Low salaries for workers in tourist areas sadden Yeta
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Fri 30 Aug. 2013, 14:00 CAT
SENIOR Chief Inyambo Yeta of the Barotse Royal Establishment in Mwandi says the atmosphere where locals in tourist areas only have low-earning jobs like gardening and room attendants is perpetuating poverty.
Speaking at the Kavango Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area-UNWTO luncheon at Livingstone's Zambezi Sun Hotel yesterday, chief Yeta said locals were the owners of the region's natural assets, especially in the area of nature-based tourism but they had been to a large extent marginalised.
"Communities bore and continue to bear the cost of co-existing with
wildlife. Unfortunately, local communities have not benefited much economically from these resources, as they have been marginalised to a large existent," chief Yeta said.
"The only benefits accruing to communities, with exception of a few cases, are employment opportunities and mostly for low-earning jobs such as gardening, laundry, bar and room attendants."
He said support to community projects by some of the tourist operators was mostly out of their good hearts.
"This atmosphere has perpetuated poverty among the rural communities whilst enriching the private sector," chief Yeta said.
"It is against this background that as communities, we appreciate the development agenda of KAZA-TFCA where emphasis is placed on empowering local communities."
Chief Yeta said within the KAZA-TFCA context, tourism was a highly sustainable industry.
"We are of the considered view that for communities to effectively participate in regional tourism as economic players, there is an urgent need to have a paradigm shift among communities to realise that the communities are the resource owners," he said.
"As community, our next step should be to use our resources to engage the private sector to form joint ventures anchored on strong business principles without necessarily bequeathing our resources to them."
Chief Yeta said this could only be tenable if the government and civil societies assist locals in tourist areas to strengthen business skills and provide them with affordable capital to build tourism infrastructure.
Labels: CHIEF INYAMBO YETA, SALARIES, TOURISM
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(LUSAKATIMES) Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda outlines Western Province Development Plan
Time Posted: August 21, 2013 6:37 am
FINANCE Minister Alexander Chikwanda has said Government is
targeting to accelerate diversified agriculture development in Western Province by focusing on fish, cashew and rice farming. The minister was speaking during a high level economic exchange dialogue with Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta in Lusaka yesterday.
“The people of Western Province are very hard working and resourceful which is why we want the community development plans under your leadership to succeed by giving you the necessary logistical support,” he said.
According to a statement released by Ministry of Finance public relations officer Chileshe Kandeta, Mr Chikwanda also congratulated the Senior Chief for his appointments as a Board Member of Peace Parks International and for establishing the Inyambo Development Trust.
He stated that the initiative to create the Inyambo Development Trust had exemplified Senior Chief Inyambo Yetas’ vision, passion and commitment to development in Zambia.
“Economic exchange dialogues such this one, cement relations across the width and breadth of the country, and facilitate performance benchmarking, as success in one part has a positive social demonstration effect on other parts of Zambia,” eulogized Mr. Chikwanda.
The Minister commended the Barotse Royal Establishment for the visionary leadership which had resulted in the setting-up of sustainable community development projects in Mwandi and Sesheke Districts, by Senior Chief Yeta.
“This is a good coincidence because a few days ago I was in Chilubi Island where a project for cage fish farming is being piloted, going forward, Zambians should not behave as if development will last a fortnight but aim at sustainable approaches which have the potential for large scale production, employment, and wealth creation.
“We shall forever remain indebted to your unitary and visionary leadership not only for the development of western province, but the nation at large,” Mr Chikwanda said.
The Senior Chief described Sesheke and Mwandi Districts in Western Province as tourist destinations key components to Livingstone, the co-host city of the United Nations Word Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly.
He disclosed that a joint programme called SIMALAHA Community Conservancy has been introduced in partnership with Chief Sikute to create a wildlife park aimed at empowering the local people through shared community wildlife resources.
“We are in the process of producing an integrated tourism product that is going to attract tourists and create opportunities for wealth creation for our people. In fact the Zambian Government, through the Minister of Tourism [Sylvia Masebo] has already granted authority for ZAWA to supply seed animals to the conservancy,” said Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta.
SIMALAHA Community Conservancy is located on an important eco-tourism corridor and is part of the larger Kavango – Zambezi (KAZA) Trans Frontier.
The Chief revealed that most community based projects under his chiefdom in Mwandi and Sesheke Districts were being spearheaded by the Inyambo Development Trust to foster transparency and accountability.
He said the Zambian Government had helped the Trust by supporting projects like the Mwandi Cultural Center; work in progress aimed at constructing a pavilion at which, once completed, numerous artifacts, pictures, carvings, basketry, performing arts, and other ancient valuables will be displayed to visitors and tourists.
“We are also in the process of establishing the 5 Star Mwandi Royal Lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River and rehabilitating the Silowana [Sioma] National Park, which project the Government has engaged peace parks foundation to ensure a sustained rehabilitation and wildlife restocking programme,” said Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta.
“The Inyambo Development Trust has also embarked on a fish restocking programme to curb nomadic and excessive fishing,” he said.
He disclosed that the Inyambo Development Trust had received support from cooperating partners to construct a fish farm which had the potential to produce six hundred thousand [600, 000] pure breed fish fingerings, per annum.
“Through this programme, we are able to provide 27 tons of fish protein per annum at competitive prices. Our objective is to construct more dams so that we flood the Zambian market with pure breed bream fish fingerings,” he said.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA, CHIEF INYAMBO YETA, CHIEFS, WESTERN PROVINCE
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Commission on Barotse killings will bring healing - Inyambo
Commission on Barotse killings will bring healing - Inyambo
By Chibaula Silwamba
Fri 28 Oct. 2011, 08:20 CAT
THE Barotseland killings Commission of Inquiry will bring healing to Western Province, says Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta of the Lozi people.
President Michael Sata, who was elected last month, appointed a nine-member Commission of Inquiry, headed by former legal affairs minister and Lusaka-based senior lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe, to investigate the Barotseland killings of January 14 that left two people dead on the spot, while others died later. Several people were injured and over 100 arrested.
In an interview at State House on Monday during the 47th Independence anniversary celebrations, chief Inyambo Yeta welcomed the Chongwe-led Commission of Inquiry.
"That is the only way we can bring healing to the province," chief Inyambo Yeta said. "This particular issue has been a very emotive issue in Western Province and we welcome the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry because it will help us to bring out the truth and the truth shall set the province free. The truth shall help the province to move on."
He recollected that countries like South Africa, which underwent a bloody apartheid era, used a similar inquiry to heal from that experience.
"As you know, in South Africa, Nelson Mandela when he became president appointed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission because he realised that that was the only way healing could come to South Africa," Chief Inyambo Yeta said. "That is the only way South Africa could move away from that apartheid era."
President Sata pardoned the 27 Barotseland activists that were facing prosecution over the January 14 riots.
Some people in Western Province rioted in the provincial capital Mongu on January 14, demanding reinstatement of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 in the Zambian Constitution to ensure development in the region. The protestors warned the Rupiah Banda-led government that if it failed to heed their demands, they would secede. The stampede left many people injured, infrastructure damaged and police camped in Mongu for months to quell any recurrence of violence.
Labels: BAROTSE FREEDOM MOVEMENT, CHIEF INYAMBO YETA, MICHAEL SATA
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Barotseland will never secede - BRE
By Chibaula Silwamba
Fri 11 Feb. 2011, 04:02 CAT
BAROTSELAND will never secede from Zambia, says senior chief Inyambo Yeta of the Lozi people of Western Province.
Speaking when he led a group of 15 Lozi Indunas to present a report of the Barotse National Council (BNC) to the government following violence last month that led to two deaths in Mongu after police fought running battles with activists advocating for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964, chief Yeta said Barotseland Western Province would remain part of Zambia.
"The Barotseland Agreement 1964 does not provide for separation or indeed secession as has been sensationalised over a period of time. The Barotseland Agreement is about national integration and unity and that was the intention of our forefathers," chief Inyambo said.
"Therefore, in discussing the Barotseland Agreement 1964, we are not in any way giving credence to calls for secession."
He said advocating for the restoration of Barotseland Agreement was not synonymous with secession and hoped that the nation would understand that distinction.
"I am not saying that there are no pockets of groups who have taken a very extreme view. Indeed we have heard some people calling for secession. That has nothing to do with the Barotseland Agreement 1964. That is a different matter all together," Chief Inyambo Yeta said.
"I want to make it very clear on behalf of his royal highness The Litunga that Barotseland is part of Zambia and will remain part of Zambia."
Chief Inyambo said the Barotse National Conference meeting was convened in the backdrop of the discontent that manifested itself in rioting and subsequent action on the part of government to bring about order and stability in Western Province. He said the Barotseland Royal Establishment had never advocated for violence as a means to achieve any cause and that would be its position, now and in future.
"Therefore, we wish to make very clear that those of our people who have taken this line of thought of violence and action are at variance with what the royal establishment stands for and what its values are," chief Inyambo said. "We wish to caution that we believe that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 should be a document that should be discussed with government."
He thanked President Banda for inviting discussions on the Barotseland Agreement 1964.
"We welcome this and we stand ready to engage government with regard to the Barotseland Agreement," said chief Inyambo.
And President Banda assured chief Inyambo and his delegation that his government would receive the report with the seriousness and honour it deserved.
President Banda, during the meeting held at State House, was flanked by Vice-President George Kunda, Zambia Security Intelligence Services director general Regis Phiri, home affairs minister Mkhondo Lungu, local government minister Dr Brian Chituwo, other government officials and presidential aides.
Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, CHIEF INYAMBO YETA, SECESSION
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Masebo meets stakeholders over chief Moomba, Inyambo dispute
By Mwila Chansa
Wednesday June 25, 2008 [04:00]
LOCAL government and housing minister Sylvia Masebo yesterday met with stakeholders from Southern and Western provinces in an effort to resolve the differences arising from a boundary dispute between chief Moomba of the Toka Leya and chief Inyambo Yeta of the Lozi people.
The meeting was attended by chief Moomba, chief Mukuni, their representatives, chief Inyambo’s representatives, the Surveyor General and other stakeholders.
A representative from chief Moomba had a map of 1958 showing that the disputed area, where Mulobezi Saw Mills lies, belonged to chief Moomba’s area. Chief Inyambo’s representative also had a map of 1958 showing that the area was in his chiefdom.
According to chief Mukuni of Livingstone, the disputed area was in Southern Province, but that it was allegedly manipulated by politicians in 1965 when the then Western Province minister asked his colleague from Southern Province who was a Lozi to give part of the province’s economic base to them. He claimed that the then resident commissioner predicted that the piece of land would breed problems in future as bad laws never stood the test of time.
“Actually from 1899 to 1900, our province was called Batoka Province with three districts and later in 1900 government approached… there was no state land at the time,” said chief Mukuni.
He said the current petition was secondary as the people had petitioned Dr Kenneth Kaunda in 1990 over the same piece of land.
And Masebo said explanations from both sides seemed to make sense but that what was needed was to zero in on when the maps were changed.
Surveyor General Daniel Mubanga explained that his office had various maps under different themes and that what was recognised were the current maps. He said each time a place was surveyed and a different feature was found, that was updated on the new map meaning that the old one became null and void.
Mubanga also said his office had a Statutory Instrument that altered the provincial boundary between Western and Southern provinces.
However, Masebo said after the interpretation of the maps by the surveyor general, the issue will be taken to the House of Chiefs and then to the President before it could be concluded as to where the disputed land really belongs.
Labels: CHIEF INYAMBO YETA, CHIEF MOOMBA, LAND, SURVEYOR GENERAL, SYLVIA MASEBO
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