Sinazongwe farmers from Chuunga in senior Chief Mweemba area have called on government to construct a road, School, Clinic, and boreholes to save them from difficulties they are facing. Chuunga area which has more than 400 hundred people have been having no School, clinic, boreholes, and a road network since the country attained Independence.
The ZANIS reporter who visited the area which is 18 kilometres from Maamba mine area found that the road is impassable even a bicycle could not pass through because the area is mountainous.
It takes 2:30 hours on foot to reach chuunga area where people had settled after they were displaced from Lake Kariba and from Maamba mine area.
Mr . Chinsanga Saka a farmer said clean water was difficult to find as the streams dry up by April and they walk for more than two kilometres to fetch for water adding that for bathing one has to make a time table.
Chuunga area which is surrounded with bush and mountains has only foot paths, farmers have no access to fertilizer, and there is no road where agriculture officers could bring it Mr. Saka said.
He disclosed that people in the area covers 18 kilometrs on foot to Maamba mine area to buy most of their commodities and in dry season when there is no water they go to buy even a head of cabbage and tomatoes for K100, 000.
“We are suffering here and no one like you has ever been to Chuunga, we need some one to help us even with a borehole, a School, and a clinic,†Mr Saka said.
Maamba ward Councilor Peter Siavuulwa said the road that is now a foot path was once graded in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda regime and from that time the road was impassable.
“This place is not known and when you talk about it no one will pay attention because people especially government officials have never been to this place,†he said.
The councilor noted that even during the campaign period politicians do not reach the area and villagers are made to come to Maamba for voter registration and voting.
Mr. Siavuulwa said the only way to get a vote from the villagers was to tell them that government has neglected them.
“Otherwise people here do not know that government exists, as their children do not go to School and the only Community School is run by untrained teacher who is just a grade nine,†Mr Siavuulwa said.
He revealed that most people do not go to hospital and mothers give birth from their homes because it was far from Maamba hospital.
And most people talked to told ZANIS that most children do not go School as they could not afford to be covering 18 Kilometres.
By Tovin Ngombe
The Editor,
My heart bleeds with pain when I read moving stories like what the Sinazongwe community is expeiencing. Zambia has a meager population of only about 12 million people.The government should not be allowed to fail to provide basic services such as health, education and clean water to this community. On the other hand Zambia has abundant natural resources which are either undeveloped or left to foreign corporations to plunder.
The current MMD government should be ashamed of itself when addressing the issue of national plunder because they are currently in the middle of the act themselve. How you ask? By awarding tax breaks and unrealistic investment incentives to foreign corpoorations at the expense of our local investors. How do you justify giving a company 15-20 years of tax breaks. On whose side is the government when they make such decisions?
Look at the recent high copper prices. How much did Zambia benefit from this once in a life time opportunity to beef up our national reserves?
My fellow citizens, Zambia need change. Change in the way we do business locally and with the international community. Change in our governance system that is proactive to the plight of our citzens and change in our political attitude toward the people our polticians pretend to serve.
In this Sinazongwe shameful story, where the hell is the area MP? Maybe I have an answer after all. He/she is somewhere in the city enjoying driving the GX. This practice of importing parliamentaly candidates from the city should come to an end if Zambia has to develope. These importees have no heart for the constituencies they claim to represent but gain for themselves. Shame on them!
Thanks Lusaka Times for keeping me informed.
Robert Mwanza
USA Dallas, Texas.
I’m not surprised by this shameful/unfortunate discovery in sinazongwe.I grew up there, life for people in this area is hell.The area is not good for agriculture, the govt ignores them, climate does not favor growing food, etc.
The govt ignoring is mostly becoz this area is under opposition.The MP of course is imported.These people practically have no voice, the councillor can try hard to voice these problems but the MP is better placed to do that.These opposition area are probably all receiving the same attention from Govt., punishing the electrorate for not voting for the ruling party.Such is politics in this part of the world.
Bigups to Lusaka Times 4 telling the world.
JHB
One wonders what kind of life people are living in this quaratined area of Sinazongwe. Who honestly is the MP in this area. Is he/she one of the bunches of plunderers and dishonourable MP’s claiming to have their salary increased. Shame on you!
I am trying to imagine living in this area which is not accesed by road , no clinic and no school for those youg genius. It brakes my heart to the point of crying.
These are some of the consequences of having mediocre leaders who are not able to articulate matters and represent their people on issues affecting them when they are in parliament. They are compitent enough to debate on how much they can take home as gratuity, at an expense of he poor rural dwellers who gave them their vote, than to convice the goverment to allocate funds to develop their consituencies. I recomend that this MP should be kept on his/her toys to make sure that the service are delivered now and without delay regardless of which political party he or she belong to . The people should not be subjected to this hell like conditions just because they voted for someone in the opposition.The MP has to carry out his duty because he is being paid for it.
Keep it up Lusaka Times for going beyond the borders of Lusaka after all this is the real news we need. Exposing what has been swept under the carpet.
Francis Ng’andwe
Canada,Edmonton
These are serious concerns that need to be tackled immediatly.that’s why I always take it that attaining MDGs is just a wishful thinking for zambia.damn this breaks my heart a lot.I pray one day I will use my degree to better my country especially on its sustainability of natural resources