By Sean Tembo – PeP President
1. A few days ago, Southern Province Minister; Cornelious Mweetwa announced that he is not happy with the teacher recruitment process for Southern Province because he feels that it was infiltrated by people who come from outside the province. According to the Minister, only people who come from Southern Province need to apply for teaching jobs in the Province.
2. Most people might not understand or appreciate how divisive such a Government policy is, but we are tearing apart Zambia. One inch at a time. The full implications of this stupid Government policy might not be seen today or tomorrow, but it shall surely be seen soon.
3. President Hakainde Hichilema continuously sings about the motto of One Zambia One Nation, but his actions and those of his Government are very far from uniting this country. To the contrary, he is dividing this country at a faster pace than any of his 6 predecessors ever did. Indeed, with their current mindset, President Hakainde Hichilema and his New Dawn administration are a danger to the peace, unity and national security of this country.
4. To an ordinary resident of Southern Province, Cornelious Mweetwa’s statement means that there should not be a Government worker in the province who comes from another province. Obviously the common way that Southerners will be able to determine if particular civil servants in the province are from within the province or not, will be by looking at their surnames and also whether they can speak the local language.
5. It will only be a matter of time before Southerners start feeling that their job opportunities in the civil service in the province, have been taken away from them by people from other provinces. And who is to know how they will express their anger and frustration towards the teachers, medical personnel etcetera who do not come from within the province? These civil servants might be harassed, assaulted or even killed.
6. If, God forbid, civil servants coming from Northern or Eastern Province are harassed, assaulted or killed in Southern Province because of the inciting words that were issued by Minister Cornelious Mweetwa, what do you think would be the reaction by the people of Northern or Eastern Province towards civil servants that come from Southern Province who work in their area?
7. Before you realize it, such acrimony will spread beyond civil servants to just ordinary citizens who have settled in other parts of Zambia, away from their places of origin, and then it will spread to the metropolitan cities of Lusaka and Copperbelt, and then it will spread to our security and defense wings, and then we shall destroy our beautiful country while singing the One Zambia One Nation hymn, but not practicing it.
8. Suffice to mention that the UPND Government policy that only people coming from a particular province can be employed in that province, is unconstitutional and flies in the teeth of the constitutional declaration of Zambia as a unitary state. Even for countries with a federal government system like the United States, a citizen who is a resident of one state can freely travel to another state and get a Government job there. So why should Zambians from other provinces be prevented from getting a job in Southern Province?
9. By now, most reasonable Zambians have realized that President Hakainde Hichilema and his Government are a bunch of naive and incompetent people, as far as national governance is concerned. But it’s one thing for President Hichilema to be naive and incompetent in running the economy, and quite another thing for him and his Government to divide and inflame this country because of their naivety and incompetence.
10. President Hakainde Hichilema should immediately suspend his Government’s stupid policy of preventing Zambians from other provinces from applying for and getting a civil service job in Southern Province. If the President cannot see that this is a stupid policy, then perhaps it is not the policy that is stupid.
Teaching jobs especially at Primary school level should be given to people that understand the local language because the language of instruction at that level is the local language. If I don’t know Mambwe (language), I think it’s not fair for me to apply for a teaching job at a rural school in Nakonde.
Another tribalist
Lies!! If foreing teachers from India, Nigeria etc teach in our schools how can a citizen fail? SET has hit the nail on the head and we all know it. Why didnt the job application state this from the start if it was a genuine requirement? How did Cornelius know the names on the list were not locals? Did he look at all the addresses?
All teachers that applied for jobs did it through ZAMPOST at a local Post Office and used local addresses, which means they were local. There’s no application that came from out of town that was processed. Cornelius Mweetwa is trying to bring the long held notion in the UPND that whoever bore a Tonga name was their member and supporter. So when he saw names that aren’t Tonga he thought that Bembas and Easterners have taken jobs from his people. The fact is that there are many Zambians that have settled in all areas and speak local languages sometimes even more fluent than some locals. Let him not vent his frustration of being a mere Provincial Minister on innocent people. Why does he want to make his own rules?
And why doesn’t Sean Tembo complain about the GRZ policy that contracts from CDF should be given to local companies as priority above companies from out side the provinces ???????
Would he be OK with a situation in chipata where teachers and nurses in chipata remain unemployed while there a jobs being advertised there ??????
And why doesn’t Sean Tembo complain about the GRZ policy that contracts from CDF should be given to local companies as priority above companies from out side the provinces ???????
Would he be OK with a situation in Eastern province where teachers and nurses in Eastern province remain unemployed while there a jobs being advertised there ??????
The locally registered company can be owned by a person from any part of Zambia
This Spaka guy is so shallow. I wonder how he got to UK.
The PF tribalism of sidelining tongas in every sphere of work was unprecedented………..
People from other provices were flooded into southern province GRZ jobs leaving locals unemployed……….
It is only right this great injustice is reversed……………..
Tribalism is the baby of UPND. They see every through the tribal lense. When someone else uses the same lense they call it hate speech. No matter how many times you call others tribalists, the truth is that is your nature. Everything is seen through tribe.
Under lungu bembas and easterners………
Were being given jobs over other tribes in all provinces under the guise of one zambia one nation , while tongas were completely sidelined……….
Look at heads of parastatals ……90% were bemba and easterners………
Look at board of directors, again 90 % bembas and easterns………
Even with teachers , the police, the army in SP , tongas were being leftout ……….
Did Sean zero tembo complain then ?????
This Chap is always trading the narrative of Tribalism in almost every sphere – and it has to be Tongas why ? Please read the positive part of this policy to empower locals all the way from Vubwi to Kalabo !!!
#1 GB you are wrong. Even in the colonial era teachers and medical personnel we’re sent crisscross. If you come to Luapula you find people with Tonga and other names. When ask you find that their parents were teachers who after retirement opted to stay here. Just admit that your tribe has always felt victimized and are always suspicious of other people. We haven’t forgotten what Mr Sejani said. Even the voting pattern says it all. If you are part of this country try to live in it.
On point. In matrilineal societies such as Luapula, some chiefs and headmen bare Tonga names and that is not a problem. The same cannot be said in southern Province
Most of the comments above are very retrogressive to nation building. Wise leaders have several methods of addressing several ills from the previous regimes without inflaming the nationals.
I’m sure even the giving of ministerial positions hasn’t gone down well with most senior Upnd members. Unfortunately for them, HH had no option in this case……. because Upnd had MPs in all these areas.
This policy stinks, tribal and segregatory in nature. As SET has stated, it’s a timebomb.
De ja Vu………..
90% of heads of parastatals were bemba and eaterners……..
90% of board of directors were bembas and easterners……….
In some cases it was 95%……….
By extention , those 90% also employed their relatives and tribes men , as a result……..
Tongas were left out of most army , police teaching and nursing jobs in SP and country wide……….
Those that were in senior positions were retaired in lungus national intrest………..
Infact GRZ had what seems a deliberate policy of leaving out tongas for all jobs across the spectrum………….
It is only right such injustices are corrected.
It’s bizarre that………
The same people complaining now were silent when lungu and PF made sure 80% of all new police are army recruits were bemba and easterners ………
It’s a bad policy tribalism is a disease as kk once said…even the nonsense of saying an MP should be from that area is sad…VJ was MP in Roan and very successful at that…one Zambia one nation must not be allowed to die… ECL have jobs to only a Bemba or Easterner should be no reason to revenge let us educate him on how people should live as one ….
#1.2 John Haakambo. They always giving lame excuses. Just like that guy who was explaining why fuel is expensive here forgetting that his master had told us that he had a solution to the expensive fuel.
Spaka… just admit that to what SET has said. Lungu appointed Tongas to cabinet positions even giving them the ministry of defense. You not only expelled these Tongas, but made sure they lost their parliamentary seats. A Upnd mayor welcomed Lungu to Chilanga, you expelled him. Hamukaale as minister of Southern Province was always harassed so much that as soon as PF lost, the guy resigned from the party.
#14 Deja Vu……….
Lungus appointments of tongas in ministry jobs was cosmetic at best, meanwhile…..
80% of all police and army recruitment was bemba and eastern ……….
90% of parastatal heads and board of directors were bemba and eastern……….
Even now, in PF 99 % of leadership contestants is bemba, with the one token lozi being shunted aside ………..
Bemba tribalism is deep rooted. In GRZ tribalism was even promoted on national airwaves and none of you batted an eyelid……..
Complaining about Trying to correct the wrongs committed against tongas and other people’s of SP is like……….
The boers of SA Complaining about blacks been given goverment jobs………….
By the way why haven’t other provinces not complained?
1) They are not tribal or
2) They are afraid of being disciplined.
KK warned us about “this” guy!
The minister is a danger to the unity of this country!
Where do people with this sort of mindset come from? You cannot stop Zambians applying for employment anywhere in the country! Zambia is their country; every province is open to all Zambians to live in and work! This is highly discriminatory & illegal!
#14 Deja Vu……….
Lungus appointments of tongas in ministry jobs was cosmetic at best, meanwhile…..
80% of all police and army recruitment was bemba and eastern ……….
90% of parastatal heads and board of directors were bemba and eastern……….
Even now, in PF 99 % of presidential contestants is bemba, with the one token lozi being shunted aside ………..
Bemba tribalism is deep rooted. In GRZ tribalism was even promoted on national airwaves and none of you batted an eyelid……..
Complaining about Trying to correct the wrongs committed against tongas and other people’s of SP is like……….
The boers of SA Complaining about blacks been given goverment jobs………….
# Spaka we mpaka how can appointing someone as minister of defense be cosmetic? By the way since you, Tarino Orange and other maggots spend 200 percent of the day on Lusaka Times how do you manage to work? I assume Upnd pays full time for propaganda.
Should people change surnames to get jobs in government?
@Spaka: Please note that the policy of giving priority to local companies to supply goods and services to CDF projects is not triby discriminatory since a corporate entity does not belong to a tribe and may in fact have multiple directors reflecting Zambia’s diversity.
What Mweetwa is saying is tribal and President Hichilema should urgently disassociate himself from such an overtly divisive policy.
You have attempted to justify such tribalism by referencing Lungu’s behaviour when he was President. Your allegations may in fact be true to a large extent. But Lungu never pronounced a policy against Tongas as Mweetwa is proposing to do against other tribes. Even if Lungu discriminated against Tongas, I for one can not recall that it was a UPND or Hichilema’s election platform to come…
#20Â Â Deja Vu
 June 9, 2022 At 12:28 pm
“# Spaka we mpaka how can appointing someone as minister of defense be cosmetic? By the way since you, Tarino Orange and other maggots spend 200 percent of the day on Lusaka Times how do you manage to work? I assume Upnd pays full time for propaganda..”
I can tell you now, the UPND boycotted any MP who worked with lungu because such appointments were seen as cosmetic and a sham……..
How can you have open discrimination on tribal grounds in all GRZ wings and tribal attacks against tongas on national airwaves by senior ministers , then while all this is going on you go and appoint UPND Mps in GRZ ????
Accepting those appointments would be seen as accepting the tribal discrimination by the lungu lead GRZ against tongas……..
80%…
#22Â Â NKOLE WA MAPEMBWE UMFWE MILANDUÂ
June 9, 2022 At 1:31 pm
“@Spaka: Please note that the policy of giving priority to local companies to supply goods and services to CDF projects is not triby discriminatory since a corporate entity does not belong to a tribe and may in fact have multiple……”
What if mweetwa means only those who attended teacher and nurse training in SP should be given priority for jobs first in SP ????
Since our places of learning represent the diversity of zambia
Spaka Spaka It all lay
@10 etcetera – To keep referring to issues during Mr Lungu & PF’s rule, in an attempt to justify today’s wrong doing, is to really miss the point of UPND being selected to form a government. UPND got the mandate to run the affairs of Zambia, on the promise to put all wrongs, back to right for every citizen without provisos based on tribe or province one hails from! Now, regrettably, it appears that there were conditions attached after all, except, the writing was too small – most people didn’t grasp what they were committing to. Mr Mweetwa’s stance is indefensibly wrong, illegal & extremely self-harming. For all, it is worth remembering, no one remains in power for ever. Consider therefore, what will happen to you, when you’re back down with the same people you alienated whilst at…
Cont.,
whilst at the top!
#plant more trees please.
Spaka u are a true tribalist who does not think about other tribes except tongas. U have not contributed any thing to this country but encuranging tribalism. shame . we are one zambia one nation and all have a right to work anywhere
Spaka
I am UPND in my blood and bones from the day Late Mazoka launched it. Sorry you are talking trash and it’s getting worse and worse every day. I have 9 close friends who are in government serving as Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Technocrats, Economist etc. They were offered posts in southern province by Lungu not as PF would be defectors and HH threatened them to leave UPND and join PF. One job offered by Lungu was to anchor the project that was going to setup a food processing plant which would have created 1000 jobs from Engineers, Plant Managers, Fitters, Accountants, Drivers, Marketing Managers, Sales Managers, Pickers, Machinists. etc. Guess what HH blocked this venture with threats to these MP’s. And Southern Province lost this venture which was to be funded by…
Spaka
I am UPND in my blood and bones. Sorry you are talking trash and it’s getting worse and worse every day. I have 9 close friends who are in government serving as Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Technocrats, Economist etc. They were offered posts in southern province by Lungu not as PF would be defectors and HH threatened them to leave UPND and join PF. One job offered by Lungu was to anchor the project that was going to setup a food processing plant which would have created 1000 jobs from Engineers, Plant Managers, Fitters, Accountants, Drivers, Marketing Managers, Sales Managers, Pickers, Machinists. etc. Guess what HH blocked this venture with threats to these MP’s. And Southern Province lost this venture which was to be funded by European Union.
#26 Zennia. It appears ba lekumbwa ifyo ba PF cadres used to harass us. Why else would one keep on telling us that this what PF used to behave?
#29Â Â Mutafela MulifeÂ
June 9, 2022 At 4:59 pm
“Spaka
I am UPND in my blood and bones from the day Late Mazoka launched it. Sorry you are talking trash and it’s getting worse and worse every day. I have 9 close friends who are in government serving as Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Technocrats, Economist etc. They were offered posts..”
Stop talking through your backside………..
So where is that project if HH blocked it , as it would have been the lagest project lungu ever lunched , and you want us to belive lungu would chose SP ????
Get real………even your lies are so pathetic……..
I am not a tribalists , but……..
An easterner like lungu who knows a great injustice was committed by the lungu regime against tongas……….
Now if some of setting things straight like equalising employment opportunities for people of SP who have been marginalised on an industrial scale by lungu seems divisive, …………
But sorry , something has to be done.
Just like affirmative action in the west, some see as racist……….
#Matumbo… actually one Ushi Chief in Mansa is a Tonga from his father’s side.
The minister must resign or HH must drop him
#36 I nkusa don’t lie. The other time you said you were Bemba and mentioned some village in Northern province.
SPAKA…. SPAKA …. SPAKA
People ignore this guy. Surely, he has nothing to do in life, because if he did, he would not be on Lusakatimes broadcasting hate and tribalism 24/7 as an engineer. He is a tribalistic, frustrated, angry, resentful. I just like the way @INDEPENDENCE OBSERVER put him in his place on the 13/May/2022 under the article … “” What Kind Of President Does Zambia Really Need “”
The downvotes say it all. Zambia has a future outside tribalism.