Chief Mwansakombe of Samfya district of Luapula Province has passed away in Lusaka, after a short illness.

Confirming this to ZANIS today, family spokesperson Chief Msamba said Chief Mwansakombe passed away on Saturday afternoon at about 16:00 hours at the University Teaching Hospital’s intensive care unit.

” I wish to inform the people of Samfya, the whole of Luapula province and the entire nation of the untimely death of Chief Mwansakombe on Saturday, ” he said.

Chief Msamba advised all relatives and friends to travel to Chief Mwansakombe’s palace in Samfya to express their condolences and sympathy before his burial on Saturday, August 22 2009.
ZANIS

Itezhi-tezhi High School construction workers yesterday staged a protest at the District Commissioner’s office over alleged beatings and other bad conditions which a Chinese company has subjected them to.

More than twenty construction workers marched ,amid grumbling ,to the District Commissioner’s home. They were advised to go to the office where the Acting DC Hampende Hichilema would address them after ten minutes.

Ndonji Crispin who spoke on behalf of the construction workers complained about the ill-treatment by supervisors at Hua Tiang, a Chinese company which has been awarded the contract to finish phase two of Itezhi-tezhi High school.

“The Chinese supervising us at the construction site are beating us with sticks and making us work through out the week without resting, we report at 07:00 and knock off around 18:00 hours” he said.

He said that when workers complain of being overworked, they are insulted and told to leave their jobs because they claim that they can bring people from China to do the same job.

“We are working like slaves or foreigners in our own country, we do not have protective shoes, and they bought us canvass shoes instead of boots which were recommended by the inspectors”, he said.

Mr. Ndonji said that when the company gives them protective clothing such as overalls, their NRCs are grabbed from them, a situation which makes it difficult for them to access services such as getting money from banks or the post office.

He said that the Chinese contractors do not recognize sick leave and do not care whether someone falls sick during the course of their duty.

“When a worker falls sick, they just say go to the hospital, they do not help with anything and more over they deduct pay from the days you will be sick” he said.

He further said that the workers have been subjected to extremely low wages of K7, 000 per day adding that they are subjected to inhumane and demeaning treatment.
He complained that the workers are made to heap 100 wheelbarrows of crushed stone every day.

Meanwhile Acting Itezhi-tezhi District Commissioner Hampende Hichilema has assured the construction workers that his office would engage the Chinese company on the matters they had raised.

He said that his office would call the management on Tuesday to discuss the alleged beatings and inhumane conditions under which the workers are reported to be working at the High School.

ZANIS

ZESCO Limited in Itezhi-tezhi has threatened to evict its tenants in the bid to recovered about K500 million owed in rentals.

The tenants most civil servants and Government Ministries owe the utility company in unpaid arrears.

According to a notice circulated to all house tenants and Government ministries renting in ZESCO houses and offices, the mass evictions will be effected on Wednesday this week.

And Itezhi-tezhi police officers have expressed anger at the announcement by ZESCO to evict tenants saying that eviction is targeted at Police officers alone.

During the disaster management meeting held at Itezhi-tezhi district Council chamber, police officers accused ZESCO of trying to completely make the police in Itezhi-tezhi live miserable lives.

“It is common knowledge that ZESCO employees have been telling some police officers in the streets that after disconnecting power, they were now going to disconnect water and evict those occupying ZESCO houses due to non payment of huge bills that have accumulated over a long time,” said one police officer.

Among the many prominent clients to be evicted by ZESCO is the District Commissioner both at his office and at his home.

And some residents interviewed by ZANIS have complained that there are disputed bills that have been served on customers.

“In some houses , you find that there are more than one bill and they expect the current occupant to clear everything including the bills left by deceased or transferred clients, this is not fair at all,” said a Mr. Chanda Besa .

Last year similar mass evictions took place and left many clients thrown out due to disputed bills.

ZANIS

Farmers in Mpulungu have threatened to camp at the District Commissioner’s (DC) office to press government to find alternative buyers for their maize which is marooned at several depots in the district.

As efforts mount and tempers flare in pressing government to purchase the marooned maize at several depots, farmers have now threatened to camp at the office of the DC, Willie Sinfukwe saying they have suffered enough.

In separate interviews, the farmers who are stranded with hundreds of bags of maize said they had no other choice but to seriously engage government on the matter because their situation had become desperate.

Former Mpulungu District Council Chairman, Lewis Musonda who is one of the stranded farmers from Chitimbwa farming bloc, said that over 1000 of his colleagues are still stuck with maize which they have failed to sell to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

He said the FRA had only bought less than a quarter of maize from farmers in the area.
Mr Musonda said some farmers from villages like Musakala, Chaulu and Kapondwe are still transporting maize to Chitimbwa depot with the hope of selling it to the agency.

“Others who are more desperate have now resorted to selling their maize to briefcase businessmen who have invaded Chitimbwa farming bloc to buy maize at exploitative prices as low as, K50, 000 per 100 kilogram bag of maize,’’ he said.

Musonda said some farmers fear that they may incur more losses if their maize, currently marooned at the Chitimbwa satellite depot, gets infested with weavils and rot. He noted that the situation was making farmers desperate to dispose off the commodity even to briefcase buyers.

He appealed to government to allow local millers to purchase the maize before it goes to waste.
Meanwhile, Mr Sinfukwe said that the farmers concerns were genuine adding that government was still committed to addressing their concerns.

The DC noted that farmers in the area had heeded government’s call not to sell their produce to briefcase traders and were now concerned since FRA had only bought less than half of their produce in the district.

He appealed to government to increase the quantity of maize bought in the district in order to safeguard the farmers’ interests.
ZANIS

Vice President, George Kunda says government is focusing on accelerating growth in rural areas as outlined in the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) and the Vision 2030.

Mr Kunda said government will continue with socio economic agenda aimed at promoting wealth creation through sustained broad based growth and poverty reduction strategies.

The Vice President was addressing Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) members and Mongu residents on arrival yesterday.

He said it was for this reason that government setup the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund and the provision of other soft loans meant to economically empower citizens.

Mr Kunda reiterated government’s commitment in supporting rural development, particularly the agriculture sector by promoting productivity in a bid to ensure food security, income generation and job creation.

He said the creation of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries will further enhance animal health and research in contributing to the growth of the livestock industry.

Mr Kunda has since urged the provincial administration to prioritise development projects by incorporating them in the formulation of the national budget.

And speaking earlier, MMD National Chairperson, Michael Mabenga assured Mr Kunda that the party in the province is intact and solidly behind the leadership of President Banda.

Mr Mabenga has since directed both the provincial and district leadership to reorganize and cement all structures in readiness for 2011 elections.

He has also thanked the electorate in Chitambo constituency for voting and retaining the MMD in the area.

And Mr Mabenga has also advised Patriotic Front (PF) president, Michael Sata to start practicing issue based politics as opposed to insults.

Meanwhile, Vice President George Kunda has disclosed that government has embarked on the rehabilitation of feeder roads in the North western at a cost of K1.9 billion.

Mr Kunda stressed that it is government’s desire to have all feeder roads in the rural areas rehabilitated and maintained.

He was speaking when he graced the Lunda Lubanza traditional ceremony at his Royal Highness Senior Chief Ishindi’s palace yesterday.

Mr Kunda said government has in this year’s budget allocated K15 billion for the tarring of the Mutanda- Chavuma road.

The vice President stated that the tarring of Mutanda- Chavuma road has continued adding that it is now beyond Mufumbwe boma.

Mr Kunda also said that government has already secured farming inputs which are already being distributed countrywide.

He has since urged all farmers to access the inputs through their respective representative bodies.

The Lunda Lubanza traditional ceremony is an occasion when the Lunda people of Zambezi district come together to pay homage to chief Ishindi’s reign and commemorate their inheritance of a rich culture.

ZANIS