Three children of Kawina village in Chifuwe south of Kabompo district in North-western Province have been burnt to death after the grass thatched house they were sleeping in caught fire.

t Kabompo District Commissioner, Hubert Chinyanga, has confirmed receiving the report that  the three children namely Chisola Kasanga, a boy aged five, Njinga Kasanga, a girl aged three and Lillian Kasanga, a girl aged two, all died in the inferno on Friday, 1^st September 2023 around 21:00 hours.

“I can confirm that I have received the report from police that an unnatural death involving three children occurred in Kawina village of Chifuwe south of Kabompo, when the grass thatched house caught fire from unknown sources and burnt them whilst sleeping,” Mr Chinyanga said.

And speaking in a separate interview, the mother to the deceased kids, Pezo Njuka aged 37, of the same village in chief Sikufele, narrated that her children were left sleeping on Friday night as she went to a neighbouring village to brew local beer known as Kachasu with her friend.

Ms Njuka said she only realised that her house was on fire when she heard neighbours shouting.

She said she rushed to the house and found her children burnt to death.

Police in Kabompo later rushed to the scene and found the bodies of the three children already removed from the inferno.

When the bodies were physically inspected, found legs, hands, lips and ears completely burnt to ashes and the intestines protruding from the stomach.

The bodies of the deceased have since been buried and an inquiry file has been opened while investigations have been instituted to establish the source of the fire.

Meanwhile, Kabompo Stakeholders Association chairperson, Rodgers Chinyemba, has expressed sadness at the death of the three juveniles saying the demise could have been avoided.

Mr Chinyemba said mothers should always put the safety of children first even as they conduct other activities.

“We are saddened by the development as such incidents are avoidable. The children are future leaders and such deaths are painful,” he said.

He has since appealed to government and relevant stakeholders to consider conducting awareness programmes so that the illicit brewing of Kachasu is curbed.

I have just seen a video of houses being engulfed in the infernal in Zambezi as a woman in the background cries, agonizingly, following the tribal clashes between the Lundas and Luvales that flared up earlier in the week.

For the record, I must make it clear I am a member of the Royal family of the Lunda speaking people. As the respected scholar, Prof. Kazhila Chinsembu, of the University of Namibia put it in his message to former Zambezi West Member of Parliament, Charles Kakoma, which of course he was kind enough to share with me and I quote, “I would like to be a good role model that champions the peaceful co-existence of both the Lunda and Luvale peoples in our district. This is important to me personally because despite being Lunda, my wife is Luvale/ Kaonde and corollary my children are Lunda, Luvale and Kaonde,” I will not labour to interrogate who is right or wrong of the two tribes, but rather cry for that family that has lost property……the woman who has lost a husband……that child who has just been orphaned……someone who has had their eyes gorged-out or indeed the person who has to live with life-long scars after sustaining serious injuries. My own sister who is a teacher had her house which is situated within town badly damaged and now has to start rebuilding at such a great cost.

Without any doubt, Zambezi district is one of the least developed places in our nation. While our roads remain quite pathetic and impassable, there’s no economic activity to write home about. The hard wood timber business which at least injected some cash into the local economy for a short while is slowly diminishing, thanks to the depleting timber. Much appreciation and accolades for Senior Chief Ishindi for not giving a blank cheque to individuals and businesses interested in the logging business.

Look at the the Zambezi District Hospital which we inherited from our colonial masters……it’s an eyesore; a total embarrassment! The paint on the walls is peeling off, ceiling boards are curving in while the surroundings are quite unkempt. Do they even have running water? Why is it taking long to demolish it? Go to the government buildings……are we not ashamed that we are still operating from those dilapidated colonial era facilities?

Instead of going after each other’s throats; why can’t we put our hands together and fight for meaningful development to come to our area? For instance, our chiefs can simply impose a ban on timber leaving the district and insist on value addition – we can set up factories to fashion out doors, furniture and display cabinets from our timber! And since our district is endowed with a number of rivers and natural dams, it’s obviously suitable for fish farming. We can equally make use of our vast swamps to produce rice to feed the entire nation and utilise the roling plains for cattle ranching.

Why do we always have to expend our energies on fights, year in and out? Why Zambezi, why?

Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst

Central Province – A Scania Truck Accident Leaves Dozens Dead and Many Injured

A road traffic accident has claimed the lives of 32 individuals in the Mboroma Area of Luano District, located in Central Province. Additionally, 19 people sustained injuries in the accident and have been admitted to Mkushi District Hospital for medical care.

The tragedy unfolded when a Scania truck, operated by 32-year-old Emmanuel Chunga from Itala compound in Mkushi, lost control and overturned on the Masansa-Mboroma road in Luano District. Preliminary investigations indicate that excessive speeding was a contributing factor to the accident.

The ill-fated truck was carrying an undisclosed number of passengers, including business men and women who were en route to participate in what is locally known as the “umunanda” mobile market. Tragically, the accident resulted in numerous fatalities, with some individuals losing their lives at the scene, while others succumbed to their injuries during transportation to healthcare facilities.

Charity Munganga, Deputy Police Commissioner for Central Province, provided details of the incident. Due to the significant number of casualties, the bodies of the deceased were transported to various hospitals within the province, as the mortuary in Luano District has limited capacity.

The accident serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of road safety and adherence to speed limits to prevent such devastating incidents on Zambia’s roads.