Children under the school going age in chief Siachitema’s area of Kalomo are still exposed to health hazard risks by working in tobacco farms due to lack of education sponsorship, a local concerned child labour activist has revealed.
Mr. Benson Miyoba, a former Kalonda community child labour withdrawal programme chairperson the initiative which was introduced in Kalomo and Choma districts to get rid of school going children from working in tobacco farms in the early 2000s.
ZANIS reports that Kalomo District Commissioner, PatricK Phiri said this when he paid a courtesy call on chief Siachitema, yesterday.
Mr. Miyoba said since the phasing out of a civic organization called ‘HODI’ orphans and vulnerable children have re-trekked to work in the hazardous environment at the expense of education due to what he attributed to lack of sponsorship for their domestic and educational needs.
HODI when it was functional two years ago managed to get rid of over 2000 children from labour related work in tobacco farms.
“My brother, as you know, this Kalonda, Tara, Siachitema and Kara ranch areas are serious tobacco farming zones and the crop is of high value, what can stop a desperate child to go and earn a ngwee or Kwacha.
“ The situation has risen to great heights, the skills training centre HODI left is now a white elephant while the only hammer-mill and goat rearing project which HODI left in our hands have gone begging, relevant authorities should look into this and this type of agriculture also contributes to deforestation,” Mr. Miyoba observed.
And chief Siachitema has pledged his total support to work with the government of the day saying working against any party in power will only retard development in chiefdoms.
Acknowledging the district commissioners’ courtesy call who was accompanied by the local chiefs’ and traditional affairs officer, Lishomwa Mwendabai, the traditional ruler said elections should not shake the traditional circles as it was a political calendar compared to the traditional norms chiefdoms stood for.
The chief also called on government to look on the state of feeder roads that leads to the palaces of traditional rulers saying they were in a deplorable state and makes people travelling to their annual ceremonies to resent attending such events.
Most of the traditional rulers in Kalomo and Zimba districts are to host their traditional
ceremonies by next month and by October.
