The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested 62 peasant farmers countrywide and seized over 10 tonnes of cannabis in the last seven days.

DEC public relations officer John Nyawali disclosed this during a media briefing in Kitwe today. Mr Nyawali said the latest arrest was made yesterday when the Commission arrested two peasant farmers of Kasata farming block in Chingola district who were found with 2.8 tonnes of cannabis field.

The two farmers, Kelvin Kabimbi and Tandeo Mwena, both aged 25 years, were cornered in an operation conducted by the DEC officers. Mr Nyawali said the seizure in Chingola was the largest on the Copperbelt in the last five years.

He said the commission has also arrested 60 people country wide in the last one week after an operation in which 7.3 tonnes of various psychotropic substances were confiscated.

He said among the people arrested was one inmate of Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe, who was found with 19 balls of cannabis, and a grade 10 pupil of Imbolela high school in Serenje district, who was also found with 10 rolls of the banned drug.

Mr. Nyawali said the cultivation of cannabis in the country has reached alarming levels. He has since appealed to farmers in the country to concentrate on growing cash crops which would sustain their food security and not engage in growing illegal drugs.
ZANIS

By Wesley Ngwenya
I am writing this from a guest house somewhere in woodlands–one of the neighborhoods in Lusaka. This is my temporal shelter for the weekend maybe more as my house in Kabwata is completely submerged in water—every room. I have, therefore, abandoned my property which is all floating in about 12 inches high water. [quote]

This should not be a big deal because I chose to go and live in Kabwata. No one forced me to move into that neighborhood. Kabwata site and service is a neighborhood just south east of Lusaka. This means that the houses in this neighborhood have been built by the residents. The City Council provided the land to build the houses. Therefore, the neighborhood has a variety of houses from nicely fenced and fancy houses to poorly built ones.

This neighborhood has been in existence since the early eights but it has no proper drainage systems or paved roads. Therefore, when it rains especially the way it has been in the last three weeks, there are a lot of floods all over. Many people in Kabwata are living with pools of water outside or inside their houses. They do not have the privilege of sneaking to some guesthouse or a relative with better accommodation. They have to continue staying in the same conditions during this period.

Kabwata is considered middle class and is in such terrible state. I hate to think of the situation in Misisi, Kanyama, and Chipata Compounds where I hear people are reported to have died as a result of the floods. What is the local or state government doing about this? What has taken them long to provide these much needed services in these areas? What has been happening to the land rates and other taxes that we pay?

This past week for the first time, the local government decided to send contractors to work on the drainage in Kabwata. What work can be done at this time of the year when there is so much water? Where have they been all this time? Where was the money sitting all this time? Why do we always have to react to problems instead of tackling issues before they become problems? These are frustrating questions to even think of when there are people employed to do these things.

Lusaka City needs a complete makeover underground. Downtown Lusaka (or the city center) is a terrible mess when it rains. Each time it rains in the city the water doesn’t seem to know where to go. It is never guided and usually will flow with the gradient of the ground. Look at those bus stations in the city. Despite that they are used by millions of passengers every year, they continue to be flooded sometimes to knee-high when it rains. Year after year it is the same problems, same places and same consequences- accidents, diseases, and even deaths.

I would go on and on but I will stop here. I have already provided solutions in my previous article on floods. Besides, Rupiah is in a party mood right now and won’t listen. He is busy celebrating his birthday. He is never too old to party. Anyway, as soon as the partying is over we can come back to the table and talk about the floods. By the way, I am working on another love letter for you and your government. Until next time happy birthday Mr President.

The Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) has expressed disappointment at the poor results recorded during the 2009 grade 12 examinations.

And the union has asked government to conduct investigations to determine why some private schools in Lusaka have performed so badly when they are charging exorbitant fees to pupils.

SESTUZ Deputy General Secretary, Emmanuel Zulu said the poor results and the downward trend in number of candidates who sat for the examinations is a source of worry to the country as it may produce half baked citizens who will fail to contribute effectively to the socio-economic development of the country.

Mr. Zulu was reacting to the announcement that over 33,000 out of the 55,000 pupils who sat for Grade 12 examinations last year obtained school certificate.

He added that the union has established that the poor results and the decrease in number of candidates was due to pupils’ withdrawal from schools by pregnancies and parents’ inability to pay school fees. He said this should be quickly addressed to avoid a situation where those who fail to proceed to pursue their tertiary education end up being on the streets as prostitutes, beggars or thieves.

Mr. Zulu has also called on government to investigate why some privately owned schools in Lusaka have recorded a low passing rate despite them promising to deliver the best education to pupils. He said this is unexpected especially that they charge a lot of money.

He said most private schools have employed unqualified staff and do not have proper facilities to conduct experiments adding that government should start supervising them to ensure they meet all the standards.

Mr. Zulu has meanwhile commended government for releasing K21.5 billion towards the payment of the final fixed band housing allowance arrears.He said the payment is a step in the right direction especially that it has been outstanding for over seven years.

Mr. Zulu has however asked government to come up with more progressive staff motivation strategies and conditions of service to motivate the teachers.

ZANIS