Government says it is pondering giving/issuing chiefs diplomatic passports to ease their challenges when they area abroad.
Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Suzan Kawandami says the matter is under discussion with her ministry and other stakeholders.
Ms. Kawandami confirmed having received the proposal from Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II of the Soli speaking people in Chongwe district.
The Deputy Minister said her ministry would engage the Passport Office department under the Ministry of Home Affairs before the matter is tabled to Cabinet.
ZANIS reports that the deputy minister said this in an interview in Lusaka today.
She reiterated that Government attaches great importance to the welfare of traditional leaders in terms of fostering national development in the country in chiefdoms.
Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II has advised government to consider giving traditional leaders diplomatic passports to ease hardships they encounter when travelling abroad.
Chieftainess Nkomeshya noted that whenever traditional leaders travelled abroad, they were not recognised because of their ordinary travel documents.
She made the remarks at the just ended Southern Africa Traditional Leaders’ Conference held at Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka.
The traditional leader said when chiefs travelled abroad, they faced a lot of challenges as people fail to recognise them as traditional leaders.
She said chiefs’ respect must be upheld every-where they go home or abroad.
“Our National Registration Cards have birth names but once we ascend to the throne as your royal Highnesses, we inherit our respective titles coming with various chiefdoms as you know as chiefs our respect must be upheld wherever we go,” Chieftainess Nkomeshya said.
Succession battles will be rampant with the introduction of this privilege.
Do they even travel abroad? And if so on what purpose?
What is the use in giving them these passports?
Silly really, snit it?
Thanks
Who the fool is bring such irresponsible ideas. Chiefs are not Diplomats, they are Traditional Leaders and do not deserve a Diplomatic passport. This is were Africans go wrong. You give them a finger, they want to take the Whole Hand. Nonsense and unacceptable.
@prince, kekeke like that they want all hand.
especially under PF. I rent a property from one of those fools, he wants me to write Hon. MP…. On cheque for rent.
I told him pany-pobe, I give you dollar now you want me to pray to you?
Iye. Mupezeni will have a diplomatic passport? LMAO!
Could this over rated chieftainess first tell us the House of Chief’s views over the harrassment of chief Chitimukulu? She has sidelined the question all this time but has the audacity.
A diplomatic passport is not for every Tom,Dick and Harry.Not even when they blow their PF vuvuzelas loud enough.
No this is a wrong idea those chiefs are just traditional leaders who stay in their villages travel to were and be recognised by who? Nonsense
Sata….
You mean travel to “WHERE”? “Were” is the past tense of “are”.
A Diplomatic Passport is issued to a person who travels internationally on official state business to represent a national government in another nation. If someone qualifies for a diplomatic passport, his or her immediate family qualifies as well. Many countries allow travel visa free with a diplomatic passport.
From the foresaid, it is critical that this matter is not rushed and wider consultation done. Remember, there is a saying that speed kills and reversal once it has been implemented would mean that the nation has already suffered loss and it could be expensive to the nation to correct the loss.
Be Blessed.
demands from a cadre. International recognition for what? They are not official gov’t reps to the international community.
Hope others will not embarrass us by smuggling out of the country fwaka yachi ngoni, lol.
Bad idea anyway. Which development do they promote when some of them dont even allow passage of developers unless bribed. Maybe they bring knowledge frm abroad using juju. Or they can learn and stop useless witch craft.
“Diplomat” comes from a Greek word, and it is refers to a person appointed to make deals with other Countries or international organisations. It is not clear what deals and benefit Zambia will get out of this proposal. More research and clarification needed.
I recon the deals they will strike with other countries are WITCHCRAFT deals….kikikiki..
In Western Province:
.Chiefs (whose names appear on their Subject’ NRCs) are not on salarry, neither do
they have Retainers to guard and serve them
. No palaces have ever been built for them
. Motor vehicle loans were never extended to them
.The cell cites are not extended to them
. Not even boreholes
. Let alone solar energy supplies!
Will they be included on the diplomatic passports service, this time around, even if they they hardly travel, even to their capital, Mungu?
Why then should they continue to be part of Zambia, when their salaries were withdrawn a long time ago, in the early seventies?
Probably they should recert to re-establish their own Barotse Government!
The PF Party that currently Administers the Zambian state machinery should…
Come on guys. We are talking about Paramount chiefs. we have 10 of those and nankomeshya is not the list. Here is a list; Mupezeni, Chitimukulu (after PF is voted out!!), Lozi King, Tonga King, Kaonde King, Mwata Kazembe??, some-one pls help complete the list…
We only have 4 paramount chiefs in Zambia : Litunga, Chitimukulu, Mpeseni and Undi.
There’s only one King i.e. The Litunga. The rest are District Chiefs.
Imagine Njengembaso aka Chief Mpezeni with a diplomatic passport…
Ala kuti lwanya mufyalo fya bene lol
He! heh! he! heeeeeh!
the chiefs can all suck on my balls. evans mfula reporting from evaduco in kitwe but now hiding in lusaka
Whats next????????????
Mfumu, diplomatic passports!!!!!! Sollee William.
Do MPs have diplomatic passports? If the answer is yes, then give these traditional rulers some respect as well. The whole nonsense was started by Chiluba who gave Bishops, Reverends and every person with a collar a diplomatic passport, including a certain Pastor Mumba Nevers.
the four paramount chiefs namely Undi, Mpezeni, Litunga & Chitimukulu have diplomatic passports
Chiefs don’t go anywhere. Stop wasting diplomatic passports. Just give it to Maureen Nkandu. She said she needs one