By Tovin Ngombe:-
United Liberal Party (ULP) president Sakwiba Sikota has said the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) should have been paying a percentage of money to the Valley Tongas for the sacrifice they made when constructing of Lake Kariba.
The ULP leader who was in Sinazongwe to welcome members from UPND that had resigned last month told the gathering that Zambia owes them a debt and it should be paid.
Mr Sikota said the mines were able to tap power on the Copperbelt and the modern buildings in Lusaka because of the sacrifice that Sinazongwe people made to leave their fertile land and migrate to the dry land where rainfall was erratic.
“All the high buildings in Lusaka such as the five star hotels will not have been constructed without the sacrifice that the valley Tongas made. Zambia owes you a very big debt and it should be paid,†Mr Sikota said.
He said ZESCO would have alleviated the suffering of the people in the district it it was paying even a one or two percent of money to the trust.
Mr Sikota the bottom road should have been constructed if ZESCO had established the trust to help the people living in abject poverty.
He noted that most people were not having access to the electricity generated from Lake Kariba as their pylons passes on ‘people’s heads.’
The ULP president said he would ensure that there was fairness and justice in the distribution of public resource once his party comes to power.
When parliament resumes seating after Mr. Sikota said he would move a motion to ensure that places that were near the electricity power stations should be paying a small amount of ZESCO bill until the corporation stops taping power from those places.
He named areas to be exempted from high ZESCO bills such as Livingstone, Sinazongwe, and other areas that have electricity power stations.
“I am going to move a motion, places such as Kabwe, Sinazongwe, Livingstone, and those in Kalambo falls should be paying less money because they are the owners of the resources that ZESCO was exploiting,†Mr Sikota said.
On political scenario Mr Sikota explained that what occurred in Sinazongwe where people resigned own their own to join his party was a decision made out of principle.
He pointed out that the scenario has also encouraged other districts such Mazabuka , Siavonga, Itezhi tezhi, Choma, and Namwala where people have left UPND to Join ULP.
“The fire has gone beyond Southern, and Lusaka, the next fire will be heard soon on the Copperbelt,†Mr Sikota said.
Speaking at the same function ULP Acting Provincial Chairperson who led the people that resigned from UPND to join ULP said the majority of Sinazongwe people were now under ULP.
Mr Sitwiinda who was the Sinazongwe Constituency Chairperson said the entire UPND executive resigned because the party has lost direction.
He said they opted to join ULP leadership because he had the vision for the late Anderson Mazoka.
Sitwiinda said most of the ward councillors under UPND in the district where for ULP as they failed to declare their interest for fear of having by-elections and to allow them to bite the ‘cake’ in the meantime.
/TN/END
SAGE,
Can you see how our tribalism is kwempa-ling political parties while making MMD strong? And can you see the audacity of these MMD chaps on Sata? Read the statement below from Teta. Should PF lose the Chingola seat I will call blogging quits because we are wasting our time blogging against MMD mafias in power.
But MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba said “it was more likely that MMD would adopt former Patriotic Front (PF) Nchanga member of parliament Charles Chimumbwa.“Chimumbwa is most likely to be adopted because of what we’ve been doing in the past. We can’t just stop on him.â€
SENIOR UPND OFFICIAL IN MAZABUKA RESIGN
By Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka: Tuesday September 11, 2007
The opposition United Party for National Develop-ment (UPND) in Mazabuka has suffered yet another setback following the resignation of senior party officials.
The officials who have resigned include provincial treasurer, Mohammed Ahmed Dawoodjee and former Mazabuka central member of parliament, Griffiths Nang’omba.
Others who have resigned include, district treasurer, Tapson Chimbofwa, his vice Monitor Mweene and district youth chairman, Ben Manyanga.
Former Mazabuka Central member of parliament, Griffiths Nang’omba said in Mazabuka yesterday, that the resignation of senior members in the district, which is the birth place for UPND, meant that the party was dead.
He said more senior party officials were expected to resign from the party.
Nang’omba said the defectors were still consulting their members on whether to join the ruling MMD or opposition United Liberal Party (ULP).
Dawoodjee said the regional politics being practiced in the party compelled him to resign.
He said his religion forbade the glorification of leaders and the wearing of T-shirts bearing portraits of people other than Allah.
But UPND provincial vice chairman, John Chidyaka described the resignation of the officials as good riddance.
Chidyaka said the officials who resigned were ‘a bunch of job seekers’ who had been promised positions by the MMD government.
He said all the defectors were bitter with the party national leadership because they were not adopted as candidates during the previous general elections.
We are aware that the officials have been promised jobs and we just wish them the best in their political careers, said Chidyaka.
Sikota, you are now finished. You have been in parliament for a long time but you have never thought of moving a motion on ZESCO compensating the valley tongas. Why should you do it now? Just because of those few defectors. Displacement of the tongas happened way back in 1957. Sinazongwe was not connected to the power grid until 1997. The government realised the need to support the valley tongas in that area. Later, through ZESCO, there was massive rural electrification and rehabilitation of the irrigation schemes. Many schools, rural health centres, Chief Sinazongwe’s and Chief Mweemba’s palaces were electrified. So you with your cheap politics, Sikota, what do you want to confuse the government for. You are living in the past my friend. Find out about the master plan on the Gwembe valley that the government has laid down. Don’t speak from without. Just concentrate on Livingstone where they have accepted you wholly as a liar.
SAGE,
This unbelievable mockery on democracy and us all in PF.
“Chimumbwa is most likely to be adopted because of what we’ve been doing in the past. We can’t just stop on him.†End Quote
“Chimumbwa is most likely to be adopted because of what we’ve been doing in the past. We can’t just stop on him.†End Quote
“Chimumbwa is most likely to be adopted because of what we’ve been doing in the past. We can’t just stop on him.†End Quote
“Chimumbwa is most likely to be adopted because of what we’ve been doing in the past. We can’t just stop on him.†End Quote
Mr Sikota, i was born on the Copperbelt province. If you have lived in any mining town, you would agree with me that people are exposed to harmful emissions from the mines.Tell me, are those mines going to compensate everyone living in the surrounding areas?I used to think you were a very good leader but on this one, Mr Sikota i would urge you to concentrate on your law firm and leave politics to the politicians.That statement is not like you and we demand an apology forthwith.
# 5 Doni well said bra
Veteran/FACT POSTED #1,#3 & #4.LT kindly block the IP address from posting anything on the blog because this is the imposter who`s been creating confussion on the blog.Fellow bloggers,I warned you yesterday that VETERAN will use all the neccessary means to keep his job at Times of Zambia for him to feed his family after being warned by Mulongoti.POOR VETERAN shame on you for sinking so low to the extent of impersonatons.
Chapi,
That where you have exposed cluelessness.Why don’t you just ask for help. Those IPs are from Canada and the USA. Veteran’s IP has never posted anything here for a very long time. Maybe i should expose your locations all of you by pasting a comprehensive listing to help you.
Chapi,
That is how you have exposed cluelessness.Why don’t you just ask for help. Those IPs are from Canada and the USA. Veteran’s IP has never posted anything here for a very long time. Maybe i should expose your locations all of you by pasting a comprehensive listing to help you.
It is good to compassate those who have suffered injustices like the poor people who lost their land enmase in Zimbabwe. Sikota just wants to buy votes & is not genuine in his oncern for the Valley people. As Gaulani (2) has argued, why didn’t he put a motion for the Valley people the many times he has been in parliament? Unfortunately, there are many different people or groups like war veterans who have sacrificed for our nation who have never been compassated & it will be impossible to compassate everyone. What we need is to bring more development to the Valley people & to the rest of the country. We also need laws that will see to it that those who will lose their lands in future will be compassated fairly. Assbestos suffers in Australia have fought the assbestos company for a good number of years and some have died without getting their compassation.How many assbestos dead and suffers will be compassated in Zambia since they don’t know that their suffering is due to assbestos?