The Livingstone Magistrate Court has sentenced a Livingstone resident Parshottam Girdham Vaghela to 12 months with hard labour for failing to manage waste.
Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) Principal Information Officer Irene Lungu- Chipili said this in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
She said Vaghela has been slapped with 12 months imprisonment in count one and six months imprisonment in the second count for contravening provisions of the environmental management act of 2011 and 2013.
Ms Lungu said the two sentences will run concurrently with effect from April 16, 2015.
She said that particulars of the offence are that Parshottam Girdham Vaghela was charged for failing to manage waste in a manner that results in adverse effect and conducting open air burning of waste and other materials without written consent of ZEMA.
Ms Chipili said Vaghela pleaded guilty to the offences when the matter came up for determination of plea on April 15 and 16, 2015.
The Court heard that the convict had on several occasions been warned by ZEMA to refrain from harming the environment and breaching environmental protection provisions but to no avail.
ZEMA go a step further, start prosecuting local authorities for the same. Also prosecute motorist who throw litter thru windows. Give a number where we can phone you when we see a dirty person.
It’s unfair, he should appeal. A simple fine can do. If he goes to jail, then imprison everyone in Zambia because we are all doing that. What can a man do in a city like Livingstone, which does not collect garbage and does not have a dumping site?
resident of PHI Benny mwiinga are the worst culprits, area between police post and mutendere boarder becomes a toxic chimney in the night coz everyone is burning something. i have gone to LCC to have issue sorted but all on deaf ears. police move in and make money not those useless roadblocks
ZEMA go a step further, start prosecuting local authorities for the same. Also prosecute motorists who throw litter thru windows. Give us a number where we can phone you when we see dirty people.
Why jail an individual like that when you have not taken our local authorities like LCC to court for running a filthy Lusaka City. Shame on you.
Didnt know that such a law exist,why is lsk dirty and no one has been taken to court.you are just being racist here.
The article fails to mention the guy is 81 years old…..
This man must be the unluckiest in the world to be convicted of what is commonplace everywhere in Zambia. He resorted to burning the rubbish because of the very poor service delivery in Livingstone where high density residential areas and markets are surrounded by mountains of stinking garbage. Such a dirty town can only be a tourist capital in Zambia!
Let this be a lesson to those resident who throw litter in drains.
ZEMA, If we do not see more of local municipality managers taken to task for the same dirty issues then we will conclude that the guy refused to give you a bribe so you are showing that you can take him or her to court. We need you to move and ensure that all municipal managers in all districts of Zambia are taken to task otherwise this iniquity will haunt you for many more years to come. Lusaka city is an eye sore, I wonder whether there are people who are responsible for the council. No one collects the rubbish anywhere save the statehouse! shame shame shame.
Very sad to read this, what hard labour meant to 81?, ZEMA can do any dirty things, yes there are means to stop him doing this istaed pointing to one persons wont get any benefit for the nation. If they can check the pollutant like motor vehicles, old tyres around the compound and commercial effluents etc…
Well done ZEMA also consider extending that arm to PUBLIC URINATORS ( those who pee in undesignated places).The situation is getting out of hand. I hope this also falls in your mandate?
The reporter hasn’t done his job. What did she do? The charge is vague. You need to explain in everyday language to your reader what the offender did not copying the case record verbatim
So we actually have laws about such things in Zambia!!!!! I wonder why our cities, towns, villages are so dirty!!!!!
It is very fair and this should serve as an example for non Zambian’s or foreign corporations who think they can dump toxins in rivers that can cause harm to Zambian citizens. Glen Core the organisation that works with mines are huge culprits world wide especially in developing nations such as the case with people in Mufulira who were affected in the worst way due to toxins that were disposed of illegally and fond their way in water which led women to lose children through miscarriage, people losing limbs and other lung infections. So before you all go saying it’s unfair, think about your fellow Zambia first because these foreigners don’t care about you and will leave you to rot and go back to where they came from. It’s all about safe practices and should be followed by foreigners.