By Daimone Siulapwa
The problem of drug trafficking among Zambian women is highly worrying. The numbers of those arrested and jailed, especially outside the country, are astonishing. Almost every month, we hear of this and that Zambian woman being arrested and jailed in some foreign country on charges of drug
trafficking.
Unfortunately, most of these cases are in countries which have strict laws in so far as drug trafficking is concerned. The sentence is sometimes life imprisonment and even mandatory death sentence.
Well, lets us just say the cases are embarrassing, first to the image of the country as a whole, and secondly, to the womenfolk.
What do the women have to say about this?
Women for Change executive director Emily Sikazwe said the continued arrests and increase in the number of women dealing in drug trafficking is very sad. She said the increasing number of women dealing and trafficking in drugs cannot go unaddressed as it keeps recurring.
All sectors of society including the church, political parties, civil society and the people at large therefore need to get involved to arrest the trend. She attributes the increase in the number of cases to poverty but adds that there can still be dignity even in poverty. She further accuses men with resources who do not want to tarnish their image in public of using women as couriers of the substances.
She advised such men to stop using women in their dealings as it is not only affects the women, but their families as well and the countries they are coming from.
Either way, the practice is bad. But what is the real motivation for this? Poverty is too general a reason to cite.
Admittedly, there is a class problem in our society currently. And this is more pronounced among our womenfolk. There is pressure to keep-up with the rest of the elite. So huge is the pressure that these women are willing to do anything in order to keep-up with the rest.
There is pressure to be driving the latest vehicle, like their next door neighbors, pressure to own the most expensive mobile phone, stay in plush neighborhoods and shop from the most expensive boutiques.
Certainly, our womenfolk suffer from complexes. They want to be seen to belong to a high-class society. For instance, for those who take alcohol, they do not want to go to their neighborhoods den, but instead want to go where ‘everyone is going, arcades, Cross roads and the new Manda Hill.
And while there, they do not want to be in a taxi, they want to go there driving, and when it comes to drinks, they will look down on those ladies taking castle or mosi. They would rather go for the ciders. For them, that is what makes them elite.
How sad!
Unfortunately for most of them, this kind of lifestyle is unsustainable. They simply cannot afford it, week-in week-out. With that scenario, they have to find a way of sustaining it. In the meantime, you find that they do not work, and if they do, their pay is not enough to sustain their exaggerated lifestyle. So, they will consider the options before them. Well, others may decide to sleep with their superiors, even when they know that he is married. But if it will bring them a promotion or extra income, then they are willing to do it. For others though, especially those in college and university, they would even sleep with their lecturers. Others though would go extreme, engaging in pornography by way of them sleeping with dogs in exchange for money. Still others will go for the big one, drug trafficking – they would agree to be used as couriers by some rich yet obscure businessman to carry these drugs in exchange for a commission.
Unfortunately, most of them fail to get their commission and are instead, commissioned to the prison authorities for a life under bars. These are the women who claim to go to Dubai, India, China and Brazil for business yet in reality are involved in some illegal activities, all in the name of keeping-up appearances.
So, how do you arrest this situation? Firstly, our women need to get rid of their complexes. There is no need for them to compete. They should accept their socio-economic status and only work hard to improve it. There is no need to sleep with their boss or with a dog.
This is more demeaning than drinking your mosi and castle at the local shebeen or shopping from the sprawling Soweto.
Hopefully, our women are learning something from their colleagues, some of whom may die in foreign prison cells.
sweet cider just tastes better than bitter beer!!!
Zed women are lured into drug trafficking by outsiders, best way to curb this problem is to sensitize the whole nation about the danger of drugs and drug trafficking… free documentaries like (Banged up Abroad) is a good source of information and would scare the living day lights out of any woman who thinks she can get away with drug trafficking!!
Every Bemba female leaving the country should have a mandatory don’t stuff drugs in your privates course.
#3 we’ll start with your mum
It is shameful that our women have let us down in their quest for material wealth. They have indetified themselves to drug barons as easy and cheap drug couriers.
Come Zed women you are so dignified, you can do better than let this squalid act hand around your necks
I trust african women can do anything these days BUT would never engage themselves with beastiality, there is nothing more revolting than the thought of someone having sex with animals! “foreign” women who does such things are sick in the head and does not do it for money but to satisfy their perverse sexual fantasies. They are in thousands of them and they dont need Zambian women to do it for them.
correction……….must read………………”there are thousands of them”
The inflax lebanise, indians and nigerians are to blame. Unfortunetly when these mr bigs are caught , they manage to pay them selves out of trouble, and having bought doubious residential papers, they are not deported. I would deport all those caught in the drugs trade if they were not born in Zambia. Papers or no papers. out.
#4 Ule kwatako umuchinshi iwe. Nzelu monga bana chita kukushula.
Let us not blame the women, but the Nigerians that have been allowed to camp in Zambia. The worse is due to happen. Nigerians are the waste people to allow in the economy. We are yet to pay for this.
Spot on number 4.And his unty 2.
What can we expect from bana bamu chigololo. Mulibe ulemu!
This is such a sexist article. Daimone, apart from quoting Emily Sikazwe appropriately, this is what I call an attack on Zambian women. Is that what you really think women’s poverty amounts to – experiencesof women with a desire to attain social standing? What about the women who have not had a chance to get an education because family resources were only sufficient to send their brother to school – ‘the girl will get married any way’? What about the women who are single parents with no source of income? The ‘system’ does not cater to them at all. What about women/girls who have lost parents and are now the bread winner heads of child headed homes? You think these women want to drive the latest vehicle? Get down to the root cause and don’t insinuate that women have complexes in…
#13 cont/d – These women I refer to describe the majority of the women living inpoverty in Zambia. They struggle to meet their basic needs. Drug trafficking should not be condoned by any means – but do not trivialise the pressures that women go through in Zambia. The support systems just don’t exist. Their problems are desperate. Sort out the societal issues that inhibit women from progressing. Zambian men too have serious complex issues. Can’t bring food to the table but drive the flashiest car around, doesn’t have a house to call his own but spends money on chasing teenage girls whilst his wife and children fend for themselves, etc. I don’t think this reflects on all zambian men. It’s a shame that all you can do is attack your sisters and not come up with solutions. Grossed out…
Insala has a lot of repercutions. People would resort to engage in such vices rather than seat home and die kunsala. These Nigerians and Indians who are using these women are fully aware of our current situation with our women in the country ,hence, taking advantage.
#13 Lucy Liu – You nailed it
Give us Statistics of Zambian women caught out side Zambia in drug trafficking.
No# 4 and 6 your cheer leader, why are you guilty? If your snatch is itchy please implant a tampon. The rest of our women are not that desperate. Please don’t take it to parents because you and your support group will go to sleep early. Do not act like 99 % of the women mentioned arrested for drug trafficking internationally from Zambia are not Bemba women.
ladies and men, please let us just talk about the issue no insults please- we know we respect you women, but please stop bad words- we love you all-
women are just lazy biches who want to be rich without sweating,let them continue getin arrested for hiding drugs in their anuses
@ Mbesuma they are hiding the drugs in a place even more sacred than that SMH at these women.
Nzelu you will hang before I sleep, thats for sure
@ mbesuma not all women are lazy point of correction *****,and dont blame indians and nigerians some pipo are suffering so anything someone says they just think in their mind let me try ,even wen i was young women used to deal with a lots of drugs it is just the world we re living in.
shani ama setting ba swaini, #18 nzelu,………. and your whole family will sleep first before i do!!! nko chino
I strongly believe that those living in our times have great opportunities to share sensible information its just sad that other seem to trivialize matters and just insult on the blog, shame on you! we need to share information this is how our friends have developed.
Firstly for our women, drug trafficking is becoming ramphant, others are just used without knowing. some tips
1. don’t carry a bag that u are not sure of what is contained. some Nigerian and foreign boyfriens will promise you a holiday somewhere and as you pack yo bags they will hide some drugs, when you are caught, they will just proceed and leave you alone.
2. Lets be content even in hard times. lets learn to live within our means. two wrongs will never make a right.
@13, what you have said is right but don’t expect any social support system all we can rely on both males and females is hard work. there are no words that will ever justify a bad action. Our ladies, mind the people that you hang out with, sometimes this builds pressure and you end up regretting.
women are just lazy and so sellfish,and most of them dealing in drugs are bembas,shame on you bembas u shud learn to work hard
LUCY LUI, good side of the story! TULANDE@26, we can not eliminate social support system in any a progressive society; especially if it deals with women (and children). Women are the cornerstone of any well functioning community. Probably you would appreciate if LUCY used the word BASIC just before social?
TULANDE@26, konse ukwima inkondo or any form of disaster, women should be rescued fisrt. In zambia, there’s no properly defined system of empowering women with basics especially those from disadvantaged families. Otherwise NGOs are trying their best to provide more assistance to the womenfolk so that they stand on their own two feet. Please remember that in every bag of groundnuts, you would always find rotten ones. Thank you
Diamone Sialupwa (Author), I suspect you write under some influence of some of the illegal stuff those sharp women are dealing in. Your analysis is up-side-down. It is better you sticky ku kalibange, than shifting to modern hard ones.
SO WHAT? IS THERE ANY REMEDY TO STOP THIS, B 4 IT BECOMES WORSE THAN IT IS NOW. AM REALLY PERPLEXED BY THE WHOLE ISSUE GUYS. WHO KNWS IT CAN BE YOUR WIFE NXT TIME.
number #4 stupid person you! y insult somones mother? do u know her? u are not a zambian because zambians respect anybodies mother. stop blogging here and find your countrymen!
deleted
#32 read comment #3 then you’ll understand why, nakashimi kapela!
#33 ur stickin pussy,ur one of them women who hides drugs in yo anuses
deleted
deleted
This trend of tribal conflict is just a tip of iceberg,we ar yet to witness more violence in near future.Unfortunately,zambia politics and the media seem to be dividing zambia even more worse instead of uniting.It apaers tat no tribe is ready to be downplayed any more even the mere chimbuya is long gone.
Wait……………………………………….!
deleted
bembas ara useless lazy characters.to hell with your hopelessness.
deleted
Elyo, some Tonga and Lozi men treat their wives like crap and do not respect and appreciate women like Bemba men do. Some tribes behave like extremist muslims.
People don’t get heated!! The author of the article was certainly high on something, that’s why he related the above photo of “women in traffic” to the stuff that he was high on!! LOL!!
its bull shit why trouble your soul? ladies please live within your mines.
If you allow your children and wife to beg from the neighbour because they are hungry and you cannot provide for them. One day the neighbour will use a Chinese proverb “Do not give fish to one who is hungry Teach them how to fish.” Our ladies are trafficking in drugs knowingly no one is duped into it, check the profiles of these ladies you find out that they have been travelling and are now living kind of confortable lives. Then suddenly bang they are caught and arrested, then we want to say they are duped. NO. no no, no.
Get your government to provide employment so that these ladies have something to do here, this will lessen and eventually bring this vice down. It is attractive because if you are not arrested you live well.
i want all the young girls involved in tracfficking drugs to attend my 24hr lessons,i will teach them a lesson they will neva forget,i mayb be 76yrs,but give me a 16yrs old virgin and see how i can destroy her,ha ha a
# 4 Second it will be your mom.