Police in Ndola district on the Copperbelt Province have impounded four trucks ladden with over one thousand bags of mealie meal in Kawama
Township, intended to be smuggled into the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
And an unknown quantity of mealie-meal bags have been confiscated from unregistered traders at Kawama market, who were trading as early as 01:00 hours in the morning.
Meanwhile residents ran amok and started throwing stones at police officers who were in a truck laden with mealie meal causing damage to the windscreen, in protest of the decision to confiscate the commodity, but the police officers managed to calm the situation.
And Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga has said police are not going to relent but will ensure that the scourge is paralysed.
ZANIS reports that Ms. Katanga said her officers will continue doing patrols and anyone found smuggling will not be dealt with by the law, adding that it is saddening to see smuggling of the country’s staple food becoming rampant in the district.
She further called on members of the general public to come forth with any information on anyone involved in the vice.
The Copperbelt Police Commissioner has also appealed to the Ndola City Council to ensure that only those with mealie-meal trading licenses are allowed to sell the commodity.
She said the situation should not be left unchecked as it is likely to disadvantage innocent people in an event that prices of mealie meal skyrocket and create an artificial shortage.
The word smuggling was last time heard during the end of KK one party Leadership rule and Dr. FTJ Chiluba smart President ( MHSRP) removed it with the word “liberalized” economy, because of that people were free to trade with DRC on an open market. Why has this smuggling so strong today? Please leave Zambians to trade freely as you allow foreigners to bring their mechanize un-taxed so is the same Zambians to take food to DRC without stopping them as the way of Job creation.
Please if you are a listening government help the youths to trade freely.
Our people should be able to freely trade with DRC. This is rainy season, government must concentrate on encouraging citizens to produce more maize so that they can freely sell to our neighbours and have more money in their pockets. Smuggling thrives where there is scarcity. Zambia has no excuse for failing to produce enough maize.
At the expense of starving Zambians due to individual’s selfishness!
in zambia we dont have jobs, jobs are for well known in gov we desided to start bussnes here you are stoping us to do what is right. if you are lisening gov leave us alone.