Police Summon Kamba
By Roy Habaalu
Wed 13 Nov. 2013, 14:01 CAT
Lusaka Province PF youth chairman Kennedy Kamba has been summoned by police in connection with the death of a party cadre following an intra-party clash last Thursday. Kamba said in an interview yesterday that he had been summoned to appear at Lusaka Central Police without fail.
"Yes, they (police) want me. I have been summoned to appear at Lusaka Central Police Station at 13:30 hours tomorrow (today). They didn't say why they want me but I am informed it's in relation with the death of our dear brother Moses Simuwela," said Kamba.
Kamba said he would cooperate with the police so that the truth was told. PF Gerry Chanda ward vice-chairman Musonda Sichone named Innocent Kalimashi and Eddie Gowa as the people that led the group which killed Simuwela.
Sichone, in a statement to inspector Mulambia at Chelstone Police Station, said Kalimashi and Gowa blocked their (Sichone's) Rosa minibus with other smaller buses after mounting a checkpoint to screen those that were proceeding to the airport before police officers took control of the situation.
"At this point he (Gowa) had ordered his people to beat us using machetes, stones, knobkerries and sticks so we were running for our lives. We scampered in all directions for safety and never regrouped. The target was those wearing T-shirts and after realising some people were not seen, we thought they had been detained...," said Sichone.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, KENNEDY KAMBA, POLITICAL VIOLENCE
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Govt determines to make Muchinga economically viable
By Jonathan Mukuka, Jason Ngoma and Mirriam Kumwenda in Nakond
Mon 27 May 2013, 14:00 CAT
MUCHINGA Province Minister Colonel Gerry Chanda says the government is determined to transform the newly-created province into an economically viable region.
Col Chanda said this when he paid a courtesy call on Nakonde district commissioner James Singoyi at his office yesterday during a familiarisation tour of the province.
He said the government would take development to all parts of the country as it was vital for the improvement of people's livelihoods, including those on the streets.
"The PF government wants to leave behind a legacy of having taken massive development to all the ten provinces in Zambia," Col Chanda said.
He added that the vision of the government was to create massive development that would be appreciated by everyone in the country.
He said the PF and its government would not stereotype anyone like the previous MMD regime did.
"That is why we have embarked on harmonising the imbalances," said Col Chanda.
Earlier, Singoyi said there were numerous economic activities taking place in the border district owing to increasing trade between Zambia and neighbouring Tanzania.
He, however, observed some trade imbalances between the two countries, saying trade is more concentrated on the Tanzanian side.
Singoyi told Col Chanda that the declaration of Nakonde as a multi-facility economic zone would address some of the economic challenges faced in the area.
And chieftainess Waitwika of the Namwanga people of Nakonde district has expressed gratitude over the development programmes the government is implementing in the area.
Chieftainess Waitwika told Col Chanda when he paid a courtesy call on her at her palace that the people of Nakonde were happy with the government of President Michael Sata.
She further explained that the massive infrastructure development that the government had embarked on countrywide was testimony of its commitment to improving people's lives, especially for those in rural areas.
Chieftainess Waitwika added that President Sata had lived up to his campaign promises by taking development as close to the people as possible since he ascended to power.
She, however, reminded the government that people in the area were still waiting to see a secondary school constructed near her palace.
Chieftainess Waitwika said Vice-President Dr Guy Scott had promised her people in 2011 when he visited the area that his government would finish the construction of Waitwika Secondary School.
The construction of the school started in 2010 under the MMD government but works have stalled.
She said former presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda both promised to construct a secondary school in her chiefdom but both failed to honour their promises.
But Col Chanda who was accompanied by Singoyi and some heads of government department promised to remind the Vice-President Scott on the promise he made saying the government was committed to ensure that Waitwika Secondary School was constructed.
Col Chanda is on a familiarisation tour of Muchinga Province following his transfer from Northern Province on March 19, 2013.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, JAMES SINGOYI
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Chama-Matumbo road works excite Chanda
By Jonathan Mukuka and Mirriam Kumwenda in Chama
Sun 19 May 2013, 14:01 CAT
CONSTRUCTION works for the KR371 million, 84 kilometre stretch of the Chama-Matumbo Road linking Northern, Muchinga and Eastern provinces are progressing well.
The works, under lot 2 of the Chama-Matumbo road project stretching from Muyombe junction passing through the boma to Luangwa Bridge, are part of the Link Zambia 8,000 Project under the Road Development Agency (RDA) being undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
China Jiangxi Limited has been engaged to do lot 1 of the project at a cost of over KR399 million, from Matumbo junction to Luangwa River, covering a total distance of 115 km.
The scope of the works for the two projects include upgrading of the road from gravel to bituminous.
Muchinga Province minister Colonel Gerry Chanda inspected the works last week during his familiarisation tour of Chama district.
Col Chanda said he was happy that the works were taking shape adding that with the rain season now coming to an end, the government expected more progress on the road construction.
Col Chanda who was accompanied by Chama district commissioner Josephat Lombe, council secretary Yaphet Sinkamba and other district heads of departments said the government was committed to ensuring that the road project was completed on time.
He also appealed to the contractor to ensure that a good job was done, adding that both the government and members of the public expected a good product from the contractor.
Col Chanda further said he was happy that the contractor with a total of 120 workers was meeting the required minimum wage.
He was however, disappointed that it was taking long for RDA to engage a contractor to work on the bridge across Luangwa River.
"We need a bridge across Luangwa River. In fact, we should have started with a bridge so that as the road construction works progresses, motorists should have been using this route to go to Chinsali and from Chinsali to Chama, "said Col. Chanda.
But Michael Banda, resident engineer for East Consult, the consultant for the lot 2 of the Chama-Matumbo Road project, said plans to engage a contractor to erect a bridge across Luangwa River, had advanced.
Banda said the contractor would soon be moving on-site to commence the works and was set to finish the project in record time and hand it over to the government.
He said that a lot of works had been done from the time the rains stopped in the area adding that very little works were done during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, Chama district in Muchinga Province has procured two sets of earth-moving machines at a cost of KR10,000 using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Lombe disclosed this yesterday when Col Chanda paid a courtsey call on him at his office.
Lombe said a part payment of KR7,540 had been paid, adding that the balance of KR2,460 would be paid once the machinery arrives in the district.
He said the equipment had already been loaded on the ship from the United Kingdom and was expected to arrive in the district by the end of this month.
Lombe said the machinery which would be used for the construction of feeder roads in the district would be shared between the two constituencies- Chama North and Chama South.
He said another set of earth-moving machines would be procured using the 2013/2014 CDF funds for the two constituencies as soon as the last payment is paid.
Lombe said that most of the feeder roads in the district, particularly in Chama North Constituency, were in bad state and the procurement of the earth-moving machines would go a long way in making most roads passable and ease the transportation of farm inputs and farm produce.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, LINK ZAMBIA 8000, ROADS
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No one will disturb governments plans for Zambia – PF
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, June 22, 2012, 9:02 am
The ruling Patriotic Front government says it will not allow critics with well-known hidden agendas to disturb the plans it has for the people of Zambia.
Lusaka province minister Colonel Gerry Chanda said the government will not allow itself to fall into a trap by responding to everything that critics say.
Colonel Chanda noted that the government is aware of detractors, who just wake up with nothing good to offer, and attack government unnecessarily.
Speaking to QFM, Colonel Chanda said the government has an enormous task ahead of it that the people of Zambia have bestowed upon it.
He said government under the leadership of President Michael Sata means serious business and is doing things systematically.
Colonel Chanda has assured every Zambian that the PF government will leave a living legacy that the country will be a much better place than they found it in.
[QFM]
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, PF
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Michael and street vending
By The Post
Sun 22 Apr. 2012, 13:30 CAT
STREET vending is increasingly becoming a big nuisance in Lusaka. Things have clearly gotten out of hand. The situation is even becoming dangerous for the street vendors themselves who have to share space on the streets of the city of Lusaka with motorists. Without much thinking, without serious analysis of the situation, some people are blaming this veritable chaos on Michael Sata who had stopped the Ministry of Local Government from clearing vendors off the streets. But truthfully, is it Michael who has created street vendors?
Is it Michael who is responsible for the lack of formal jobs that has driven our people to street vending for them to simply belong to the living? It is true street vending is a nuisance, it is inconveniencing many people in so many ways.
But for those poor people, in the present circumstances, street vending is their only way to survive. We can't talk to them about the inconveniences of street vending if we are not offering them an alternative way to survive. And we don't think that in his heart of hearts Michael likes to see his people humiliated, dehumanised by living, surviving on the street.
It is something that must actually be agonising him. Michael must be losing a lot of sleep over this issue. By defending the rights of these people to earn a living on the streets, if that's all they can do for now, Michael did not in any way suggest that they should be on the street forever and in this form.
Michael is simply a responsible politician who did not want to push people to nowhere. Michael is an experienced politician. He was local government minister in the early 1990s and had to deal with this problem of street vending.
Michael implemented a government policy to get rid of vendors from the streets of our towns. It failed. The police were set on their own brothers and sisters who had to earn a living. And some of the street vendors came from police camps, were dependants of relatives of police officers.
A policy of setting one humble section of the population against another failed to deliver the desired results. How can one set a poor policeman on another poor person whose only crime is to vend on the street and expect a positive result?
Michael is looking for a just, fair and humane solution to this problem. And he said he was open to co-operate with anyone who could create meaningful jobs for these poor people so that they can leave the street. And most people are not on the street because they want to be there.
They are on the street because they have to be on the street to survive. No one has come up with any meaningful solution to this problem. Banning street vending is the easiest thing a government can do. But here the problem is not that of stopping street vending. It is about the lives of people. It is about ensuring that they have a source of livelihood.
We do appreciate the distressing challenges this whole issue poses to any serious politician in government. We also share the bitter feeling of impotence those in government, people like Michael, have in the face of such problems and their concern for the political and social instability which this problem gives rise to.
So gloomy are the realities and prospects that they could generate pessimism and discouragement if we were not sure of our aims. They are inevitably a bitter pill to swallow, but if we are to face up to the realities, we have first to become aware of them.
We do not have, nor do we think anyone has, magic or instant remedies for such difficult, complex and apparently insoluble problems. However, history shows that no problem has ever been solved until it has become a tangible reality of which everyone is aware.
Today we are faced with the most serious and anguishing problem of poverty and unemployment ever known to our people. But no matter how enormous the difficulties, no matter how complex the task, there can be no room for pessimism.
This would be to renounce all hope and resign ourselves to the final defeat. We have no alternative to struggle, trusting in the great moral and intellectual capacity of our people and in their instinct for self-preservation, if we wish to harbour any hope of a reversal of fortunes.
Only with a tremendous effort and the moral and intellectual support of all can we face a future that objectively appears desperate and sombre, especially for the poorest of our people.
Today's politics is about the welfare of the people, is about putting the lives of our people first. We must built the strong and active society and the leadership that can provide it. We must do it together.
We must work for it together. We must plan for it together. We cannot protect the ordinary by chasing them from the means of their livelihoods; we must protect each other because this can only be done together. Street vending is truly a nuisance.
But it is also a necessary source of income for an increasing number of our people. Let's work to get them out of this humiliation. They are on the street not because they want to be on the street. They need help to get out of the street.
But they must move from the street to somewhere where they can earn the same or even a better income. They don't want to be on the street forever. And we don't want them to be on the street even for a second if we can help it. But we can't move them from the street to nowhere. They have to go somewhere. And they are waiting to be taken somewhere.
Let's advocate for measures that are just, fair and humane. Justice without compassion is not justice at all. Michael doesn't want these people on the streets. But what options does he have for now? And we underline for now. The street is not a permanent solution.
It is actually a desperate one. But this is all our people have offered themselves. And probably this is all their country can offer them for now. We urge our politicians in government to meditate deeply over this issue and find a solution to street vending.
We also urge all Zambians of goodwill to join hands with our political leadership in government and help to find more humane solutions to this problem. Chasing street vendors with policemen won't do. And it didn't do in the past. Michael and others tried it and it failed.
This is probably why Michael is today reluctant to set policemen and other law enforcement officers on these poor street vendors.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, LCC, MARKETEERS, MICHAEL SATA
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Vendors have taken government ‘kindness' too far, says Col Chanda
By Allan Mulenga
Sun 22 Apr. 2012, 13:29 CAT
STREET vendors have taken the kindness of the government too far, says Lusaka Province minister Colonel Gerry Chanda. In an interview, Col Chanda observed that there was no sanity in the manner traders were selling their goods.
"There is no sanity, you can see for yourself. It is not for me to say even you can see it for yourself. I mean it is just that we are human and we want to take humanitarian approach to this problem. We allowed it to get to the this situation, we are part and parcel of the problem. In terms, of sanity they have taken advantage of the kindness that the government has provided. I think they have taken it too far," he said.
Col Chanda, who is also Kanyama PF member of parliament, said the government was working out plans to curb street vending.
"We have identified places in Lusaka one of the places is the infamous Don't Kubeba market. I have written to the Lusaka City Council to convene a meeting as soon as possible and also bring on board the vendors themselves, so that we can discuss with them how best we can help them. We have a few solutions which we may float but in the final analysis, we would like to come to an agreement that is acceptable from both sides - from their sides and from our sides. One of the point for example which we will drive home is that I don't think it is ideal to trade at an open place where there is no water; no toilets," he said.
Col Chanda said the government was trying to find ways of relocating vendors to the markets.
"You also know that we have markets which have been abandoned; which are empty. If we can relocate some of our people back into markets and thereafter let the government stiffen up the law on street vending…when people are found on the streets, they will be fined because by that time they would have been given the areas of trading," said Col Chanda.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, LCC, MARKETEERS
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Government should release Gabon report - Col Chanda
By Allan Mulenga
Mon 13 Feb. 2012, 12:59 CAT
THE PF government should release the report on the Gabon air disaster, demands Colonel Gerry Chanda. In an interview yesterday shortly after laying wreaths on the burial site of the Zambian team that perished in Gabon in 1993, Col Chanda, who is the Lusaka Province minister said Zambians had the right to know the truth about the tragedy.
"The PF government has an obligation. If you remember in Parliament and outside Parliament, members of parliament from Patriot Front said it many times that the people, the families of these fallen heroes there, have the right to know what happened to their beloved ones. We have to if there is nothing to hide. Why hide the report? Tell me, why should we hide the report if there is nothing to hide? I am privy to some information which I cannot share with you unfortunately because I am bound by the official secrecy," he said.
Col Chanda, who shed tears upon laying wreaths, wondered why the MMD government remained silent over the matter.
"I am privy to some information. As I told you that I went to Gabon seven days after the team had perished. I had an opportunity to interview some of the Gabonese that were on that beach and they told us what happened. It was very an unfortunate mix-up which I cannot go into detail because the truth about the matter is that I can assure you there was nothing wrong with the plane, that is from me 110 per cent," he said.
"What I am saying is coming from years of experience. That plane is one that is built to float in air even when both engines are out. Now for a wing to come off, something must have been, an explosion, and who fired? Whatever was fired to break off that wing is what we should tell."
Col Chanda, who is also PF Kanyama Constituency member of parliament and a retired soldier, said he was emotionally attached to the Zambian team that perished in Gabon.
"It is so emotional for me because this team died on my birthday, 28th April. Coming here for me evokes a lot of sad memories. It is very difficult to hold back the tears. I don't subscribe to the concept that there was something wrong with that plane. Neither do I subscribe to the idea that it could have been pilot error because I knew the crew, I knew this pilot very well. That is one aircraft that even if you lost two engines, it was able to fly. It was one plane that if it landed on water, it will float like a boat. But the circumstances surrounding what happened in that Gabon incident, I think the government must come up with a clear explanation and tell the people, especially family members," said Col Chanda.
Labels: FOOTBALL, GERRY CHANDA
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PF government will be inclusive in its operations - Sata
By Ernest Chanda
Wed 21 Dec. 2011, 13:59 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata says the appointment of opposition members of parliament to government portfolios is not meant to deplete the opposition in Parliament. Swearing in four deputy ministers and three permanent secretaries yesterday, Sata said his government would continue to be inclusive in its operations.
"We have to explain to the nation that the move is a deliberate gesture to be inclusive, whether there are people in Mufumbwe who don't like Mr. Masumba. I've been in the campaign for 10 years, and what I've said against others if they had time to repeat what I've said; if Mr. Masumba called me satanist that was the game of the day. He was campaigning against me," he said.
"But now today if he can't win them he has joined us. The balance of the opposition in the House still remains formidable enough to keep government in check. Our government is not and will never be preoccupied with larger numbers in Parliament. This is because we will not take to the House laws or measures that are partisan. Everything we will take to Parliament we will have consensus from the Zambian people. And we will always have the sole purpose of facilitating their interests."
Of the four deputy ministers, three are from the opposition MMD whose National Executive Committee complained on Saturday about its members being poached by PF.
Kanyama PF member of parliament Gerry Chanda was sworn in as Lusaka Province minister while Lumezi MMD parliamentarian Isaac Banda becomes mines deputy minister.
Others are Ikelenge MMD member of parliament Elijah Muchima for lands, his Mufumbwe counterpart Stephen Masumba for local government, and Mwansabombwe PF member of parliament Rodgers Mwewa as Copperbelt deputy minister.
And President Sata demanded discipline from ministers.
He said there was a lot of absenteeism among ministers from parliamentary business.
"I have observed with disquiet and displeasure the low levels of discipline amongst ministers and deputy ministers as regards their presence in Parliament. This is not only a wakeup call but a final one," said President Sata.
"On my part I will only authorise travel outside the country when the House is sitting in very exceptional circumstances. It is also timely and expedient for me to advise the ministers not to make statements in Parliament or outside which have policy content if not approved by Cabinet."
And President Sata swore in three permanent secretaries namely; Mirriam Chinyama for education, Dr Abraham Mwenda for finance and George Zulu for lands.
Meanwhile, President Sata has appealed to the judiciary to ensure that people received justice from the institution.
Speaking after swearing in four High Court judges, President Sata observed that most of the people in custody were innocent.
He said such people were suffering because they were too poor to afford legal representation.
"The current administration of the judiciary would like to take justice to the people but there are constraints. We have a limited number of courts. I was in prison for 40 days. The majority of people in prison are innocent and the majority of them are poor people because they have no legal representation. But you people who are being appointed today you are judges of peace, and as judges of peace you have more power, to try and correct what's going on," President Sata said.
"The last time we had a judge's intervention was when former judge Kabazo Chanda released some people who were abnormally remanded in prison. And I hope that with all the constraints you have, maybe we can see if we can do something."
President Sata swore in Dominic Sichinga, Chalwe Mchenga, Mubanga Kondolo and Nicola Sharp-Phiri as High Court judges.
Labels: GERRY CHANDA, MICHAEL SATA
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Cholera
Written by Editor
It is embarrassing that a country like ours, which is not facing an economic crisis, should every rainy season be faced with the challenge of combating cholera. We all know how cholera comes about. Cholera is an infection of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes a large amount of watery diarrhoea. The toxin released by the bacteria causes increased secretion of water and chloride ions in the intestine, which can produce massive diarrhoea. Death can result, within a few hours, from the severe dehydration brought about by the diarrhoea. This is what medical experts tell us.
Cholera occurs in epidemics when conditions of poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine are present. The infection is acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water.
In simpler terms, cholera is a disease associated with unhygienic conditions.
In Zambia, the main cause of cholera is poor sanitation and in some cases crowding. This is reflected clearly when we take a closer look at the areas that are usually affected by the epidemic. We are talking about shanty compounds with poor sanitation and contaminated drinking water from shallow wells.
Today, there are over 2,000 cases of cholera in Zambia. In Lusaka there are 769 cases of cholera, 472 of which are reported in Kanyama compound alone. Those who have been to Kanyama compound will have no difficulties understanding why this is so.
There are several hundreds of people living in this shanty compound with no amenities to talk about. Very few places have got running water and flushing toilets. The drainage system does not exist and so any small downpour results in floods. These floods in return expedite the contamination of drinking water, resulting in cholera.
Yes, it can be rightly argued that where personal hygiene is strictly adhered to, cholera is absent. But this whole argument should be started with the government. The government is expected to provide certain services to its people. These include good sanitation and clean water.
We have not forgotten that UNIP and Dr Kenneth Kaunda lost power to MMD in 1991, partly because of the cholera problem. The MMD used cholera as a campaign issue. They said it was unacceptable that Zambia could be having diseases like cholera. This is how Dr Boniface Kawimbe earned himself a nickname as Mr. Cholera. Dr Kawimbe was one of the MMD leaders then who strongly used the cholera problem as a campaign issue. Over 8000 Zambians had died from cholera.
Why is it that Zambia today still experiences cholera, 17 years after the MMD came to power and promised to eradicate the disease?
It is clear that there is no political will to eradicate this embarrassing disease in our country. If there was political will to decisively deal with this matter, cholera could have been a disease of the past in Zambia. The solution to this problem is known but there is no political will to implement it. If poor sanitation is the main cause of cholera, the provision of the same through either central government or the local authority is the answer to this problem. But because there is no political will from those in authority, nothing is done to upgrade the lives of our people in these areas which are more susceptible to cholera.
Last year, the government spent more than K15 billion to unblock and create some drainage system in Kanyama Constituency. This was after many lives had been lost to cholera. And we know that the government was forced to spend that money because there was a parliamentary by-election in Kanyama at the time, which they wanted to win at all costs. However, the people of Kanyama questioned the timing of this intervention by the government. In the end, an opposition candidate won.
The point we are making is that if the government used that K15 billion to improve the drainage system in Kanyama prior to the rains, floods could have been avoided and therefore very few cases of cholera could have been reported.
Now, it appears that cholera is here to stay. Our government leaders do not seem to have an idea how to deal with this problem. They seem not to understand that prevention is better than cure. Why should the government be setting aside so many billions of kwacha to treat cholera and not prevent it by providing citizens with clean water and good sanitation?
The late president Levy Mwanawasa showed some level of commitment to eradicating cholera, which commitment seems to have died with him. Levy introduced a Make Zambia Clean and Health campaign which encouraged people to observe hygiene on one hand while on the other hand encouraged the government to lead by example through the provision of clean water and good sanitation. Under this programme, we saw Lusaka city being swept clean. But today, Lusaka is a garbage city again. How can cholera be stopped when those in authority are encouraging street vending by doing nothing to stop it? Meat and other foodstuffs are sold on the streets in the most unhygienic conditions.
A healthy man is a wealthy man. Health is usually linked to the development of any country. Where people are unhealthy, there will be no production and no development in the end.
Levy set a good example by starting a campaign for cleanliness at a household level while at the same time committing his government to providing for its people in terms of clean water and good sanitation. Under this programme, we saw some water projects being commissioned in Lusaka’s Matero township and several vehicles were bought for garbage collection. Street vendors all over the country were discouraged or completely stopped.
And these efforts paid off as we saw from cholera statistics. There was a huge drop in cholera cases and deaths.
This time, cholera cases were reported even before the onset of the rains in October. The last rainy season, Zambia experienced some floods but the cases of cholera were not as many.
If Zimbabwe is able to contain cholera, with all the problems in that country, why should Zambia fail to eradicate the disease?
There is need for our government to find a lasting solution to this cholera problem. The billions of kwacha that are misapplied or plundered by politicians and other public workers can be utilised to sink boreholes for our people or generally provide clean water and good sanitation. With political will, cholera can be fought and defeated. All efforts should be directed at preventing cholera and not treating it. It is more costly to treat than to prevent.
Labels: CHOLERA, GERRY CHANDA, UTILITIES
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Kanyama MP blames govt over cholera in his area
Written by Gloria Siwisha and Gillian Namungala
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 9:49:51 AM
KANYAMA PF member of parliament Colonel Gerry Chanda yesterday urged the government to urgently work towards improving sanitation standards as a long-term solution to combating cholera.
And Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr Canicius Banda yesterday disclosed that the Zambian government had released K2 billion (US$ 400,000) to assist Zimbabwe deal with its cholera outbreak.
In an interview, Col Chanda complained that he was not satisfied with the way the government was handling the cholera outbreak in his area because intensified preparations should have been made during the dry season.
“For me its carelessness on government's part because cholera is one issue that is very easy to solve. All that is required is to improve the hygiene standards all the time. We don't have to wait for an outbreak for people to act or realise that poor sanitation has always been an issue in Kanyama. It pains me as area MP when I look at the pathetic sanitation standards,” he said.
Poor water and sanitation system has been blamed on the spread of cholera in Zambia.
However, Col Chanda expressed happiness that the Ministry of Health had managed to supply chlorine but that more was still needed if the situation was to be contained.
“The situation is better than it was last year maybe because the shallow wells were limed, but we are not completely happy that there hasn't been much collaboration with the minister. I want to see a situation where we work together with him so that long term measures are put in place,” said Col Chanda.
And Speaking during on 'Let the people talk' programme on Radio Phoenix yesterday, Dr Banda disclosed that Zambia had released K2 billion to assist Zimbabwe address cholera.
“The president [Rupiah Banda] was concerned with the cholera situation in Zimbabwe and directed a team of medical personnel who have since submitted a report resulting in the release of K2 billion,” said Dr Banda
“As I speak, officers are putting logistics and trucks to start off for Zimbabwe to assist in the crisis.”
As for Zambia, Dr Banda said out of the 769 cholera cases recorded in Lusaka, 472 were from Kanyama compound.
He said Lusaka had received 769 cholera cases from September to date.
Dr Banda observed that the cases had been recorded from settlements that were not environmentally conducive.
Dr Banda, who said cholera occurred as a result of poor sanitation and dirty drinking water, said areas without such facilities were prone to cholera.
He catalogued Chipata, Chawama and Kanyama compounds as some of the areas which were mostly hit by the disease.
He said in Northern and Luapula provinces, the ministry had not recorded any cholera cases.
Dr Banda, however said 28 deaths had so far been recorded out of the reported cholera cases.
He further stressed the need for upgrading settlements that were not environmentally conducive if cases were to be eliminated.
“The Ministry of Local Government, I am sure, is working on this to ensure that such areas have piped water, schools and clinics. Areas where these things are, there are no cases of cholera. There is need for educating the population because it's not common to hear an educated person fall sick but most of the people that are affected are uneducated.”
Dr Banda however said addressing cholera needed a multi-sectoral approach.
“A number of society departments should play their roles to ensure there is no cholera,” he said.
Dr Banda urged members of the community to get to the hospital when they see that they have cholera because the ministry had the capacity to respond to the disease.
And authorities in Mazabuka have closed four more basic schools in chief Hanjalika's area where cholera has broken out.
But St Josephs, which is located 100 metres from the cholera centre, has been spared on grounds that school authorities would be required to enforce stiff disciplinary measures for pupils going out of bounds.
Mazabuka District Education Board Secretary Darius Kaluba confirmed the development to ZANIS in Mazabuka yesterday.
Kaluba said the closure of the schools follows a fresh outbreak of the disease in Chivuna area where five villagers were admitted to the clinic which has since been turned into a cholera centre.
Labels: CHOLERA, GERRY CHANDA, UTILITIES
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