opened in Ndola yesterday.
Speaking before the luncheon hosted in his honour sponsored by First Quantum Minerals (FQM) at Mukuba Hotel in Ndola yesterday, President Sata said it was unfortunate that he was invited to dine with investors when a majority of Zambians were going for many days without a meal.
He said he was disheartened to see thousands of youths fighting for recruitment in the Zambia Army when the government was previously pleading with citizens to join the defence forces.
"We cannot be here enjoying this lunch while the youths are fighting for employment. We should be ashamed as Zambians because in the past, the army brass band would have to perform to encourage youths to join them," President Sata said.
He said the unemployment levels in the country were a time bomb and warned that if nothing was done about it, youths would turn against the government.
"When you see children fighting over recruitment in the army, it means they
are warning us. If we are not careful, these young people will beat us one
day with these flags we are carrying on our vehicles," President Sata said during his address to senior government officials, exhibitors and organizers of the 2012 Zambia International Trade Fair.
"When we are sitting here and eating what First Quantum is giving us, let us think of how many of our relatives have gone for three days without a meal. Yesterday I was in Chama, I saw Mr.Tom Mtine's relatives, they are as thin as a thread. They don't even know when they last ate. And here we are eating. We don't even know what to do with what is going to remain."
He said Zambia would not survive if all stakeholders, both public and private, fail to join hands to end the high levels of unemployment among young people.
"At every point we have young people trying to remind us leaders why we are
lying idle. The purpose of the Trade Fair is to come and watch your innovations on how you are creating employment," he said.
President Sata said it was sad that in Zambia today the Zambia Army, Zambia Police, Zambia Air Force and the Zambia National Service were being accused of corruptly recruiting fewer youths when defence wings did not have the capacity to recruit annually.
He challenged ministers and other senior government officials who were present to find ways of creating employment in their respective sectors.
"All industries are closed, what are we doing honourable ministers? Let us
work hard to revamp the industries," he said.
He asked the ministry of commerce to reopen Dunlop in Ndola and Mulungushi Textiles in Kabwe.
And President Sata commended the Bank of Zambia over the Statutory
Instrument banning the pricing, quoting and general transaction in foreign
currency, saying it was the only way of giving the kwacha its own identity.
"When you go to Britain, the legal tender is pound, when you go to America, it's dollar and in Zambia when we say we want kwacha, you have the so called politician saying they can't be tourist, let them be," he said.
President Sata said some of the critics of the Statutory Instrument were tourism operators and did not want to pay loyalties to the government.
Meanwhile, police officers almost caused chaos during the President's tour
of exhibitors' stands at the Trade Fair.
Close to a thousand police officers have been deployed to maintain order at
the event, but the exaggerated security detail blocked journalists from covering the tour of stands yesterday.
The heavily armed officers at one instance manhandled Post Photojournalist Joseph Mwenda for getting pictures of the Head of State using a flash.
Mwenda was hurled out of the Ministry of Agriculture exhibition hall by one of the senior police officers who told him that he had taken enough pictures of the President.
President Sata's press aide George Chellah, however, intervened and wondered why the police officers were harassing journalists who were merely doing their job.
Labels: DOLLARISATION, FIRST QUANTUM MINING, MICHAEL SATA, UNEMPLOYMENT, ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR
posted by MrK @ 4:46 PM
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