Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo today held a meeting with officials from the neighbouring Katanga Province in the D.R.C to resolve a stand-off at Kasumbalesa boarder post which saw drivers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region pack their trucks.
More than 500 trucks from the SADC region had been marooned at Kasumbalesa boarder following harassment by Congolese nationals.
The drivers from SADC countries such as Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa had stopped crossing into the D.R.C citing security concerns.
This came to light when Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo visited the boarder town of Chililabombwe following reports of the impasse.
But the meeting between Mr. Lusambo and Lower Katanga Governor Jean Claude Kazembe Musonda resolved that the security situation on the Congolese side of the boarder will be enhanced.
The meeting also agreed that the Congolese Government will start conducting patrols from Kasumbalesa to Lubumbashi to Kolwezi to ensure safety of the truck drivers.
After the meeting, Mr Lusambo and the Katanga Lower Governor addressed the truck drivers and assured them of the two Government’s commitment to ensuring smooth flow of trade at the boarder.
“This is not a DRC- Zambia issue, it is a regional issue. As Government we are saddened that we have this situation at Kasumbalesa. We have to come up with a lasting solution by creating a dry port at the boarder so that we can sort out these challenges. Our people have been having this harassment for some time. As government we are geared to sort out this issue,” he said.
Mr Lusambo also cautioned the drivers to conduct their work in a professional manner when in Congo and desist from extra activities that may bring them into conflict with the law.
The two officials then went to physically inspect and ensure that trucks start crossing over.
And Chililabombwe District Commissioner Paul Mulenga said the SADC drivers had parked their trucks for fear of being harassed or killed by Congolese nationals.
Mr Mulenga said despite a meeting being convened on Tuesday this week with authorities from the DRC, a fracas ensured with some trucks being damaged and a Congolese police officer being killed forcing the drivers to seek protection on the Zambian side.
He said the truck drivers are being attacked in four different locations on the Congolese side in full view of the police.
The need to ensure the Congolese army is in Katanga so our SADC member nationals are not shot or abducted.
Have you seen, a Congolese called musonda. That is were the thieves we have in zambia belong. In Congo. All these pipo know is stealing and killing. That is the same problem we have in zambia with this tribe.
They sleep thinking of how to steal, wake up thinking of how to steal. Even if he is in a good job it is only stealing.
*****
This obsession with tribal hatred will always cost your party elections for the fore seeable future. We’re afraid that once your man becomes president our tribesmen will be turned into slaves.
Bowman man of peace..
The people living in Katanga are the same people found in Zambia, Kaonde, Lamba, Lala, Bemba, Chokwe, Tabwa, Bwile, Lunda etc. I wonder why the hell these officials won’t capitalise on these historical relations for the benefit of the two countries! The governor of Katanga is another Bemba speaking just like Moses Katumbi. We know it’s Kaunda who soured the relations and promoted hatred between Zambians and Congolese for some fiendish reason. But it need not be so long after he left power. So it’s again due to sheer stup!dity of both officials that this problem continues to recur. Why is there no animosity between Zambia and Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia?
Coz we no speak a ze French and behave like Brits do over the French they fondly name ‘frogs’… But times change. Even to the point the right wings want a Frexit.
You make great points. Linguistically speaking as the guys in the middle we have failed to capitalize on building infrastructure that would make trade, communications and general life easier for ourselves. Historically you may find some of the answers mired in the Barotse issue as that’s who maintained good relations prior to ‘independence’ (KK had his own ideas) and others wrapped up in divide and conquer (Colonials as irritating as it is were not dumb) plus we have a world full of ‘Africans’ who can’t wait to get rid of each other.
Good idea, let the bembas join their brothers the Congolese. Maybe the rest of zambia will have a chance to develop without the stealing.
Check your facts right and stop blaming super ken for nothing I bet you were not yet born when KK left office
Brothers there is no problem between Congolese and Zambians, what is happening is just common criminality due to hunger across the border. Now days people going to Kasama no longer use the (from CB) the great north road. They use the Pedicle road in DRC through Luapula province without any problem. The old problems cannot be blamed on KK. For you children, it was a time Mobutu was not paying his police force and told them : “why should you suffer when I have given you guns “. The situation forced KK to build the Tuta bridge for all those going to Luapula. Today that road is not as busy as it used to be.
Stop lying. Kaunda never soured any relations with Congo. Elyo ba LT the word is simple border border border not boarder monga Ku boarding school where your reporters seem to be coming from
@A Phiri ana bwe…
Thanks
Wantanshi – The reason is simple: Congo Kinshasa/Zaire or DRC (whatever you want to call them) have never had a stable government.