Following the deaths of 14 accident on Wednesday, this week, President Edgar Lungu has directed the Ministry of Transport and Communication to operationalize the newly acquired water vessel in Nchelenge Town in Luapula province..
Mr. Lungu has also directed all transporters on water bodies in the country to ensure that they adhere to safety rules by having life jackets.
The Republican President said this in a speech read on his behalf by Luapula Province Minister Nickson Chilangwa when he lead mourners for the burial of the
14 Nchelenge boat accident who died when the boat they were travelling in capsized on, Wednesday.
President Edgar Lungu who was represented at the funeral by Luapula Province Minister Nickson Chilangwa said it is disturbing that lives have been lost when government has invested a lot of money in the purchase of modern water vessels.
“We need to bring sanity on our lakes and rivers, and save lives and property! This is not acceptable when we have invested so much many in modern water vessels!”, President Lungu said.
President Lungu wondered why the boats which were were delivered in the last quarter of 2018 have not been operationalised.
The Head of State ordered for the strict enforcement of regulations in water transport.
President Lungu said it must be mandatory that all boats must have life jackets and be monitored to ensure the right loads are taken on board.
And the Head of State paid glowing tribute to the Marines for their quick response.
“We thank the Marines for their quick response without which, the consequences would have been worse. Lets us all embrace the Marines and support their work, as we are all witnesses to their value!”
Mr. Lungu has called on the people entrusted to serve the community to work professionally adding that accidents like the Nchelenge one could have been avoided.
The President has also called on the passengers not avoid being overloaded on boats but to speak out.
And Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit DMMU National Coordinator Chanda Kabwe has encouraged mourners not to be discouraged but look up to God both in good and bad times.
one of the survivors thanked President Lungu for the coming of the marines saying without them, all of them would have perished.
President Lungu sent a delegation of government officials led by Mr. Chilangwa and included Nchelenge Member of Parliament Anthony Malama, Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Dr. Felix Phiri, Transport and communications Permanent Secretary Misheck Lungu, Housing and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Eng. Charles Mushota and National Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit Permanent Secretary Chanda Kabwe.
Government has bought coffins and taken over the sponsorship of all funeral logistics.
14 people dead is a large number. Why didn’t the president attend the burial?
Very sad. Luapula is such beautiful place, richly endowed with natural resources. The province has produced a president (Chuluba), is well represented in Cabinet, Ronald Chitotela, (Emerine Kabanshi), (Harry Kalaba), Chiltalu Chilufya but has nothing to show for this skewed representation. When will the people of Luapula realise that they are being short changed?
Lazy Lungu doesn’t attend funerals …he will plan trips out immediately there is a burial…am sure he is glad that the old hen Bo Inonge is back from her operation from India.
Wrong question. The right one is why is the new ferry still parked? Were they waiting for someone to go and inaugurate it?
So Luapulans.
MTSRIP
Axiomatic … Let’s roll
Yes Mubiana, if a politician had died there could have been a national mourning but 14 dead are disregarded
Too late now .The accident has already happen and you didn’t do enough to protect the people that feed you .A few years back we saw Father Bwalya in a boat with a life jacket .The rest of the crew had nothing because father Bwalya was important the rest didnt mean a thing .
Lazy Lungu is concerned…Lazy Lungu has directed…Lazy Lungu has ordered….this is a clear sign of failure and no vision. The chap has been 5 years in office and its the same thing.
iF BOATS WERE ISSUED WHY WERE THEY NOT IN USE. cONDOLENCES TO ALL THE BERIEVED. VERY SAD AFFAIR INDEED.
Those are speeches and we should treat them as only speeches. Fact is these accidents are not new; some of us have lost friends and relatives on that lake since before multi-party politics. And there have been speeches. Let’s see if this one goes beyond the rhetoric. The older the country gets the more you realize how unhelpful our political leaders actually are.
Speeches full of directives like that are good for duping the unsophisticated in rural areas when he knows that projects that were not 80% done were stalled due to his so called austerity measures…even sending a ZNS truck full of firewood and chibuku at the funeral homes is enough to dupe the masses.
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO TAKE THE PRESIDENT TO MAKE A DIRECTIVE! ARE THERE NO TECHNOCRATS IN THESE SO CALLED MINISTRIES? WAKE UP U FOOLS AND DO YOUR JOB….
Lazy Lungu this Lazy Lungu that BA FI KA imwe is it lungu who caused the accident or what kashidani fye utukota mumayanda mubomba mu diaspora
Yes ..we know you have advanced certificates in big insults but absolutely zero faculties in sober debates… Im mean do you not see anything wrong with a President who is busy issuing silly directives everywhere he goes..does he not have Provincial ministers? They have so much time no wonder the are going through all these young female reporters.
Negligence ba Chagwa as usual! Sell One Fire truck and buy enough Life Jackets for all water transport! Life Jackets are like seat belts! They save lives!
Don’t just fight to be in Plot 1! You need knowledge to govern properly and look after millions of people! That’s why a great leader chooses good advisors! No person is omniscient! What can ba Freedom Sikazwe advise? Get rid of bad advisors and things will start working! Condolences to all bereaved families! Inept leaders destroy many lives!
Jay “Lazy this Lazy that” Gay, after being fully exposed as a trib.al by me and left with nowhere to hide, he has now thrown all caution to the wind and is openly supporting his god Trib.al Hacks. Especially this week (yes you guessed right, Sesheke week) you observe that he has intensified his trib.al rant.ings. Just look at all his poorly disguised comments this week, you cannot mistake the trib.al in all of them.
..please trib.al Jay Gay, trib.al Hacks is no viable alternative to Lungu, no matter how “lazy” you think he is. T.H. can only be worse, from what we have seen of him since 2006. Please suggest another.
Come 2019, PF Boat will surely capsize, Its a sign and warning
so ba prophet you can tell that PF is going down in 2021 but you can’t tell party to take over. someone will surely faint and riggings will be accused!!!!!
The Heading and the Picture do not punch.
Are you able to read that quagmire of words in that first sentence? I can’t. Ba LT thinks it’s good enough to pass on to the public
And then there are sentences like:
14 Nchelenge boat accident who died when the boat they were travelling in capsized on, Wednesday.
No trained reporter starts a sentence with a figure!
Lazy lungu as jay stated, this one event you cannot miss as a head of state. He would rather travel abroad where he will be in an 8 star hotel than be forced to be in a two star. Too many directives how does he know if they are implemented when he is always gone. No wonder many projects stalled because the cat is always away
Proactive is better than reactive.A rescue plan was suppose to be in place eg helicopter,patrol boats, communication facilities and life jackets mandatory.We could have avoided these deaths.We are in 21 st century,so changes must be made.Capital is required,this can only be done by a dedicated team.
Buy a new boat and take it there. It will give you all the answers as to why those have not been operational. Don’t pretend
We dont need one but many such vessels on all lakes with accompanment of smaller boats for cover
Of course the accidents are preventable if you are proactive and not just being reactive and issuing cheap and hollow political statements after the fact.
You should go to Barotseland, Western Province and learn a thing or two about water travel safety. I think they introduced mandatory life jackets for the Mongu-Kalabo river transport system in the 90’s and also curbed the overloading of boats about the same time. Boats had to be cleared for departure by the cops, council and harbour management officials prior to departure. Not sure if boat transport is still being used there now that they have a road.
Another positive thing they can do is introduce swimming lessons at young age, in schools, as a mandatory curriculum in areas where there’s water and water transport. The govt can…
…The govt can pay for such a program. Stop yapping and start real governing for the people.
Definitely national mourning is necessary when that many people die in one single accident.