President Hakainde Hichilema has announced his intention to take Chirundu and Itezhi from Lusaka and Central to Southern Province respectively.
The Head of state has also said that he will take Chama District to Eastern Province.
President Hichilema said that this was after due consultation with stakeholders and upon consideration of the law.
According to a statement released to the media, the President said that was done in line with the Provincial and District Boundaries Act chapter 286 of the Laws of Zambia, which makes provision for the division of the republic into provinces and districts.
Last Month, Chiefs in itezhi-tezhi Districts unanimously resolved that the district be re-aligned from Central to Southern Province.
Speaking on behalf of Itezhi-tezhi traditional leaders, Chief Musungwa says the decision that was taken to move itezhi-tezhi to Central Province was done without consultation.
Speaking after coffering with President Hakainde Hichilema in Namwala, Chief Musungwa said the move has brought many challenges as the district was too far from the provincial headquarters in Kabwe while Choma has remained closer.
“You can imagine, we have to pass through a heavily congested town like Lusaka to reach Kabwe when Choma is just a stone’s throw away. Why should we be forced to cover this long distance to Kabwe when we were better off with Choma before,” he said.
Chief Musungwa said the realignment of the district was done without due consideration of negative consequences such as loss of cultural identity as people in Itezhi tezhi share common customs and traditions with the people of Namwala.
He stated that Itezhi tezhi was part of Namwala before being granted a district status.
And Special Assistant to the President and Presidential Spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya said President Hakainde Hichilema had received representations from Itezhi tezhi Chiefs who want the district taken back to Southern Province.
Mr Bwalya said President Hichilema will study the matter which he said requires consensus.
“The President has received the matter and it is receiving considerable attention,” he said.
Meanwhile, Itezhi tezhi Member of Parliament, Twambo Mutinta said there was a general consensus that the district, is taken back to Southern as it will make economic sense in doing business.
There had been also calls from Chiefs under Chirundu District, to have the district taken back to Southern Province from Lusaka.
Itezhi tezhi and Chirundu districts were realigned to Central and Lusaka Provinces respectively by late President Michael Sata in 2012.
Lusaka is not a town, it’s a city…anyway the move makes sense. We need a new survey and a new postal addressing system to cover the entire country. How are we still using physical descriptive addresses to locate places in a era of GPS and SatNav? Ati ‘off chakuti road, opposite the big chimutengo’ Michael Sata was the chief architect of confusion in Zambia.
You meant that he intends to take Chirundu and Itezhi Tezhi back to Southern province. However, it’s better not to involve Chama in the Tonga tribalism. The people of Chama don’t care whether they’re in Muchinga or Eastern province. Just work on the Matumbo – Chama – Lundazi road and they’ll appreciate. People of Chama go to Chinsali and Mpika for most supplies, and sometimes Malawi. So it makes no difference to them which province they belong to. It’s only in Southern province where such politics make sense
After 5 or 10 years we shall take them back!!
In the absence of policy guidelines and laws that regulates the geographical demarcation, this problem will continue to be experienced as the next President will also act as deemed fit in his or her eyes. So the trend of moving districts from one province to the other will continue as nothing guides us as a nation.
Uniting the nation???????????????
So, it is undeniable that the lack of development in North-Western, Western and Southern Provinces was a matter of Stark Tribalism!
This was the cries of all the chiefs from Southern Province and their cries have been answered at long last.
@MAANO
Are you aware that Southern province is more developed than Luapula, Muchinga and Northen provinces? The biggest problem we see today is that Tongas think they deserve more than any other Zambian. Fili uko tuya.
So what difference does it make except Tonga tribalism?
Take them back for what purpose? Southern province is part of Zambia and for administrative convenience, it can even be called any other name.
Chama was just included as a smoke screen. Filiokotuleya.
What I expected from the new….eee,,,, I don’t know,however, I expected it to dismantle all the new districts and revert them to thier old status.I am very disappointed because we stated in blak and white that building new roads, creating new districts, new infrastructure were economically retrogressive.Anyway what we have seen to ensure that he cherished places go back to one province.I doubt if it is true Chama tradition leaders wanted to go back to Eastern Province.I agree wit Issacher who says, in writing, that ” Chama was just included as a smoke screen.Filiokotuleya.”Watch my lips”, as impali’s actors are saying!!!!!!!
MCS was the most developmental leader this has country has ever produced.Lets be honest in analysis. If anthing, he was/is the archtect of the massve infrastrucure we have witnessed in this country.From this sentments, these will deliberately neglected during this era , similar to the era of second mmd government, too playing to the gallery!!
It has started haha. We warned you. Hh is a tribal man. This doesn’t surprise me
The change was actually due to f00lishly Sata’s tribalism with intent to dismantle Southern Province. Chama was just included as a smoke screen.
This nauseating baboon called kaizar Zulu. He cannot see anything beyond tribe!!
These are constructs. Like Race. Like Creed. That said, in terms of the construct that is politics, we call that “re-districting” in the US and both the Democrats and Republicans use it for electoral gain. That is the bottom line really, all the bs aside.
Lozis be warned….Soon Parts of Western Province will surrendered to Southern province!
Uniting Zambia?
There is nothing wrong with making changes to reverse previous decisions that were done either irrationally or in bad faith. Even in other countries that experience revolutions this happens. A good example are the reversals made in SA to stop favoritism of one race against others during apartheid years. There is no difference between ethnic hegemony, tribalism and racism. Every Zambian deserves fair treatment and equal opportunities.
Itezhi-Tezhi makes sense to align it with Southern Province. Chirundi is much closer to Lusaka, so advisable to rethink that one.
Chirundu? For what convincing reason?
Long overdue. This nonsense was done by sata when he was high on chamba and the only reason he did it then was just to show that he could.
42% of the people of Chama South voted for UPND
45% of the people of Chama North voted for UPND
86% of the people in Chirundu voted for UPND
90% of the people in Itezhi-tezhi voted UPND
That’s the reality. Zambians choose a leader and he is executing his mandate.
This is how it starts.
Next, all towns in Zambia will be part of Southern province.
In fact, the whole Zambia will have just one province. Southern province.
The above is the thinking of our friends, the 1.8 million. Chikubabe season.
Could anybody give a background to what led to alienating these districts first and what happened? Since independence, was the status quo the same or not?
#24 Things have been changing with time. There was a time when Chingola and Chililabombwe had one MP, Luanshya and Kalulushi same, Kawambwa covered Mwense, Choma was the country’s Capital. There are so many examples.
I think it would be better to build the road between Namwala and Mumbwa which should be less than 100km and complete the Mumbwa Landless Corner Road to Kabwe. To pass through, for example, Lusaka when coming from Choma to Mumbwa is absurd.
Its also easier to go from Lusaka to Namibia via Sesheke but the roads are not good. There are several shorter routes within Zambia but the roads are not tarred or good.
Comment:Kalomo was the country’s capital not Choma.
@Deja Vu… It is Kalomo that was once the capital of the the Northern Rhodesia.. I stand to corrected!
“I stand to be corrected” I mean
@Young Banda, it was late Sata’s vindictiveness that caused the issue.
to give back Chirundu and Itezhi Districts to Southern Province? Such divisive talk! Our provinces are not separate governments! You arent giving back Get the right grammar to report.
The re-zoning etc was for purposes of benefits to be derived from the districts and to remove them from where they were perceived to go. Itezhitezhi was just a big space of hot springs before the electric power station was built (killing the hot springs). The distribution of all the electric power stations in one province, Southern, irked the president and if there was a way to move the rivers/gorges to Muchinga they would have gone to now Muchinga. What is the value of Chriundu for revenue collection? There was no other reason except malice, to disempower the Southern Province. Livingstone, which has been killed by making Choma the Provincial Capital was the capital of the country. There is a Republican reason for Red-lining, which does not apply in the Zambian electoral process.
TAKING CHAMA TO MUCHINGA WAS A MERE SMOKESCREEN BEHIND WHICH THE DISMANTLING OF SOUTHERN PROVINCE WAS DONE.
Iwe IndigoTyrol do not alarm the cyber public. Wamene azabwelapo after HH can also realign ma district according to some political expediency. That is how I see it ine mwe. Let’s move on. Now advocacy from those within the re-aligned districts to watch out for any change in demographics and voting mood is upon them.
Sata created the slog of confusion in Zambia. Let HH reverse the Sata curse on Zambia. These districts belong to Southern province.