Mugurameno villagers appeal for relief food
By Oswald Sichone in Kafue
Sun 10 Nov. 2013, 14:00 CAT
VILLAGERS in Mugurameno area in Kafue district have appealed to the government to help them with relief food because their crop fields had been destroyed by wild animals.
The villagers made an appeal when area member of parliament Obvious Mwaliteta visited the area to try and resolve land disputes which have characterised the Goba chiefdom.
Margaret Kambanje, who spoke on behalf of the other villagers, said they had stopped farming because their fields were being destroyed by elephants and hippos which had terrorised the area.
"The problem we have here in Mugurameno is that every time an elephant kills a human being or destroys our crop field, ZAWA does not come to our aid; they say that we don't have transport and bullets to kill the animals. But when an elephant or hippo has been killed, the whole place is filled with ZAWA officials, even those from Lusaka find their way here. Maybe, it's because they want to share the meat from the slain animals. ZAWA seems to be more concerned about wildlife than the lives of human beings," Kambanje complained.
She said the damage that was done to their crops by the elephants was irreparable, adding that most villagers were surviving on local wild fruits known as 'Masau'.
Kambanje also appealed to Mwaliteta to help them have a police post in the area, saying lack of police presence had resulted in a lot of criminal acts.
"Ba honorable, we don't have a police post in the whole chiefdom, and this has resulted in lawlessness; recently, some women were arrested by Chirundu police because they blocked the road and broke a vehicle belonging to ZAWA after an elephant killed a human being. We need para-military officers here in Mugurameno to protect us because we are located at the border with Zimbabwe where anything can happen at any time," said Kambanje.
And Mwaliteta instructed Kafue district administrative officer Ngoni Moyo who had accompanied him to Mugurameno to take note of the villagers' concerns and ensure that they benefit from relief food that is given under the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit.
Mwaliteta assured them that the government would do everything possible to ensure that no human being in Mugurameno died of hunger, adding that he would engage stakeholders in order to secure food for the people of Chiawa.
Mugurameno, which is 150 kilometres south east of Kafue, is well known for its frequent cases of human-animal conflicts and this has made the area hunger-stricken. Villagers survive on fish and government relief food.
Labels: HUNGER, KAFUE, WILDLIFE
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Kafue businessman, residents in dispute over land
By Oswald Sichone
Sat 06 July 2013, 14:01 CAT
KAFUE member of parliament Obvious Mwaliteta says there is urgent need to have the land Act reviewed if land wrangles are to be reduced.
Addressing angry Zambia Compound residents who stormed his office to complain about the alleged fencing of the river frontage by a local businessman, Peter Hatuma of PH Motors, Mwaliteta expressed concern at the growing land wrangles in the district and urged the residents to remain calm but protect their interest.
Mwaliteta said water was a natural resource which should be enjoyed by everyone because it was God-given.
He promised to engage the commissioner of lands so that the title deed given to Hatuma could be reviewed because people were being denied access to the river.
Mwaliteta instructed Kafue district council director of works Stanley Chanda to survey the land in question and make recommendations to the commissioner of lands on what need to be done over the disputed land.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Chrispin Phiri urged the government to review the title given to Hatuma, alleging that he had barred them from drawing water from Kafue River as a result of the electric fence which was razed on Thursday by irate residents who also threatened to bring down his house.
Phiri said that most residents of Zambia Compound were fishermen who earned their living by fishing on the Kafue River and that denying them access to the river was as bad as killing them.
He accused Hatuma of extending his boundary thereby encroaching in some of residents' plots, sparking the violence.
The irate residents then razed the wildlife fence in full view of Mwaliteta, who however, pleaded with them not to take the law in their own hands but allow the law to take its course.
And in a letter addressed to the officer-in-charge at Kafue Police Station dated July 4, 2013, and copied to the Inspector General of Police and the National Assembly office in Kafue, Hatuma accused Mwaliteta of instigating Zambia Compound residents by promising that he would give them part of his land.
Hatuma stated that he was the rightful owner of the land in question as he had title deeds.
He stated that the damage caused to the farm was in millions.
"I have the title to the farm between Zambia Compound and the Kafue River. The farm was fenced with an electric fence but the whole fence was stolen by known people. I have now started to put a game fence, but known people are causing problems, even uprooting the poles of the fence. I am reliably informed that the area MP was on site when these people started breaking down the concrete poles that were erected by workers. Now what should I do to these people? If I take the law in my hands, you will arrest me. If I report, nothing happens. As I write this letter, my workers are under fear of death by the same hooligans who are known," read the letter.
Hatuma denied having fenced the river front, saying he only fenced part of the farm where he had built some fish ponds and harbour to avoid pilferage.
He denied encroaching on anyone's land and urged those involved to follow the rightful procedure to avoid legal action.
According to the certificate of title no 2911 sub division 619 of 1052/m, Hatuma acquired the land marked 619,620,621 and 622 on November 28, 2001.
Labels: KAFUE, LAND RIGHTS, OBVIOUS MWALETITA
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Kafue council chair quits MMD, joins PF
By Edwin Mbulo
Fri 24 June 2011, 12:10 CAT
KAFUE district council chairman Obvious Mwaliteta has resigned from the MMD to join the PF. Mwaliteta, who is also Mungu ward councillor, resigned on Wednesday in Kafue together with Kambela ward UNIP councillor Charles Mandika. Mwaliteta endorsed chieftainess Nkomeshya’s recent statement on underdevelopment because it also affected chieftainess Chiawa’s chiefdom.
He said Zambia compound, which was on the banks of the Kafue River, did not have running water and many people had lost their lives in the quest for clean water.
“Matero in Lusaka has water after president Levy Mwanawasa directed that it gets water, what about Zambezi compound? In Chiawa there is no bridge but now since we are going to elections you will hear about a bridge,” Mwaliteta said.
He said the earth moving equipment meant for Kafue had even been moved to Luangwa.
Mwaliteta wondered why the MMD was practicing selective disciplinary measures when Chiengi MMD officials had been making demands regarding former MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba’s candidature in the area.
“I commend the Soli people for the decision they have taken. The MMD is too old and can be saved from death. I want to thank the people of Kafue for officially rejecting Bradford Machila and I want to officially announce my resignation from the MMD. I am now a member of PF,” Mwaliteta said.
And Mandika said he had been campaigning for the PF in the last elections despite running on the UNIP ticket.
“Ï have been a councillor under UNIP for two terms and now I have decided to resign and join the PF,” Mandika
And receiving the two councilors at Bayi Motel, PF vice president Guy Scott said the MMD was becoming a shell of UNIP.
“All of us are refugees of the MMD in some way. Unfortunately, UNIP which we had killed in 1991 is coming back. We have a lot of vigilantes,” Scott said.
He said 20 years of his life had been wasted as the people he fought to get out of the government were back in leadership.
“I came back from Europe to join the MMD. Now I see President Rupiah Banda who was rejected by Munali as member of parliament, I now see William Banda who was deported run a funeral,” Scott said.
He advised Zambians to be careful with the money being dished out by the MMD and ensure that the PF had strong polling agents who could detect rigging.
“Western Province indunas don’t want the MMD when the province was its stronghold. In Rufunsa people bafuna want change and they have learnt how to say ‘don’t kubeba’. I commend you Mr Mayor council chairman let us learn from our mistakes,” said Scott.
Labels: GUY SCOTT, KAFUE, PF
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MMD bound to lose Kafue - Mwaliteta
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 24 June 2011, 08:40 CAT
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda and the MMD will lose in Kafue district in this year's election due to the prevailing underdevelopment the area has suffered, says a former MMD Kafue council official.
Obvious Mwaliteta, who was until his defection to the opposition Patriotic Front on Wednesday MMD’s Kafue council chairman, said there was discontent among the residents of Kafue as a result of the lack of progress in the area.
“In Kafue we are supporting what senior chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II said last time, especially which we're in her chiefdom. In Kafue you can't find any proper roads anywhere,” Mwaliteta said in an interview.
“Things are bad currently. We're losing in Kafue and because of lack of development and the under performance of the area member of parliament, Bradford Machila. Rupiah Banda may even get no vote.”
He said Kafue was grappling with numerous problems including displacement of people from the indigenous land which the government had turned a blind eye to.
“There's land sold suspiciously to investors and people have been displaced. In Kabweza, the chieftainess had to go to court over her land,” he said.
Mwaliteta said the government had failed to revamp the industrial and agriculture activities leading to the existing here levels of poverty.
“Like people in Kafue compound they have no water. Our area MP can't even take water to the people using CDF. The government has even failed to do cattle restocking; they have failed to improve fishing not even a dam for agriculture activities.”
He said it was unthinkable that people were experiencing water shortage when they lived next to the river.
Labels: CHIEFTIANESS NKOMESHYA, INFRASTRUCTURE, KAFUE, MMD, ROADS, RUPIAH BANDA
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KCM pollutes Kafue River again
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Fri 14 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
KONKOLA Copper Mine has polluted the Kafue River again. And Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) northern region manager Patson Zulu has called for the imposition of serious punitive measures against KCM for its continued pollution of the Kafue River.
But KCM head of corporate affairs Jacqueline Kabeta requested for a written press query before commenting on the matter. In an interview yesterday, Zulu said KCM informed ECZ about the incident on Tuesday.
“KCM reported that they had a problem with a Zesco power line to one of the pumps and they shut down the concentrator and the tailings leach plant but we suspect that by the time they took this action, impurities had already over flown into the river since preliminary results indicate the presence of heavy metals in the Kafue River ,” Zulu said.
“We are waiting for latest results to ascertain the level of contamination but as at last night (Wednesday) the situation was the same and we are not thinking of taking KCM to court but we shall impose serious punitive measures which I can’t disclose now.”
Nkana Water and Sewerage Company on Wednesday, temporarily shutdown water supply in Kitwe as a precautionary measure following reports of suspected pollution of the Kafue River by KCM.
Mulonga Water managing director Manuel Mutale said operations were normal since the company was able to treat the levels of impurities in the river.
“But we are still carrying out tests and also waiting for ECZ to complete their investigations and advise what to do. We only shutdown when our tests reveal higher levels of impurity content which we can’t treat,” said Mutale.
And Earth Organisation Zambia executive director Lovemore Muma said it was unfortunate that KCM had failed to keep its assurances that pollution of the Kafue River would not happen again.
Labels: KAFUE, KCM, KITWE, MANUEL MUTALE, NKANA WATER AND SEWAGE COMPANY, POLLUTION
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‘Kafue River basin doesn’t pose a threat to Zambia Sugar operations’
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Wed 26 May 2010, 03:40 CAT
ZAMBIA Sugar Plc has said the findings of the recent European Union (EU) - commissioned report revealing strained water resources in Kafue River basin do not pose a threat to its operations.
A recent report commissioned by EU recommended that Zambia Sugar Plc and Consolidated Farming (Kafue Sugar) should not be allowed to undertake any further expansion programmes as this may pose a serious threat on water availability in the Kafue River.
The Kafue River is the country's single most important source of irrigation water for sugar production as it accounts for 99.4 per cent of national sugar output. Illovo Sugar group-owned Zambia Sugar Plc is the largest producer, with Nakambala estate and a mill in Mazabuka with approximately 89.6 per cent of total production while Consolidated Farming Limited (CF) is second, contributing about 9.8 per cent towards national production at its estate and mill in the Kafue flats in Kafue.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Zambia Sugar managing director Steve Langton said the company did not have immediate plans to expand its production lines after completing a major K1 trillion expansion programme which is projected to lift sugar output at the firm to 440,000 tonnes from the current 315,000 tonnes.
“We have no immediate plans to expand further right now so, it doesn’t really necessarily affect us too much but there are a number of reports that often say different things to a large extent all of them done by professionals. It’s difficult to know which one is right,” said Langton.
Currently, Zambia Sugar Plc produces 357,000 tonnes of sugar every year, Consolidated Farming (Kafue Sugar) 23,000 and Kalungwishi Estates Limited produces 1,400 tonnes per year.
According to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) study of the Sugar Sector in Zambia funded by the EU, the lower Kafue River Basin is becoming water stressed due to the multiple water users and the regulation of flows at the Itezhi-tezhi dam.
The report done by three consultants Juan Palerm, Tonnis Sierevogel and Munguzwe Hichaambwa revealed that there were indications that water rights already allocated to Zesco and both Zambia Sugar and Consolidated Farming might be exceeding future water availability.
Labels: KAFUE, ZAMBIA SUGAR COMPANY
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Use CDF to develop your areas – Shawa
Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 16:22
Government has urged civic leaders and parliamentarians in Lusaka province to utilize the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to develop their areas. Lusaka Province Minister Charles Shawa said there is need to unlock the potential of Zambians to enhance the promotion of economic growth and diversification.
Mr. Shawa noted that this would also help to improve the quality of public service delivery to the people. The Minister said this when a group of councillors from Kafue District Council called on him at his office today.
He advised civic leaders to work closely with their area Members of Parliament in the use of funds from CDF to improve the social services and infrastructure development in the district.
Mr Shawa added that government is in hurry of extending benefits of economic growth and development to the people through the involvement of key stakeholders.
Earlier, Kafue District Council Chairperson, George Muleya said the council was working had in reviving the manufacturing industry in a bid to make the district an industrial hub of the province.
Mr Muleya said the construction of Universal Mining and Chemicals Industries, a major hotel and a cement manufacturing company would revive the economic activity in the district resulting in job creation among the people.
He commended government for injecting capital into Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ).
The Coucil Chairman said the move would help the fertiliser company resume full production.
Mr Muleya however, bemoaned the decline in the collection of council levy from firms that have closed down, such as Abion Nickel Mine.
He noted that the development has negatively affected the revenue base of the council leading to failure by the council to provide quality service to the people.
ZANIS
Labels: CDF, CHARLES SHAWA, KAFUE, NCZ
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IFC urges enhanced funding to Kafue Gorge Lower project
Written by Florence Bupe
Friday, January 30, 2009 3:17:30 AM
THE International Finance Corporation (IFC) has called on government to enhance its funding support to the Kafue Gorge Lower hydro power project to make the venture more economically viable.
And the corporation has disclosed that 15 international companies have expressed interest in investing in the power generation project.
Presenting a progress report on the status of the project to government yesterday, IFC senior investment officer for infrastructure advisory Javier Calvo said the project was on schedule but called on government to find ways of making it more bankable.
“The project’s preparatory stage is near completion, and we are on schedule, but we need government support to make the project more bankable,” he said.
He said the role of government through public funding support was very crucial in determining the success of the project.
Calvo said the lending market was currently tight and that it was vital for government to come up with concessionary terms for the development of the project.
He further disclosed that the feasibility exercise was likely to be completed by early next year.
Calvo said IFC had already assessed the project risks and expressed optimism that the project would receive a favourable response.
And Energy permanent secretary Peter Mumba said the government was still committed to the development of cost-reflective electricity rates and would adjust tariffs accordingly in the next few years in order to attract investments in the energy sector.
Mumba also encouraged local companies to bid in the Kafue Gorge Lower project once the tender was advertised.
The Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), in partnership with Swiss mining giant Glencore International AG, planned a joint venture to bid for the development of the US $1.5 million hydro power plant at Kafue Gorge Lower.
Labels: HYDRO POWER, INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION, KAFUE
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Hail the Post newspapers - Sansakuwa
November 8, 2008
An MMD party official in Kafue says the party should give credit to the Post newspaper for having made it work hard through the stories it used to publish up to the run up of the presidential elections.
MMD district party chairman Goodson Sansakuwa said in Kafue Saturday that the ruling party should consider itself lucky that it was able to win the presidential elections as the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) really gave them a good campaign.
Mr. Sansakuwa said as a party it has learnt lessons on how the electorate view the ruling MMD. He said if it was not for the stories the post were publishing about the MMD, it would not have been easy to plan and strategize well for the its campaigns and win the elections.
He said he was happy that the MMD, despite the negative publicity by the the private daily, was able to turn them into positives. He said the MMD will from now on work hard to ensure it revisits its manifesto to woe more support.
Mr. Sansakuwa who is also Kafue district council chairman said the party in the district has set out a programme in which it will start planning for the 2011 elections.
He said despite some members defecting to the opposition, the party in the district was strong and will not allow outsiders to win the people.
Mr. Sansakuwa appealed to Republic President Rupiah Banda to fulfill the promises made during campaigns. He said the MMD will only win the 2011 elections if it fulfills its promises.
Mr. Sansakuwa also appealed to the national executive committee to start visiting members on the ground instead of only staying in Lusaka. He said many members at grassroots level are not happy with the way the top leadership in the party are treating branch members.
He said the NEC should find time to tour branch officials as these are the ones who campaign for them most of the time. He said the MMD has a huge task of working hard so that new issues are raised and people’s interests in elections are revived.
The district official also called on the party to revive its manifesto so that it is tailored to the current needs of the Zambian people. He said the current manifesto is proving to be not helpful in addressing what the Zambian people want.
ZANIS/BS/ENDS/MM
Labels: GOODSON SANSAKUWA, KAFUE, THE POST
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