Mpasa warns private firms against mistreating local workers
By Godfrey Chikumbi in Kawambwa
Thu 06 Feb. 2014, 14:00 CAT
PRIVATE firms mistreating Zambian workers should not be allowed to make the government unpopular, says Kawambwa district commissioner Ivo Mpasa.
Speaking shortly after he addressed scores of workers who had been engaged by a named private company to work on power lines in the district without paying them for over a year now, Mpasa yesterday warned that he would not tolerate any private firm, local or foreign to keep exploiting workers because their actions bordered on making government unpopular.
He said although the government relied on firms for job creation and growth of the economy, it would not allow its people to be abused in any way.
Mpasa said the government was for the poor people, whose plight and welfare it was seriously concerned about and would always safeguard.
"What these private firms shouldn't forget is that each time they mistreat our people, they make them cry that the government is not protecting them; and this is bad. That's why as government, we shall strictly monitor actions of maltreatment against our poor workers and immediately stop it. There have been situations where a firm engages local labourers and after they have done the work, the workers are dumped without being paid. Such actions are evil because they are aimed at destroying the belief that our people have in our government," charged Mpasa.
He assured the workers that the government would continue creating jobs through so many developmental projects that were being initiated in the area.
And Mpasa said jobs created locally should be for the local people and not people coming outside the district.
He said he was against the idea of employing people from outside when local people were also yearning for the same jobs.
"If they are constructing roads, let them just come with their engineering experts, not mere labourers. If you come with labourers, what jobs will the locals get? We are doing all these to help alleviate poverty for our local people," said Mpasa.
Labels: IVO MPASA, KAWAMBWA DISTRICT, LABOUR
Read more...
Mealie meal prices in Mwansabombwe reduced by 35%
TIME PUBLISHED - Saturday, February 25, 2012, 4:44 pm
Mealie meal prices in Mwansabombwe palace of Mwata Kazembe and surrounding areas in Kawambwa district have been reduced by K25, 000.
A check by Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Mwansabombwe yesterday discovered that a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast meal from APG milling company which was previously selling at K70, 000 is now selling at K45,000
The check also revealed that a 25 kilogramme bag of roller meal is now costing K35, 000 from the previous K65, 000.
And Thomas Chingele who was found selling the commodity also told ZANIS a five kilogramme of breakfast and roller meal is selling at K6, 000.00 and K5, 000.00 respectively.
Mr Chingele said people in the area are happy at the drastic reduction of mealie meal prices attributing this to good governance of the Patriotic Front (PF) government.
He thanked the PF government for facilitating in the reduction of mealie meal prices saying this has enabled many people in the area afford thecommodity.
Mr Chingele said people in the area had suffered enough and the reduction in price could not come at a better time than now.
Mr Chingele however, could not give other reasons for the immediate reduction in price of the staple food but said the source also had a similar reduction hence the chain reaction to the benefit of consumers.
Efforts to get a comment from APG milling company failed as the contact phone number was not going through at press time.
ZANIS
Labels: INFLATION, KAWAMBWA DISTRICT, MEALIE-MEAL, MWANSABOMBE, MWATA KAZAMBE
Read more...
Kawambwa gets heavy downpour
Written by Staff Reporter
Friday, September 18, 2009 5:00:59 PM
SOME areas of Kawambwa district yesterday received heavy rainfall.
The areas that experienced the heavy downpour include Mbereshi, Chisulo, Kawambwa Tea Estate and the township. District Meteorological Officer, Peter Shishau, confirmed the development yesterday.
Shishau said Mbereshi recorded 8.0 millimetres while the township recorded 0.1 millimetres of rainfall. He, however, said his office did not receive recordings from other areas which experienced some rainfall.
Shishau has since advised farmers in the area to ensure that their produce was secured in sheds to avoid wastage of the commodity as Kawambwa always received early rainfall.
Meanwhile, Shishau said his office was trying to involve agricultural camp officers in collecting rainfall recordings for his office.
He said since the district had voluntary rainfall stations in some areas, there was need for agricultural officers to start sending rainfall recordings to his office to enhance rainfall information.
Shishau further said Kawambwa district last year received first rains on September 24 where 1.3 millimetres of rainfall was recorded.
According to the rain forecast released by the Meteorological Department last week, most parts of Zambia have an increased chance of receiving normal rainfall in October, November and December this year.
Director of meteorology, Maurice Muchinda, said most parts of the country had an increased chance of receiving normal rainfall except northeastern parts of Zambia where normal to above normal rainfall was expected.
He explained that the 2009/2010 rainy season generally indicated a likelihood of normal rainfall over Zambia.
Muchinda also explained that for the period January, February and March 2010, Western, Lusaka and Southern provinces were likely to receive normal rainfall.
Labels: KAWAMBWA DISTRICT, RAINFALL
Read more...
