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DRC Diplomatic minibuses impounded for smuggling bags of mealie meal

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POLICE in Chililabombwe have impounded two diplomatic minibuses presumed to belong to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which were allegedly being used for smuggling  bags of mealie meal from Zambia via Kasumbalesa border post.

The  Police Officers manning Kasumbalesa border post also intercepted a Zambian truck and a DRC truck after they attempted to smuggle about 70 bags of mealie meal concealed in Cerelac baby food boxes that were being transported from Lusaka to the DRC.

Confirming the development, Chililabombwe District Commissioner, Timothy Musonda told ZANIS that the development was as a result of intensified border patrols aimed at curbing mealie meal smuggling which has become rampant through the boder area.

Mr. Musonda said the drivers of the two diplomatic minibuses allegedly belonging to the DRC government escaped with the keys of the buses, making it impossible for the Police to open them and determine the number of bags of mealie meal that were about to be smuggled.

The two minibuses bearing registration numbers 4CD 62Z and 4CD 44Z respectively, are currently packed at Kasumbalesa Police Post.

And police also impounded two truck at the same border. He said the two trucks were intercepted while the owners were off-loading the bags of mealie meal from the Zambian truck onto the Congolese truck on the pretext that the consignment was cerelac baby food.

The registration number of the Zambian truck is ABJ 7484 while that of the Congolese truck is KT BE 2161. Both trucks are packed at Kasumbalesa border post.

Mr. Musonda said the impounded mealie meal would be sold to the local residents. He hailed the Police for their tireless efforts in curbing smuggling which poses a threat to national food security.

ENDS/VM/PK/ZANIS

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

101 COMMENTS

  5. You we can be shallow about this problem in Zambia and waste time and ebnergy chasing trucks all over our borders and wasting govt resources in doing it ..or we can do the noble thing and recognise that there is a huge market in the region for our mealie meal and go into massive production to meet the market that exist and earn good forex for our country. This is really an opportunity for Zambia and not something bad to mourn about

  8. Our neighbours and brothers up north. Will we ever be rid of them or the problems they cause? And yes kasumbalesa, I went there for the first time last year and Oh! what a mess

  9. Ba LT naimwe if we complain it dont mean u send topics now tap tap. Please bring one topic per hour to give us enuf room to read and comment,we have but 1 computer.So its qiet cumbersome for me to comment on this topic then move to another,again back to the same topic. [-([-([-([-(yachimfya,ndefileka coz i cant manage multi tasking

  11. COMESA
    Its main focus is on the formation of a large economic and trading unit that is capable of overcoming some of the barriers that are faced by individual states. By the year 2000, all internal trade tariffs and barriers will be removed. Within 4 years after that COMESA will have introduced a common external tariff structure to deal with all third party trade and will have considerably simplified all procedures. It has a wide-ranging series of other objectives which necessarily include in its priorities the promotion of peace and security in the region.

  13. Is it prohibited to re-sell mealie meal bought in Zambia in DRC?
    What if somebody bought the stuff at the same price as the one who bought it for domestic consuption,nanga mulandu ulipati?
    Is it not business?
    I will ask ba boss.
    Secretary.
    The Chinda-Law Association

  14. The basic law of demand and supply in play here. Zambia simply needs to grow enougth maize and other foods to flood the yawning Congolese market.We shall be creating employment this way conscious of course of the ready market across the border. How long are we gonna blame food shortages on ‘smuggling’.When opportunity knocks a Zambian politician will most likely knock it down.Stop playing Tom and Jerry and let people make there well earned buck!

  15. Smuggling is not acceptbale. There’re legal means of transporting commodities at border posts.

    The Police did a good job.Keep it up!

  19. It seems these Congolese don’t produce food…they just hop from one night club to the other year in year out. I used to hear these mealie meal smuggling stories in KK and Mobutu’s days but surprisingly even now we still have such. What a country…

  21. Ba maureen naimwe, why are you so playful? Contribute on the story! You behave like a kid at times. Act your age please! 45 years is no joke.by the way, where is cuty and sarah jones?

  23. I hav been to kasumbalesa post on many times and we knew that these guys smuggle our mealie meal coz the policy is that u dont seach Diplomats vehicles, finally we hav cot them. Thumbs up Zambia. Do something about that silly policy

  24. i can bet that owing to our authorities casual aproach when dealing with cases involving foreigners those two buses will be in congo by tommorrow but if that case happened on the congolese side involving zambians,all sorts of crooks desgising as security personel would have minted up to even 10,000usd to have the vehicles back. Ala kasai alutumpa mumwabo

  29. Zambian security personnel busy concentrating on mealie meal leaving precious metals to be smuggled in the same way and at the same crossing points. Where is the logic? What is more precious mealie meal or precious metals?

  31. Nice one but y not donate that mealie meal to the poor than selling it?So where will u take the money after selling,in yo pockets?

  32. #21 If you are bored just log off and stop bothering people who God has given the power to reason unlike you. Maggot !

  35. ‘Smuggling’ is a result of perpetual scarcity of maize on the Congolese side and the semblance of avialablity on our side. Zambia knows this from way back in the 70s.Why cann’t our people benefit by supplying maize to Congo/Zaire? Some smart country will soon wake up to this opportunity which we continue to view as ‘The problem of smuggling’.

  36. Nine Chale !!! Everyone in Diasphora is a Diplomat!!

    Anyways, !! is this the Mealie Meal that the Germanys feed to 3:-o :@) and :(|) ???

  37. #25. ala anonymous bushe ufuna chana from me and Cutey. Am sure you ulibe gelo or you have been recently dumped by your gelo filendi. Bring it on dude and am sure you will soon regret what you have started. Am sure you have no clue what I can be at times. Let the games begin.

  40. #36 Jamaco you’re right. I am really excited about the inauguration of Obama today! How about you?
    It is only Tuesday but I think I will allow myself a few cold beers in an American pub after work tonight…what’s up at Joe Champs?

  41. Hey Nina Chale!! Many Thanks for the reminder!!

    Yes after Work I will go to Joe Champs to celebrate the O Factor!! You are write!!

    DRINKS FOR FREE TONIGHT !!!!! LET ME SHOW THEM THAT BLACKS ALSO HAVE MONEY TO SPEND!!!

    ENOUGH NSHIMA !! TODAY KULI 3:-o TO EAT !!!! ALOT OF WEIZEN BEERS!!!

    DRINKS FOR ALL AND FOR FREE!!

    LET ME RESERVE A TABLE AT JOE CHAMPS!! HEY NINA CHALE MANY THANKS FOR THE REMINDER!!

    WOW ANOTHER GREAT TUESDAY!! I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ANOTHER BORING ONE!!!

    <:-p<:-p<:-p

  45. Kasumbalesa is an evolving Shanty Township. During the rainy season, Mud and stinking stagnant water everywhere while in the dry season, no asthmatic patient dare go there as dust is all over the place. One interesting thing about the place is that Politicians flock to the border all the time sometimes incognito??

  47. [knock knock] Opportunity knocking, how many can hear it.

    Guys we have identified two markets so far. Zimbabwe and DRC.

    This is a chance to create some serious employment for our people and to earn some serious FOREX. Agriculture will help us cushion the effects of the global financial crisis.

    Guys this is an opportunity we cannot miss. There is demand of our mealie meal both on the north and south side of the border. Lets grow maize in mass and sell it as a finished good (mealie meal) to our neighbors.

  48. 😮 surely if we get our agri policies right, we’ll be the food basket for the region. Instead of fighting petty ‘smuggling’, let’s empower our farmers to ensure we have surplus yields to export and thus earn much needed forex in the process

  50. Anonymus 5. How many bags of mealie meal have you produced or are you going to produce this year? It is because of people like you who are good at talking and not able to do anything of what you talk about that our country is in poverty. It appears to me that most Zambians think that those that talk alot in the coun try are the ones that work the most; FAR FROM IT.

  56. Matworld, i missed you yesterday. how are you? i even sent an email to a wrong person thinking that i was sending it to you.

  58. Ba maureen, you are the ugliest man ot Lt. Sarah jones-no need to be upset or i will spill the beans. Find a better job! And please dont lie that you are abroad ,you live in garden compound. I know you very well. By the way,am happily married to the most beautiful woman,and she has given me three awesome kids.find your own man and leave that woman’s husband alone!shame on you.

  64. Here we go. When is this merry go round gonna stop? Well typical of this arrangement we have been intertaining all along.

    Obama is about to be sworn in later today. Hey you greeting maniacs what’s up wit u?

  70. Imwe ba Nine Chale and Jamaco. Impressive that we are obviously not far away from each others bases. I smuggled mealile to DE and abena Zed Ku airport in Zed told me i could not come with it to DE. Imagine. Awe mwandi. Any way enjoy the party.

  71. #58 Anonymous
    What is your problem with Garden compound. We are decent people who live there in peace with both man and God. Go fight your battles with Sarah Jones in another township, not that am in favour of fights

  74. Those two minibuses with green plat numbers have been smugling a lot of things for a long time their been impounded was long over due.

    One bus had an accident some time back and the driver refused to go to the hospital untill the other bus that took 2 hrs to came and some stuff were transfered from the accident truck to the other one.

  75. # 47 Free-Market-Capitalist and all other bloggers have identified potential in maize production but all I can tell you is that this farming season is out. First Ba RB obtained votes by false pretence from small scale farmers and second human animal conflicts in some parts of Zambia where elephants and hippos have a field day maize fields. The Food Reserve Agency should be taken to task over the abundant maize stocks that we don’t seem to have after the burial of Ba LPM. So you see that if we had sensible people in leadership we would have been laughing at those crying over the credit crunch by opening the silo gates in Monze, Kabwe, Lusaka, Kitwe etc etc etc.

  77. #70. Zambian in Diaspora

    But I cook Nshima with Greece here in Germany. Namumala mulakalipa , but what can one do? The Indians sell something similar but I do not trust that!!

    Please advice what to do!! Nshima is a must Imwe. :d

  80. Elo bawishi Obama once visited Kasumbalesa ka? So Obama my bro, remember me when you enter the white house. And why not call it the Black House and paint it Black? Just a thought.

  85. Kwena Ba anonymous ndiwe mbuzi. How do pick fights with ladies. If it wasn’t for Lusaka I would have said a lot to you. I respect LT so I won’t write what I wanted to write but don’t push it. Is everthing ok with big Mama. And did you meet her in one of the night clubs in lusaka?

  89. hello mwechalo,

    Please let our brothers buy maize from us. they are in need of food as we are also in need of copper concentrates. So let them buy from us and it is really not a problem coz they are not stealing. Promote trade. Mind you when I come back in Zambia no one will stop me from selling my maize any where. People farm for profit. So if CONGO gives me more money I should sell there.
    :)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-

  92. so deplomatic vehicles can be searched as well? why did you say this a long time ago? i’ve info about such activities involving some deplomatic vehicles. who can i see when i know there is a crime. the drivers even boost that they are untoucheable… ok, now, if you sell the m/meal whose money will it be? Police or D.C? money is the root of evil so let them m/meal be given out to prisons, schools or hospitals.

  95. weeks ago Katumbi was in Zambia, i think all he came to do was to negociate a loop hole to smuggle some commodies from Zambian government coz he knows that zambian leaders are so weak interms of negociations, honestly what kind of bilaterial talks can you hold with a country facing civil war?
    shame now using diplomatic minibuses to smiggle things.

  96. This is very unfortunate. Why should the diplomats get involved in smuggling? What a shame.Congoleez will never change.They are diplomats representing their countries, why not sit down with the Zambian Govt to find a lasting solution so that even common Congolees can also benefit.We understand the situation in DRC but we must not allow them to abuse their immunity as diplomats.

  98. Zambia,what an opportunity we are missing. let our farmers grow more and export. You are in the farming business not for charity,but for profit. Sell wherever there is good profit. Oneday those congolese will wake up and grow enough food for their masses, then we will have nobody to smuggle our excess bags.Wake up.

  99. #21, #25,

    You have a major gender issue… sort it out with your wife if you have one..
    You don’t sound man enough….you are just a headless chicken..why hide into Anonymous??
    I am now inviting you to an open discussion.. and stop the rot.

    want to know what your problem is.. I might be of help……. :-?:-?:-?

  100. Don’t be surprised such things have been going on with our friends North of the border. They don’t lima. In case you have forgotten during Mobutu regime, Super Ken had to deploy Zambia Army to combat the scourage. Nothing has changed in terms of that illigal trade apart from the degree of its activities. What happens when it gets too much some how some one grows cold feet and before the powers be discovers. Ah a bit of kwilani uyo then pankala zii. The start all over again. Pa mu Boma Kuma Borders bali na chuma. You can’t believe it. That is how it goes. Kata Milimo che

  101. #5. You are the one whose is shallow. This is smuggling pure and simple. Why do you think the drivers bolted with the mini bus keys?Because they knew that what they were doing is illegal. And why are you obsessed with ‘earning the so called forex’ at the expense of attaining food self suffiency for Zambia? There is a shortage of Maize in Zambia and I think it is not clever to start exporting to just get ‘forex’. Is the idea to import maize at twice the Zambian price? Zambians dont eat ‘Forex’, it is Maize which is their staple not foreign currencies.

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