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: LAND RIGHTS, OBVIOUS MWALITETA
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$200m hydropower plant will develop W/Province
By Edwin Mbulo in Kaoma
Sun 12 May 2013, 14:00 CAT
THE US$200 million investment in the first ever hydropower generation plant in Western Province's Sioma district will economically develop the area, says provincial minister Obvious Mwaliteta.
Western Power Company will set up a hydropower plant at Ngonye Falls, which is expected to generate up to 80 megawatts of power.
Western Province is currently one of the least developed areas of Zambia and the coming of the hydropower plant which will partly be funded by the Development Bank of South Africa is expected to boost the area's economic standing and ultimately create jobs for the local people.
The power project will utilise a barrage across the main east bank river channel of the Zambezi and a pit type power house.
Commenting on the development, Mwaliteta said Western Province was moving at a fast rate in terms of development.
"The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) done by Western Power was welcomed by people and the BRE (Barotse Royal Establishment) is behind it as well meaning it is a welcome idea and it will create employment and the new district, Sioma, will benefit a lot from the station in terms of social corporate responsibility which will come along with that development," he said.
Mwaliteta said the PF's promises of job creation were coming to pass.
He said the government was also looking at increasing revenue collection for economic development through tourism which would be enhanced around Sioma-Ngonye Falls with the construction of the power station.
"Tourism is ripe in that place. But due to its status it is difficult to improve tourism in that area, but once we have a power station there, it will be easy as we have a new road," Mwaliteta said.
He said the investment by Western Power Company was a realisation of the government's commitment to allow private investors help develop Zambia.
"It is our vision and our belief to bring the private sector to help us bring development where it is lacking," he said.
Mwaliteta said Western Province would no longer be an example of a least developed region in Zambia with the new developments coming up.
"People in Lusaka if they want to talk of the worst place, they will mention Shangombo, if they want to talk of the worst province, it is Western Province but come 2016 if they want to talk of the newly developed place it will be Western Province. This power station will change the lives of the people," he said. "It is unfortunate that we are in a political scenario where the opposition is trying to put pressure on this government so that we can lose track, but we will not lose track because we are on solid ground and a lot of people have confidence in us, apart from small boys such as Nevers Mumba, Hakainde Hichilema and Fr Frank Bwalya."
Meanwhile, Mwaliteta said the PF and its government had brought first Republican president Dr Kenneth Kaunda close to them because they want to learn from his vast experience in political administration.
Addressing government and private sector heads of department in Kaoma yesterday, Mwaliteta said the current government would not abandon Dr Kaunda's legacy the way the MMD did.
"We as a government will work very hard so that we do not abandon where we come from. We should look back, that is why we have brought Dr Kenneth Kaunda close to us so that we learn something while he is still alive, it is important that we are with him because we went wrong. As a country we made a lot of mistakes from 1991," he said.
And Mwaliteta said the Constituency Development Fund had been highly politicised and was being used as an appeasement fund by members of parliament to seek support for 2016.
"I'm not threatened politically, I'm ready to step down if I'm a failure. I will surrender that money so that it speaks for me. I never touched the KR1.3 million for 2012 and KR1.3 million for this year, I have already given it out for capital projects since the council is fully equipped. CDF is government money and not a member of parliament's money; it is for the constituency. It must benefit the people. It is even better to give it to the council to provide services," he said.
He said it was sad that police in Mwandi where MMD vice president Michael Kaingu is member of parliament were operating under a tree until the PF's government kick-started the construction of a police post in the area.
Mwaliteta urged the councils to start taking land from the rich to give to the poor.
"What has been happening in Zambia is that we have been taking land from the poor to give the rich…," said Mwaliteta.
Labels: ENERGY, HYDRO POWER, OBVIOUS MWALITETA
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Uplifting the people's lives
By The Post
Tue 30 Oct. 2012, 13:40 CAT
Obvious Mwaliteta, the Western Province Minister, says leaders elected by the people should always remember that they are who they are because of voters. Who can disagree with this?
Those in leadership positions, political or otherwise, must have faith in the masses. This is a cardinal principle. If they doubt this principle, they will accomplish nothing.
Leaders must rely on the masses of the people, on everybody playing a role. Experience tells us that the right task, policy and style of work invariably conform to the demands of the masses at a given time and place and invariably strengthen the leaders' ties with the masses, and the wrong task, policy and style of work invariably disagree with the demands of the masses at a given time and place and invariably alienate the leaders from the masses.
To link oneself with the masses, one must act in accordance with the needs and wishes of the masses. All work done for the masses must start from their needs and not from the desire of any individual, however well-intentioned.
This should teach every leader to love the people and listen attentively to the voice of the masses; to identify himself or herself with the masses wherever he or she goes and, instead of standing above them, to immerse himself or herself among them; and, according to their present level, to awaken them or raise their political consciousness and help them gradually to organise themselves voluntarily and to set going all essential struggles permitted by the circumstances of the given time and place.
If they insisted on leading the masses to do anything against their will, they will certainly fail. If they do not advance when the masses demand to advance, they will be left behind.
And our leaders should not assume that everything they themselves understand is understood by the masses. Whether the masses understand it and are ready to take action can be discovered only by going into their midst and making investigations.
Our leaders must not assume that the masses have no understanding of what they themselves do not understand. It often happens that the masses outstrip them and are eager to advance a step and that nevertheless our leaders fail to act as leaders of the masses and tail behind certain backward elements, reflecting their views and, moreover, mistaking them for those of the broad masses.
Take the ideas of the masses and concentrate them, then go to the masses, persevere in the ideas and carry them through, so as to form correct ideas of leadership - such is the basic method of leadership.
Our politicians, especially those in government, should not forget that political work is the lifeblood of all economic work. This is particularly true at a time when the social and economic system is undergoing fundamental change. Money is an important factor in all this work, but not the decisive factor; it is people, not things, that are decisive. The contest of strength is not only a contest of political strength, but also a contest of human and moral strength because all these things are wielded by people. What really counts in the world is conscientiousness.
We hail from all corners of the country and have joined together for a common revolutionary objective. Our political leaders must show concern for every citizen, and all our people must be made to care for each other, love and help each other.
Leaders at all levels have a duty to listen to others. They should be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness, and serve the Zambian people heart and soul. Their point of departure is to serve the people wholeheartedly and never for a moment divorce themselves from the masses, to proceed in all cases from the interests of the people and not from one's self-interest or from the interests of a small group.
Our leaders need to embrace the spirit of absolute selflessness that Obvious is talking about. With this spirit, every one of them can be very useful to the people. A leader's ability may be great or small, but if he or she has this spirit, he or she is already noble-minded and pure, a leader of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a leader who is of value to the people.
All our leaders, whatever their rank, are supposed to be servants of the people, and whatever they do is supposed to serve the people.
Their duty should be to hold themselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy of theirs must conform to the people's interests, and if mistakes occur, they must be corrected - that is what being responsible to the people means. Leaders should always have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart.
Every leader must be helped to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work.
Leaders should have largeness of mind and should be staunch and active, looking upon the interests of the nation as their very lives and subordinating their personal interests to those of the people. They should be more concerned about the masses than about any individual, and more concerned about others than about themselves. Only thus can they be considered to be good leaders. Every leader must be brought to understand that the supreme test of the words and deeds of a leader is whether they conform with the highest interests and enjoy the support of the overwhelming majority of the people.
At no time and in no circumstances should a leader place his or her personal interests first; he or she should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and the masses. Hence, selfishness, slacking, corruption, seeking the limelight, and so on and so forth, are most contemptible, while selflessness, working with all one's energy, wholehearted devotion to public duty, and quiet hard work will command respect.
Leaders must be ready at all times to stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interest of the people; leaders must be ready at all times to correct their mistakes, because mistakes are against the interests of the people.
Leaders must always go into the whys and wherefores of anything, use their own heads and carefully think over whether or not it corresponds to reality and is really well founded; on no account should they follow blindly and encourage slavishness.
We should encourage our leaders to take the interests of the whole into account. Leaders should set an example in being practical as well as far-sighted. For only by being practical can they fulfil the appointed tasks, and only far-sightedness can prevent them from losing their bearings in the march forward. Leaders should be the most far-sighted, the most sacrificing, the most resolute, and the least prejudiced in sizing up situations and should rely on the majority of the masses and win their support.
A leader must never be opinionated or domineering, thinking that he or she is good in everything while others are good in nothing; he or she must never shut oneself up in his or her little room, or brag and boast and lord it over others. They must learn to listen attentively to the views of people outside their leadership circles and even their own political party and let them have their say. If what they say is right, they ought to welcome it, and they should learn from their strong points; if it is wrong, they should let them finish what they are saying and then patiently explain things to them.
And the leadership of the Patriotic Front should pay a lot of attention to what Obvious is saying, especially when he says that the party would leave a legacy of transparency, accountability, hard work, patriotism and commitment towards uplifting the people's lives. This is a very strong and important statement and every word in this statement - transparency, accountability, hard work, patriotism, commitment - matters a lot. If this spirit is embraced, a lot will be achieved in uplifting the people's lives.
Labels: OBVIOUS MWALITETA
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