Pastor fears poverty-induced chaos
By Sheikh Chifuwe in Mpika
Tue 24 May 2011, 03:30 CAT
A MPIKA clergyman says the country needs spiritual intervention to avert a disaster which might come about due to escalating poverty levels.
During a public discussion organised by the Press Freedom Committee of The Post at CIMS Restaurant in Mpika, Pastor Clement Kaunda of the Baptist Church warned that the country could be plunged into chaos if a lasting solution to the alarming poverty levels was not found.
Pastor Kaunda said it was unhealthy for parents to continue sending their children to sell food along the highway just to earn a living. “When I look at the poverty levels in our country, my heart bleeds.
Unless there is intervention, we are headed for a disaster,” said Pastor Kaunda on Thursday. “Under this government, we don’t seem to be getting anywhere. It’s really frustrating to some of us.”
During the discussion, some Mpika residents said the high poverty levels could only be eradicated if President Rupiah Banda’s government was replaced by a responsible leadership that would value and uphold citizens’ dignity. Rogers Chinyeke said Zambia was not a poor nation as portrayed by those in power.
Chinyeke said most people were wallowing in abject poverty due to selfish leaders who had continued to mismanage the country’s economy. He said the government had even refused to re-introduce the windfall tax in the mining sector.
Shadrick Nkole said the nation could do much better with a party that would rise above the mess that the MMD government had caused through unnecessary presidential trips and the continuous misuse of resources by ministers.
“The country needs a responsible head of state that has a fatherly heart and can work with anyone without looking at the political and religious background of individuals to prevail over the mess that has been caused by the ruling MMD,” Nkole said.
The residents resolved to sensitise villagers in remote areas since it was clear that many people wanted regime change. They called for the use of the parallel vote tabulation in this year’s elections to reduce electoral fraud.
Labels: MPIKA, POVERTY
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Mpika residents reject new water tariffs
By Ernest Mwape in Mpika
Wed 12 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
WATER consumers in Mpika have rejected the newly hiked water tariffs by the Chambeshi Water and Sewerage Company because of poor service delivery.
The newly-increased fixed tariffs effective this month are between 20 and 29 per cent, with houses in the low-cost category pegged at K39, 000 from K32,500 and medium cost at K68,640 from K57,200 exclusive of K5,000 kwacha service charge.
Other tariffs are high-cost - K101,400 from K84,500 and communal - K140,000 from K117,000. Tariffs for commercial and small institutions are pegged at K220,000 from K171,100, medium at K348,000 from K285,000 and large K696,000 from K570,000.
But some consumers vowed not to pay January bills based on the new tariffs because they were too high and did not correspond with services being provided by the water utility company,
The irate consumers said it would be foolish of them to accept the new tariffs when water supply was irregular in all residential areas.
Some consumers, who have since started collecting signatures from residents, disclosed that they would in the next few days petition area district commissioner Sokoni Malama because the increase was unjustified.
They explained that ever since Chambeshi took over the running of water works from the local authority in the area, the water company had never installed any new equipment other than uprooting the pipes it found, particularly in TAZARA township, to warrant water tariff adjustments.
Reverend Ambrose Haguyu of the Pentecostal Holiness Church said that water consumers always remained numb each time there was increase in tariffs, a situation he described as unhealthy.
Rev Haguyu urged consumers to join forces in the fight against the unfair treatment by the water firm, which he said had no regard for them.
And Cyprian Mulenga expressed disappointment at the manner in which the Ministry of Local Government and Housing was nursing water utility companies in the country.
Catherine Chinshe said she could not understand why water bills were much higher than electricity in the district.
At a meeting held last Sunday at Kabale Basic School to discuss the water increase, members of the TAZARA residence concerned committee resolved to reject the introduction of tariffs until the water utility firm improved the water situation in the district.
The meeting, which was chaired by interim chairman Thedius Bwalya, agreed that Chambeshi should install meters and do away with fixed charges as they were being abused.
Labels: MPIKA, TAZARA, WATER
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We’ll defend our bishops, priests – Mpika Diocese
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 24 Mar. 2010, 11:06 CAT
MPIKA Diocese Catholic pastoral council has condemned the MMD over the continued verbal attacks on Lusaka Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.
In a statement issued at the just-ended pastoral council meeting, leader of the 14 parishes in Mpika Diocese Constantino Kaminsa stated that the insults from Catholic and non-Catholic politicians in the ruling MMD to the top leadership of the Catholic Church were very saddening and insulting to the entire Catholic populace.
“I strongly warn those Catholic MMD cadres who side with the government to stop encouraging and perpetuating wrongdoings, instead they should defend the interest of the poor Zambians who have been living in abject poverty since independence,” Kaminsa stated. “The role of the Catholic Church is to speak for the voiceless, by bringing out issues of injustice and ensure fair play to liberate the captives. There is no such a thing as Ecclesia fund from Rome which Archbishop Mpundu has accessed to beef up the Patriotic Front. This is proper hallucination and total ignorance.”
Archbishop Mpundu was heading Mpika Catholic Diocese before he was transferred to Lusaka.
Kaminsa stated that the Catholic Church members would continue defending their leaders.
“We, the representatives of the entire Christian fraternity of the Diocese of Mpika under the leadership of Bishop Ignatius Chama will forge ahead and defend our bishops and priests who should not be intimidated as they fight for justice and peace of the Zambians for they aim at speaking the truth and nothing but the truth,” Kaminsa stated. “We have unreservedly asked all corrupt Catholic politicians holding public offices to step down as they are a shame to the Catholic Church and its leadership.”
And Caritas Zambia Mpika director Fr Patrick Chibuye stated that Caritas would monitor the voters registration exercise and the 2011 tripartite elections in Serenje, Mpika, Chinsali, Isoka and Nakonde districts.
“This is within our operations and to this effect we want the electorate first and foremost to understand their role, electoral rights and the privilege they have so that they have well-informed minds to effectively come and elect their leaders who are going to make sure that there is good social and economic delivery services and to a greater extent leaders who are going to respect and promote human dignity in their operations,” stated Fr Chibuye.
Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, MPIKA, TELESPHORE MPUNDU
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