MINISTER of Justice Sebastian Zulu has said that Government will not waste money to conduct a referendum on issues surrounding Western Province as this will be an exercise in futility especially that most Zambians have rejected calls for secession.
The minister was reacting to calls by Nkoya Royal Council chairperson Edwin Nkomesha who called on Government to conduct a referendum for Western Province that will be used to end the controversies surrounding the Barotseland Agreement of 1964.
In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Zulu advised the Lozi-speaking people against agitating for secession of Western Province from the rest of Zambia but allow Government to restore the Barotseland Agreement through the devolution of power.
Mr Zulu said the people of Western Province should understand the implications of the contents of the Barotseland Agreement.
He said the boundaries of Barotseland go beyond some of Zambia’s borders and wondered how possible it will be for the people of Western Province to claim the land in some neighbouring countries.
Mr Zulu said the issue of the Barotseland Agreement is a sensitive matter which needs to be handled carefully by the parties involved as failure to do so may result into anarchy.
“The issue of the Barotseland Agreement is a very sensitive matter and people should not be calling for the referendum because that will be a very futile exercise. In countries such as Sudan and Russia where a referendum was held, this resulted in loss of lives.
“We just have to ensure that Zambia remains the way it is as a unitary state rather than calling for secession of Western Province from the rest of the country,” he said.
Mr Zulu said while the people of Western Province have a good cause as regards the issue of the Barotseland, there is nowhere in the Agreement where secession is mentioned.
He urged the people of Western Province to ensure that there is dialogue on the matter to rectify the mistakes that could have been made at the time the Agreement was signed.
Mr Zulu said emotions should not take centre stage in finding an amicable solution to the problem.
The minister also said Government is aware of the underdevelopment in Western Province and that it is putting in place measures aimed at addressing various challenges faced by people in the area.
“We are aware that the people of Western Province want development and this is what this Government is doing to ensure that development is taken to the area.
“We want the people of Western Province to work closely with Government so that meaningful economic development can be taken to the region,” he said.
In short, the Minister is saying what we have said all along … forget this, it is a non-starter and it is going nowhere, Amen!!
Imagine kwati niba nkomamatwi. Ukufunuka no kuitemwa ukuchila na yuda uwashitishe mwana lesa. Whatever noise they are making, they ain’t, cant and wont win whichever route they chose because we all Zambians first, and tribal second. I never knew lozis where this tribal until now.
Ba Coachez … you got that right, I knew they were like this, my fifth & sixth grade teacher was Lozi, we were good buddies that’s how come he passed me as first in class for each grade but the bottom line was I earned it and he repeatedly told me if there was a Lozi boy in class he would have given him private classes just so he could beat my grades. It is amazing how they are so self-centered and it shows at every turn. They have themselves to blame … you make the bed you better sleep it in.
There it is!
Isnt Cabinet supposed to be discussing this issue? Why is Zulu talking about BA64 issue? Why are these Kaponyas so disorganized?
all provinces are poor,dencentralisation wl help bt we need u pf chaps to implement o those gud plans & u need start now.take heed
:d our Nebouring Minister…….. Sorry we hav gone aready! Barotse is a nation on its one….. Bye bye
in a dream?!!!!! bye! bye! kekekekekekekeke! shame upon u
Ba Ex Zedian:
Chief Justice is the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) to the government/cabinet and the answer is “… and people should not be calling for the referendum because that will be a very futile exercise. In countries such as Sudan and Russia where a referendum was held, this resulted in loss of lives. “We just have to ensure that Zambia remains the way it is as a unitary state rather than calling for secession of Western Province from the rest of the country,” he said.
Meant to say Minister of Justice, not Chief Justice … sorry about that
But ba PF Government muli baume sana, ifintu filemoneka ukukosa sana mucalo, but kwisa filandaulapo fye, fya chabe chabe fye..development is the issue, not secession…ushile fwaya lukwa…kuti aikulika….Refrendum for what and who? Tonaule ulupiya pafi ntu ifya chabe chabe fye? Zero!
Nomba tumfweko kuliba Shuwanga Shuwanga…Bena ba mwena fye muli bu Minister in Barotseland…nafi money fye fya oil na ma diamonds na tu gelo pambali…nalobe ilyauma umufyashi chikanga aikulike….We support you Minister, be as hard as Diamond, we are all behind you.
Zulu wait for Cabinet as you may be pre-judging a matter that has not yet been decided??? You should know better. Besides, you are not the Govt spokesperson? Lives were not lost in Russia or Sudan because of a call for a referendum. Lives were lost because Govts were stubborn and only allowed a referendum after millions of lives were lost. Besides, a referendum would close the chapter once and for all. If the Commission of Inquiry was instituted to inquire into an obvious issue such as the BA64, why would a referendum just for people in Western Province be a waste of public funds? It is people like you who cause even intelligent Lozis to sound un-intelligent
My prayer has been answered. Halelujah !
Amen!!!!
I wish he was the Gambela. Otherwise, i will say amen when the Gambela speaks. The minister too is confused on this one. The statement lacks consistency
We need to give chance to the government to amicably resolve this issue. Abena #8 Zemulembwe, Sebastain Zulu just like other cabinet ministers, liaises with the president everyday and he’s speaking on behalf of the president. You cannot assume or second guess from an armchair what the government is doing to resolve this issue. Not even Barrack Obama always speak on matters of foreign affairs. He leaves that to Hillary Clinton but as usual before she gives any stand on US policy, she first checks with the commander in chief who is the final authority on all issues related to the US.
So; what the hell do these chaps called Lozizzzz want. How do they hope to have had development reach their so called area with the now natural hostility they practice. Tell you what; that area is part of Zambia and any Zambian citizen MUST be able to claim part of it. You stupidly take it to be just for you. My NRC is enough to come over live and be buried there. Do you want to get chased or banished from other areas of Zambia at the same rate your hostility is flying? Coming to Chief Edwin: we’ve already seen you are well meaning in your stand against what these foolissh chaps are trying to do. However, the minister of justice has said it right. What’s is so special about this tribe that is not special about the 70 plus tribes we have children with and amongst???
No.6 – B R Mumba, Sr
Why then did he waste money on the BA64 COI then if he had an answer to this problem?
to stroke your ego and after that it is business as usual
To win the election, of couse! At the next election, he will tell the people of Southern Province that 1. Chirundu and Ithezi-tezi will be returned 2. capital back to L/stone, then 3. all Tongas will receive a royalty for every ngwee raised at Victoria Falls and 4. For every cattle dieing of denkete, PF govt will replace two
Build the Lozi’s a new Nalikwanda, and they will stop all this Biafra mentality!
Referundum for what? Just cage ngambela and litunga and charge them with treason period
Please, do not mistake President Sata’ silence as being naive. He’s just trying to do the best in a very archaich situation. He pardoned all lozis that were charged with treason and even appointed a commission to compensate them. He permitted even them to hold the BNC meeting, but was stabbed in the back by their resolution. Instead of accepting the government’s olive branch, the lozis have opted to challenge them. No one should under estimate Micheal Sata, not even stupid fools in the name of the ngambela, indunas or the litung himself. He is the President of the Republic of Zambia and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. He has proved to us that he’s more interested in resolving this issue amicably, but by God, lets not question his patience.
Sense!!!!
Tell them!
Bootlickers!
No.6/7 – B R Mumba, Sr
He maybe the GRZ legal guy but he isnt the GRZ Spokesperson.
Mark my words, I rest my case … this issue is dead and gone with the wind
It is anti-democracy to place inherited leadership ahead of elected leadership for by its very nature, inheritance is undemocratic. It perpetuates hegemony and marginalization and knows nothing about equality and human rights for all.As a matter of fact,how can one single family rule ’till the end of time like it enjoys a monopoly of knowledge…so now you know that I´m NOT for secession of Barotseland!Next,please..
Please learn to credit your sources… you know you plagiarised that ‘speech’…LOL!
Which ‘elected’ leadership are we talking about it here? You mean this leadership we have in parliament and State House right now? Corrupt, no integrity, selfish, nepotism, unprincipled, etc. If you think our MPs represent the electorates, you are a day-dreamer. These guys are there to represent their bulging bellies.
We borrowed democracy and the idea of elective leadership from the West but surely we don’t know how to run it… the early founders of the concept of democracy might be turning in their graves when looking at our politicians.
In Barotseland, political decisions are made by Indunas who are very close to the people, area Chiefs and BRE and not Litunga.
Jigga, call them what you want but they are elected and do represent the electorate unlike your chiefs and indunas who were born into those positions.
why doesnt the president speak?
His slience is deafening. Dont cheat yourselves into belueving that he is quetly handling the issue, becuse he is not. Perhaps in a coma?
The Lozi fellow saying bye be Zambia is very naive. He must know that the road to getting independent and forming government is very long and is filled with road signs and deoturs. it is not a matter of wishful thinking and day dreams
Chiwele, I am bemba and bisa combined with so many lozi friends that I dont want hurt in this stupid soon to turn fracas. But I am a Zambian first above tribal affiliations.
#17,HE MCS HAS ENOUGH ON HIS PLATE TO GET BOTHERED WITH THAN YOUR NONSENSE
yea more serious stuff like attending to his wounds! State house is now a catholic hospice!
MBANJE YABAKOLA ABA BALOZI SO MUCH THAT THEY WONT STOP HALLUCINATING
Lets be serious, Mr Sata is a very wise man. He will speak out when the excitement among the lozi chaps calms down. Already the people of western province are not united and not all lozis agree to this wishful thinking. Already the Mbunda’s want a fair share of the spoils if they are to work with the lozi’s and the Nkoyas dont want anything to do with it. Their is already cracks appearing and we’ll just let them do the hard work as we watch the wall crumble into dust.
While I appreciate that this government is in a quandary over this issue and have no idea over how to go about resolving it, I’m appalled at their distortion of facts to try and mislead people.
1st they have issued so many statements… what is their formal, cabinet position and when will it come? They keep using bloggers talking points and failing to come up with a coherent official statement.
2nd BA’64 never drew any boundaries – it never mentions or discusses boundaries so it is wrong for them to say implementing it is hard because of boundaries. The BNC leaders said the current provincial boundary constitutes the current Barotseland.
3rd ‘Secession’ calls have come about because of the abrogation of the agreement. The unitary state of Zambia is due the BA’64.
i.e. Zambia = N/Rhodesia + Barotseland. Yes it doesn’t talk about secession but annulling of BA’64 actually means promoting secession by default. You restore it you promote unity and you defeat secession calls.
4th why blood when the issue is a peaceful one – does govt has anarchy and ‘blood’ in mind. Did they have an agreement which was signed in peace too?
#20/21 Jigga, you seem to assume you are the only know it all about this no longer a serious issue whilst some of us are trying to avoid conflict for the good of many innocent lozis that we have embraced since independence. Secesssion comes with blood my zambian brother and you should take leaf from the Hutu/Tutsi genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, only this time you are dealing with 72 other tribes that constitutes the Republic of Zambia. And you cant and wont win. It will be total annihilation of your tribe if it came to war, serve for other lozis in different parts of the country who have intermingled with the rest of the country. The agreement was a cowardice act by lewanika to gain protection from the british against the arab slave traders period..
Coachez… please qualify why and how there should be conflicts and blood? Please don’t just make sweeping statements as a ‘reason’ and ‘justification’ to argue a legitimate cause. Bring counter-ideas to the table. Conflicts and shading of blood are caused by people, willing to commit such atrocities… telling me the reasons you would be willing to commit them of the BA’64 issue. The Lozis want out of the marriage and then other tribes just go on rampage killing them? Just listen to yourself.
Those countries you continue cite were fighting over completely different issues.
“…cowardice act by lewanika…” you forgot the agreement was signed by KK too on your behalf. It’s obvious to the impartial minded person who has failed to bring valid arguments to this debate.
Your ignorance is appalling jut like that of many Zambians. You even have the nerce to attack jigga who is simply stating a simple fact os what BA64 is about.
Jigga, I even sent you more information about the history of this BA64 and prior to that as researched by Dr Mbita Chitala >>>>>>>>>>>>, but you keep singing and continue to try to justify its validity just to suit your tribe at the expense of the rest of the tribes in western province, let alone the entire country. And I am not going to be coward for I have been to countries and still have friends where ethnical differences have ended in a lot of innocent lives lost. I am just stating a fact. You cant and wont win as long as WP is party of the Republic of Zambia, and not a british protectorate.
You are all right. Now let us chart the way forward. The BA64 was abrogated and the Govt has refused to recognise it – and not even HH will recognise it if he gets into power. Why not pursue the case through the Zambian courts, African Union court system, and/or eventually the ICJ or other such intl platform? While the binding nature of such an intl decision may be questioned in Zambia, they may still offer a pursuasive platform for intl solidarity to the course. It will just take a few fools from either side to start a bloody blood bath one day.
Knight to F6 to support bishop with one eye open for a poisoned pawn.
Hypocrite Government we have.This same government has decided to recall over 60 diplomats serving in various Zambian missions abroad. This will cost the government over US$3.6million to send those diplomats back to Zambia and another US$1m to send their cadres to these missions.Funny enough the recalled diplomats are all civil servants who most likely wont be given jobs back home because there are no positions.This is your government.Luckily Zambians have seen their misdeeds early enough and i have no doubt that this is a one term party come 2016.Their financial mismanagement is so bad that anyone who stands in their way has either been fired or retired in national interest.I feel bad for my country but these are consequences of the choice of the Zambians.Experimenting leadership.
Atleast it’s better to arrest a situation than continue losing millions and millions of US dollars all in the name of fearing to correct mistakes. Wake up haters. Your desire and wishes to make President Sata fail, ain’t gonna go nowhere.
Seems like you are one of those recalled, your tone is very bitter
#7 Mumba you don’t need to correct your pumbafush, your mind is still messed up with Chibuku. Look at it!
#Nostradamus iwe kaboke. BRM is actually one of the few Zambians to reveal his true identity and you wanna insult him for correcting his mistake. Pigfeet pumpkinhead is what you are. You want to discourage or scare other Zambians who probably are not only mature but academically more learned than your bull crap, all bcoz of your hatred for your own President Micheal Sata! It’s kids like you who were on either GRZ or ZCCM scholarships but refused to go back and repay your dues, that have been singing for nothing. Why don’t you peace of crap google BRM to get to understand where he’s coming from. Stupid ***** you are..
Yes yes yes, signs of bowing down to pressure. Honour the BA64 or face the consequences. Did I hear the minister say devolution of power???????????? and thats what the BA64 is all about. My cousins pls fyanta some more pressure.
Spot on Mimi.
BYE BYE ZED,PRIMEMINISTER SINYINDA IS BUSY WORKING AND IS ABOUT TO ANOUNCE A CABINET WHILST BRITAIN IS HAPPY.
IN YOUR DREAMS! KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE!
JUST WAIT WE ARE COMING THERE IN WESTERN PROVINCE TO BEAT U AGAIN
Good evening
The Minister of Justice has spoken very clearly and there’s not even any need for the president to endorse his words.
This professionalism on the job is what I appreciate most about European politics. Ministers have the full competence to act, and they will not wait for the president to give a go-ahead. Especially when it comes to sensitive issues like these which involve national security. In most cases, the answer is crsytal clear and there are only two options, i.e. ‘Accepted’ or ‘Declined’.
In this case, the demands for secession have been rejected by the majority of Zambians, so why even waste time and money for a referendum? The answer is “declined”, so shall we move on to the next issue please?
All he has done is tell lies. There were no referenda in the soviet union. Countries just went their separate ways. North and South Sudan had been at war since 1961. The referendum that paved the way for South Sudan was held a year ago. My dear I would advise you and your govt to desist from telling lies. It is these same lies that have put you in this same quagmire. My dear what is at issue here is a legal document not how many loud mouths make noise. It is good that your govt has now been forced into a corner and now they are talking about devolution. Remember the secession demands are inversely related to the Sata’s so called reluctance to honour his campaign promise to honour the agreement.
Way to go bwana minister we dont want to waste resources on non starter issues.
Kutsutsa galu ni ku mkumbira…adatero a Chewa! Mwana kalira fupa mpatse limkange yekha, chimanenanso tero chiChewa! Walila mvula walila matope…..!
“The Agreement has no clause for secession and so secession is a none starter!” so says the ‘learned’ minister of justice and most pariochal debaters. Has anyone bothered to check if the agreement has a provision for ‘unilateral termination’ upon which GRZ based their action in 1969? Is it not a fact that the Agreement’s clauses were rendered ineffective by its termination? If so, how does the fact that it has no secession clause help anyone? The point is that the agreement is the instrument that binds Barotseland to Zambia and its termination removes the glue that holds the former to the latter. Does one need to be a lawyer to comprehend this simple fact? It is suprising how those who should know better expose their idiocy over this issue. It is, indeed, a very sensitive issue!
@ mimi I will assume u are a gal..please take ur kenako to SA not in our peacefull ZED u hear me..? we will come and whip u chaps if u dare continue making noise…Braitain is happy.. Britain didnt want to have anything to do with u chaps no wonder they abandoned u plus they are busy fighting with Argetina for oil over the Falklands….thats a real deal for them ryt now..
Lozi is a Zambian language. The guy has the right to write phrases in his mother tongue just like the way you have done! Get a life bigot!
western province is power! One Zambia, One Nation.
#5. you are a fool. Minister, Sir, that puts all your questions and fantasies in limbo, you sand walkers!! Amen!
#5 and #38, you are both fools. Foprget the BA64. Trying to sounding educated does not necessarily mean you are, and by the way, this calls for wisdom, not useless hips of academic qualifications, like Akashambatwa Mbukisita Lewanika, typcal trait in Lozis
@41 . Chibs you are a pig. A stinking id.iot. Why then do you want sandwalkers and sand area to be part of your Zambia? You are a confused idi.ot !
We have wasted money on bye elections… many unnecessary ones..Let us give the seccessionits enough rope to hang themselves! REFERENDUM is the way to GO. Even in mongu the seccenisst cant win
Fellow countrymen,let us not Just Argue for the sake of arguing,Referendam is the best so that these Qucks shall not blame any One,Lozi’s have forgotten that they are fighting the Nation and the zambian people ,None of the Provinces involved were infact consulted during the signing of these Agreement.So Referendam Could have been the best So that they it is settle by all the zambians.
@Mutu yo Munsu says:
Tue Apr 10 at 10:16 am
Wow! Just when I thought this country has no logic thinkers, forward you come! Man you just cracked this “The Agreement has no Secession clause” argument wide open.
Yes, in fact I may add that the way these dumb wits argue, they talk as if the Agreement was in place, formerly recognised by them and working right now. They are forgetting that they are arguing using a document they abrogated and don’t recognise. I have been saying abrogating the BA’64 is equivalent to secession? ‘Ah no it doesn’t talk about secession’ and on you come and you are like: “But does it talk about abrogation”?
@42 just address the issues raised by 38 (or 5) and see if you can make sense. The minister is using a non-clause of BA’64 to justify his stand and my response is also based on the same (now non valid document). Education is important in these issues and the reason we are in this muddle is that there is too much kaponya mentality in the governance of this country. This is depicted by your tendence to resort to street language whenever faced by facts you cant challenge.
Just tell us if anyone opposed to Barotse Self determination (particulary GRZ) can find refuge in the clauses of terminated BA’64 under the current circumstances.
All those against Barosteland secession are pigs, mashpa abona, they have feaces in thsie brains and sperms in their blood.
Has cabinet concluded scrutinizing contents of the Rodger Chongwe report? If not then, the Justice minister is wrong to issue such a statement!!!!!
If the so called BNC were serious about seceding lets see them surrender Zambian NRC,passports,title deeds,close all bank accs,empolyment,etc in Zambia,let them get out of Zambia,we are getting tired of trying to pump sense into adults,do not push your luck.Why cant the Ngambela or Litunga demonstrate publicly by burning all Zambian documents and renouncing all the possessions they have in Zambia,that way we are going to see were their mouths are.
Country men and women, let us be sober in the way we make comments on issues. Let’s avoid at all costs insults. We are one, no matter what tribe we are. Challenging each other in press through insults is not a better way of addressing issues! Each and every problem has a solution no matter what it takes. Let’s be proud Zambians.
Send in the troops and charge them with treason, that will shut them up. One Zambia One nation!!
I think the issue of boundaries is a dead issue. Other countries are not part of B464. Please say the truth. The Lozis are not asking for Land in Angola, Swaziland or any other country because that has never been an issue. The boundaries are well known so let us not be cheated by these politicians. They have brought to much misery to this planet through their lies and half truths. Mr. Zulu is lying.
Numbver 6, ndiwe chizende twice over, the govt chief legal advisor is the attorney general not minister of legal affairs. The analogue Zulu drew is upside down, referundums in Sudan and Russia stopped bloodshed and ushered in independence. The BNC has already stated clearly the boundaries of Barotseland is as they stand, NOW! What manner of embacile would fail to understand this? Anyway, Zulu knows a referandum will yield a 99% secede vote and that is the fear.
@ 54, I don’t know what chizende means and honestly I don’t care … back to the point, the Minister of Justice is a cabinet level position thus an executive position appointed by the president, the Attorney General on the other hand is a civil service position not an executive level position. Therefore, the Minister of Justice being part of the executive is the Chief Legal Executive (Officer) in charge and is the principle advisor to the President on legal issues … please get your facts straight, pal. Well, Europe has been fan now leaving, going back to the United States. I will be home tomorrow got planes to catch. Later everyone. One Zambia One Nation.
53 Amuna Some of don’t know any other map apart from the one on the barotseland site which includes land in other countries. Is it just western province with the districts mentioned in the resolutions????????????????
Miles and leaps of insults, ridicule and misinformation and unresearched reasoning will NEVER solve any challenge. BA64 does not exist currently, meaning unitary state of Zambia vanished even before the ink on the 1969 act of abrogation dried. We tend to take ownership of BA64 when it was mutuilated decades ago, and the people from the affected area have an unwilling partners in Zambia Incoporated Limited.
that quiet undiplomatic
@ 54, I don’t know what chizende means and honestly I don’t care … back to the point, the Minister of Justice is a cabinet level position thus an executive position appointed by the president, the Attorney General on the other hand is a civil service position not an executive level position. Therefore, the Minister of Justice being part of the executive is the Chief Legal Executive (Officer) in charge and is the principle advisor to the President on legal issues … please get your facts straight. Well, Europe has been fan now leaving, going back to the United States. I will be home tomorrow got planes to catch. Later everyone. One Zambia One Nation.
The minister is misguiding himself just like his boss, SATA.
You dont call it waste of money when you spend money solving a problem; is he saying there is no problem in W/Province?
If that is so, then SATA must be held accountable for the money he paid his colleagues who went on a holiday tour in W/Province in the name of ‘Commission’.
Or is he telling us that it is the commission of Sata’s friends that has recommended that there is no problem in W/Province? Or is he saying that SATA’s friends who toured the W/P have recommended better solutions than a referandum?
Why does SATA’s gov. see everything as a joke, including serious and risky matters?
Is this what PF has as policy?
I personally do not support calls for cessession, but any problem needs a solution.
The fisrt question to ask is was there an agreement. Which is YES. The second question is was the agreement abrogated. Which is YES. The third and final question is what does international law on treaties like the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties say. It says that any material breach by one of the parties to the contract releases the other party from peforming the treaty. Any simple mind must comprehend that because thats not rocket science. I know alot of lies have been said about the Barotseland Agreement 1964 thats not my concern because I know from the beginning the DEVIL and his agents have been liers and I do not subscribe to the DEVIL. The bible in John 8:32 says you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Good supportive and sensible comments @60 but plse find your own name. I have my own style of presenting arguments and would not like the bloggers herein to get confused.
Mutu yo Munsu @61, I must apologise for using your name @60, It was not meant to confuse your line of argument but a mere coincidence of names.
Best Regards, Mutu Ki Pilu.
United Kingdom being a unitary state consisting of England, Wales and Scotland is called so because the unity is still intact, does it make sense to call a failed unitary state called Zambia when what forms it the Barotseland Agreement 1964 has been abrogated. In my view what remains since Barotseland has been expelled from the unitary arrangement through the abrogation of the unity treaty is a nameless country and certainly not Zambia. Besides the name Zambia is derived from the Zambezi river which is in Barotseland. Why do the so called Zambians hate us so much that they even change our GOD given meaningful name Barotseland to a meaningless name called Western Province? They even make it a point that we have no right to call ourselves Barotseans instead want to call us Westerners.
LOZIS ARE NUMBER ONE THIEVES,LET THEM GO THEIR OWN WAY ,BUT NOT N/W AND CB.TUKEPAYANA, STUPID FOOLS