President Edgar Lungu says there is need for continued co-existence between the local people and investors in areas surrounding the South Luangwa National Park.
President Lungu told Senior Chief Nsefu, chiefs Kakumbi, Mnkhanya, Malama, Jumbe and Msoro that there was need to ensure that issues of discrimination on racial lines did not arise in the South Luangwa National park.
Speaking last yesterday when he met all the six chiefs from Mambwe, Mr Lungu said there was need for the local people to appreciate and help safeguard the wildlife resource in the area.
And chief Jumbe said the problem between the Zamia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and the local community arose when ZAWA started side-lining the locals in the management of wildlife.
Chief Jumbe noted that according to the ZAWA Act, the local community was supposed to be a co-manager of the game reserves, but complained that ZAWA was carrying out its operations without the participation of the locals.
“You cannot do anything in the preservation of wildlife if you side-line the local community. There is need to cement the relationship between ZAWA and the locals in order to have concerted efforts in fighting poaching,” he said.
Chief Jumbe also stated that the local people were made to protect the wildlife but were not given hunting licenses and appealed to President Lungu to facilitate the provision of special licenses for chiefs.
Meanwhile, Senior Chief Nsefu charged that ZAWA officers had continued to kill suspected poachers on pretext that they were protecting the animal resources.
“They arrested me for allegedly poaching and this means that they are not against me as an individual but the tribe because I am a tribal parent. They say that no one is above the Law, yet they behave as though they are above the Law because no action is taken against the culprits,” said senior chief Nsefu.
And Mambwe District Commissioner, Caroline Mwanza, observed that some suspects were unfairly treated citing a suspect who was on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy (ART) and died while in remand because he was denied access to medication.
Meanwhile, the District Commissioner appealed to President Lungu to consider constructing a district hospital in the area, saying the only Mission Hospital, Kamoto, was not adequate as it did not have the capacity to provide services to the growing population as it was built to meet a low population at that time.
“Currently there is a problem at the mortuary. When a person dies, we keep corpses at health facilities in Chipata as we await burial of the deceased. This makes it expensive for mourners,” said Ms Mwanza.
And chief Malama appealed to Government to rehabilitate the road leading to his palace which he said was in a deplorable state.
Enough of cheap talk,act already!
Kabimba would have made a better President.
Mr Sata’s gravest mistake is getting rid of Kabimba,
because of that you have people who had PF at heart discarded
and commoners and unknown people riding the PF government.
Wina was an MMD just 5 years ago.
The anchor of PF are Kabimba, Scott, Lubinda and Kambwili.
Lungu and his mercenaries have hijacked PF and killed what WE stood for.
Welcoming Rupiah Banda and listen to him, was the last nail on the coffin. Lungu should leave the PF.
The PF I am seeing is no PF I know of.
Mr Sata must be turning at Embassy park.
Thanks
BB2014
I am afraid Govt has to do more in terms of addressing this imbalance.
Locals and Zambians at large are welcoming people especially to foreigners who make up the largest proportion of investors. Unforfortunately that welcoming embrace is never receiprocated and instead we are taken for fools who should kneel before our news masters for the crambs they throw to the ground while they dine.
The Govt needs to put it’s foot down and DEMAND respect for all Zambians. Go to Kansanshi Mine and ask to see any of their South African Managers on business and see what insults will greet you. Totally inhumane…
This is what was LT reported yesterday and I quote:
“I want rapid transformation of this industry because when God gave us these resources, He intended that this a common resource and there is no reason it can remain a preserve for a few.” President Lungu.
When did the president realise between yesterday and today that the problem is lack of co-existence?
As Zambians we have always co-existed with investors, quite often to our own detriment. What we need now are deliberate govt policies that empower us the owners of the resources not co-existing with the same investors who have plundered our natural resources for decades on end.
E Lungu, the man so scared of Guy Scott.
Nonsense, finish your cabinet.
You are losing me slowly Mr President.
A cabinet without Kambwili and Lubinda is no cabinet at all
Thanks
BB2014
There is so much irrationality in this country it is unbelievable! This senior chief Nsefu thinks he can just go and kill animals when he feels like. ZAWA officials are not pretending to protect animals Chief. They are there to do so. As chief you should speak to your people and explain that It would be beneficial to work with ZAWA. Co existing is a two way thing.
How many Zambians are interested in running lodges in the bundu? We mostly all prefer to open second rate lodges in town. When foreigners open lodges in the bundu we start to complain. This is a result of jealousy and pettiness. Partner with them. Let us be frank tourism in Zambia would not exist. In fact even if you go to other countries in Africa, tourism is not an African thing.
YOU HAVE SOLD OUR COUNTRY TO YOUR FELLOW THIEVES, YOUR FELLOW FOREIGNERS WHOM YOU CALL INVESTORS WHEN IN ACTUAL FACT THEY ARE COMING HERE TO LOOT OUR COUNTRY. WE KNOW YOUR DARK-CORNER TRANSACTIONS WHICH YOU HAVE WITH YOUR FELLOW MUSLIMS FROM NIGERIA(THE BOKO HARAM), WITH MUGABE, WITH CROOKS FROM KENYA, WITH DOS SANTOS, AND MANY OTHER CROOKS FROM CHINA. WHAT WORK HAS LUNGU STARTED TO DO IN OUR COUNTRY SINCE HE WAS CORRUPTLY DECLARED PRESIDENT OF OUR MIGHTY ZAMBIA? ALL HE IS BUSY DOING IS MAKING MERRY, WINNING AND DINING WITH FELLOW CROOKS BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. LUNGU WILL BE A WORSE PRESIDENT THAN THE BAD LATE SATA. IT IS ANOTHER WASTED TIME FOR ZAMBIA AND ZAMBIA’S DEVELOPMENT. CHAKOLWA CHAGWA IS A USELESS PRESIDENT.
@Mushota i was telling you sweet heart.we in UPND we know our HH is good quality,thats why we shall never shift our position.We knew Lungu or Sata were not presidential Material.
I am in my own school of thought.I will soon by 2017 form my own political party to propagate a new type of politics that will help solve our problems affecting the country especially this new Generation.I will move from a blogger to a politician because i can see a sum gups.
Yavuta kupanga cabinet….now just yapping
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah….Lungu said this Lungu said that..marabishi Yeka yeka…finish your cabinet iwe kamwendo munjila reloaded,Chimbwi no plan reloaded…
Sure Sata must be gnashing his teeth in hell for allowing this useless man to hijack the party. Mr dizzy is seeing double that is why he can’t finish appointing ministers. Appointing ministers should have been his first priority. I pity Mr Nyau Nkandu Luo, what a miserable loser she is. Let Kambwili the copper thief go and throw himself in Nchanga open pit. This is just the new version of Chimbwi no plan. Mr Dizzy no vision for sure.
I am a Kunda and I feel betrayed by the whole system and my blood boils because only a selected few have become rich from our wildlife resource.
If the president is talking about sustainable tourism and all other sustainable practices, they all involve, locals, stakeholders, NGO’s, businesses, DMO’s (destination marketing organisations). Most import is the locals. If we don’t involve them only creates problems and alienation because of seclusion. If ZAWA brings tourists to an area and locals are not happy with them, they can bring the negativity on tourists which can be bad for the tourism economy. For example the Carrying Capacity of a destination is the ability to absorb tourism without deteriorating it. In other words it intervenes in the relationship between the tourists and destination. If the locals are not happy and they are complaining but no one is listening could cause problems. In this case ZAWA.