Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Jubilee celebrations end tragically with suspected drowning of 21 pupils in Choma

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About 24 people from Henga Primary School in Gwembe District are feared dead on Lake Kariba today after the boat they were traveling in capsized.

The three teachers and 21 pupils were on the boat to Chipepo High School for golden Jubilee celebrations .

A Police source at Gwembe police station confirmed the unfortunate development to ZANIS in Choma.

The officer attributed the cause of the accident to strong winds on the lake today.

However, the police source who sought anonymity said the number is yet to be ascertained as the search for the bodies was still on.

Henga Primary School which is on the eastern part of Gwembe district is located on the Lake shores of the crocodile infested Lake Kariba.

Water transport is the preferred mode of transport for most areas on the lake shores to get to Chipepo harbor as it is the fastest mode of
transport.

And a Gwembe police vehicle that tried to rush to Henga to ascertain the marine accident was also involved in an accident after Siampande turn-off and two named police officers sustained injuries and are admitted to Munyumbwe clinic.

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism and Arts Jean Kapata this morning led provincial service chiefs in Southern Provincial capital Choma in
laying wreaths in honour of the fallen heroes at the Boma square.

A somber mood characterized the occasion as brass band music by the Zambia Air force played in the back ground as Ms. Kapata laid wreaths at the cenotaph.

Ms. Kapata who was the guest of honour at the provincial Golden Jubilee in Choma later proceeded to Choma general hospital to present gifts to independence babies.

The minister who was accompanied by the provincial administration, service chiefs and the press was however forced to present the gift to a baby girl who was born 31 minutes before midnight.

26 COMMENTS

  1. Sad tragedy on a joyous occasion . Very sad indeed that 24 people had lost their lives while trying to join the golden jubilee celebrations of Zambias independence. May their soul rest in peace and my deepest condolences to the deceased families and the people of Zambia

  2. Again, that’s why I keep saying what’s there to celebrate about?
    This is Sata’s fault for building universities in his village instead of building a road for these people
    This is Chiluba’s problem for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars instead of building a road in the Gwembe
    This is RB.s fault. He wasted money on NCC that could easily have built a road
    This is Mwanawasa’s problem for selling the Maamba Mine to the Chinese
    It is Kaunda’s problem for trying hard to neglect the people of the Gwembe Valley

    …and you boast about 50 years of bu#sh!t

    • Thy shall not judge. What have you done for Mother Zambia @ Choma Maanu. This is sad news. My condolences to the deceased families.

  3. I feel touched when I look at the behaviour of MPs from this region in pariament and the kind of life of pipo who voted for them. How much is a reasonable boat? Mps pliz put the intrest of pipo first.

    • @Chuku
      What kind of nonsense is that. Luapula and Northern have always voted for their own and pretty much sided with govt. Are they any better than Southern? In fact the opposite is true. Southern province has more buying power than those provinces combined.How do they really benefit economically? They are still the poorest provinces in the country, least educated, most hungry, most jobless so what the F*#k man?

    • @Choma Maanu, nonsense. Luapula and Northern are self sustaining. People from this region are not poor. The opposite is true. Every year there reports of villagers in Southern province eating wild fruits. Citizens who are rich from the L and N provinces don’t show off. They are business people. Most of these people have settled on the Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces and are doing fine. Besides most if the resources were directed to Southern province after independence whereas other provinces were neglected. Besides don’t use the yardstick of HH to mean that all Tongas are well off. No. Most bembas are very rich and quiet. Besides most bembas are very educated. You still live in the past. In fact there are more bembas who are educated than your tribesmen. Don’t live in the past iwe…

    • @wise, none whatsoever. What you will note with social behavior is that the less the knowledge the more callous, the rougher and hence the more crude. I have observed in nature how dogs bark at each other between fences; alas – you see it on social media often. They feel safe behind their pseudonyms to bark and hack. If you were to meet them in person you would not even think they are capable of any filth.

  4. I don’t know who started this bad game of turning MPs Constituency administrator. MPs are only spokespersons. There provincial ministers and their PermSecs. These are the members of cabinet who represent the executive whose duty is ensure people are well provided for. Not MPs!

    This has gone so bad that people have forgotten about MINISTERS of provinces and transportation and communication. Wake up ba Zambia!

  5. Blame game is not the way to go! What is it that u’ve done urself???? Accidents happens more on gud roads. Accident is an accident! By the way there is water, road and air transport! May their soul rest in enternal peace!

  6. Blame game is not the way to go! What is it that u’ve done urself???? Accidents happens more on gud roads. Accident is an accident! By the way there is water, road and air transport! May their soul rest in enternal peace! Lord have mercy.

  7. @Wisdom & Chuku-Results of being illiterate & illiteracy is contagious & pervasive in PF sycophants!Please MPs represent & lobby for development programmes for their constituencies.They are not given money for developmental projects in their areas for this is the fundamental role of the functioning viable & pro-active government through its executive!Its neither the role of the area MP nor the Opposition to ensure that the tax being paid by all Zambians is equitably distributed throughout the country!What you are seing you airheads are signs of a failed government.You don’t need a degree or a masters degree in political science or development faculties to know this just grade nine civics can completely do it all!Moreover, Southern Province as for now is an economic…

  8. Wait a minute, these accidents fall squarely on the hands of HH. Why does it have to be in southern province? The blood of these innocents is on the hands of HH.

  9. What a tragedy, may their souls rest in peace. No point in making politically biased comments here. Sad children had to die.

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