Farming inputs for the 2007-2008 farming season will soon start being dispatched to various parts of the country in readiness for the coming farming season.

Livingstone district commissioner Francis Chika disclosed this when he officiated at the launch of the alternative livelihood programme at Mahululo programme against malnutrition satellite yesterday.

Mr Chika said government was committed to ensuring timely distribution of farming inputs to enhance food security in the country.

Mr Chika called on the district agriculture and cooperatives coordinators to start sensitizing farmers in the area on what type of seed to buy to suit the changing weather patterns.

He noted that early maturing varieties were more preferable for the southern region as the rain period had drastically reduced in recent years.

And in another development, Mr Chika called on Zambia wild life authority to seriously address the issue of elephants as they were destroying people’s crops in the district and endangering people’s lives.

The district commissioner suggested that there was need to crop the animals which include crocodiles as their population had swelled significantly posing a danger to people’s lives.

He called on the authority to sensitise people on how best to handle the animals to minimize crop damage and to save lives.

ZANIS

Sinazongwe Veterinary officers have arrest an illegal livestock dealer and burnt all the animals he was carrying.

The arrested was effected following the suspension of the issuance of stock movement permits owing to a fast spreading disease called Pluro- pneumonia from Kazungula that has already reached Kalamo.

Sinazongwe Livestock Officer Jericho Sakwanda said the District Veterinary Officer Dr Ernest Ndalama impounded the light truck registration number AA 260 88 at Zenga where it was destined to Siansowa.

Sakwanda disclosed that  Deene Simugande of Village Kasompela in Chief Mweemba area had carried one cow and six goats.

He said upon examining the animals the goats had a disease called Manje and the cow was infested with ticks.
“The man was trying to move at night without any proper documentation,”  Sakwanda said.

The Livestock officer disclosed that  Simugande had been dealing in selling of diseased animals for a long time without getting permit from veterinary officers but this time he was nabbed.
The impounded animals were burnt from Maamba in the presence of police officers after obtaining a court order from Choma magistrate.

Sakwanda said the vehicle would remain at police until further notice from the court and he has warned all cattle dealers to observe the ban that the Department of Veterinary in Southern Province had put in place to safe guard their animals.

According to the circular made available to Sinazongwe district, no live cattle would be allowed to move into and out of the Southern Province.

The ban has also been extended to district in which no cattle would be allowed to move between districts.

“The department of veterinary has put the following measures to in place with immediate effect to facilitate the control of diseases,” the circular read.

Sinazongwe Police have arrested Makonkoto Basic School Head teacher for alleged theft of Parents Teacher’s Association (PTA) Funds.

Police arrested the Head teacher last week Wednesday for allegedly stealing three million Kwacha meant for PTA funds but was later released after a named United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament ordered them to release him.

But he was later re-arrested on Monday pending investigation into the matter.

When they searched his office police found that in the same drawer there was money meant for examinations but it was not touched.

Sinazongwe District Commissioner Laiven Apuleni said no one was allowed to interfere with the operation of the law enforcement officers adding that a MP has no right to give orders to police to release a suspect.

Mr. Apuleni said police should be left alone to do their professional duty without any interference from anybody.

Makonkoto Basic School Head teacher Stephen Mweemba told ZANIS before he was picked up for questioning that he discovered that money was missing in his office on Wednesday last week and that thieves broke into his office.

Mr. Mweemba said he convened a meeting with his members of staff until they concluded to take the matter to police but when they reported he was arrested as the first suspect.

“We are not sure of who store the money as I am the last person to leave and the first one to open the door to my office.

But when police visited the School they discovered that all the doors to the Head teacher’s office were intact and there was only a small hole made in one window and a person could not pass through.

A 14 year old girl and a 15 year girl have been repeatedly defiled in Sinazongwe district.

Both incidents occurred at Nangombe Basic School in Buleya Malima and the defilers have not been arrested despite the head teacher’s reporting the matter to police.

Nangombe Basic School Headmaster Edmond Hakalembe told ZANIS who visited the School that a 30 year old man of Mwaalede village was having an affair with a 14 year old girl.

Mr. Hakalembe said the named man was having an affair with a minor School girl who is in grade six.

He said there were many cases of love affairs at the School that were resulting into early marriages and pregnancies.

The headmaster disclosed that the parents to the 14 year old girl Mr. Orbet Siavuula came to report the matter to School and to seek assistance.

Mr. Hakalembe disclosed that the alleged defiler was above 30 years, was married, and has three children.

He said the wife of the alleged defiler has on several occasion confronted the 14 year old girl at the School so that they could fight.

The Head teacher said the girl who was below 16 years was in grade seven and she was defiled and married to a named man of the same village at Mwaalede.

Mr. Hakalembe noted that despite sensitization campaigned that were being conducted at the School and the community, cases of defilement, early marriages, and pregnancies have continued.

Records from Nangombe Basic indicated that in 2005 two grade six girls were married and three grade eight girls.

The Head teacher noted that last year they had workshop with the community to sensitize them on the evils of early marriages, defilement, and pregnancies but nothing has changed.

“The situation is still uncontrollable parents have continued to report cases of defilement and early marriages , the only good thing is that the community is now able to report such cases,” Mr. Hakalemba said.

Sinazongwe Police have failed to follow up the cases despite receiving the reports because of the lack of transport and their only vehicle is consistently on breakdown.

Chief Sinazongwe of the Tonga people has charged that the investors exploiting the natural resources in his chiefdom will have to start paying royalties to ease the high poverty levels in the district.

 

The Chief said at the launch of the MALIKO Community Development Trust at his palace that he could not continue to be a beggar to the investors.

 

“I have been a stupid chief without having a tradition constitution, from now no investor will get free land and they will be paying royalties either monthly or yearly. All business of any kind will have to pay royalties,” the Chief said.

 

He said he could not be a proud chief because of the poor infrastructure in the district which has not been developed for the past 48 years.

 

Chief Sinazongwe noted that his chiefdom lacks a hospital, a high School, good roads, good government infrastructure, and electricity in the villages.

 

 The chief pointed out that the only infrastructure that the district has was the Boma offices and the fisheries Training centre

 

Chief Sinazongwe bemoaned that out of the 1,500 people in his chiefdom he was the only one enjoying electricity while the rest were in darkness.

 

“I can not be happy I have no power in my villages, I can not go to Kafwambila because the road is impassable, I cannot cross the Lake Kariba to visits my brothers because I have no means and we have no boarder,” Chief Sinazongwe said.

 

He urged the investors to view the MALIKO Community Development Trust that would be in charge of collecting royalties on behalf his chiefdom from a different point of view because they were in partnership.

 

Chief Sinazongwe explained that the money realised from the royalties would not be dipped into someone’s pocket as he always ensured that funds were disbursed to the intended purpose.

 

He said the district should not continue to wallow in poverty when there were many investors reaping the natural resources without paying back to the owners of the land.

 

“Why should we be suffering, don’t we have natural resources in the chiefdom, even in villages you will be paying royalties, because you brew ‘Kachasu” a local bear that distruct our people and two percent of it should  be for royalties,” the Chief said.

 

The Chief noted that it had taken time to come up with the trust which was started in 2004 and was now registered under the Registrar of Societies.

 

The chief who has traveled to Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, and Israel with the help of Woman Change said he gained a lot on how other chiefdoms were using their natural resources to develop their areas through royalties.

Kapenta Fishing Association Chairperson Johann Jordann noted that there was need to change, to start paying royalties for the sake of security, and for the wellbeing of the district.

Mr Jordann who is also the proprietor of Zongwe Farming Enterprise urged the Trust to avoid overcharging them as this would hinder future development in the district.

 

“I hope MALIKO will achieve its intended purpose and acknowledge that the district is underdeveloped,” Mr. Jordan said.

He urged parents in the district to educate their children because the launch of the trust would have not taken place if their pioneers were not educated.

The newly formed MALIKO Community Development Trust in Chief Sinazongwe has warned that investors failing to share their wealth with the community were at liberty to leave the district.

 

MALIKO Community Development Trust Chairperson Alfred Siachaluza said investors in Sinazongwe district were failing to pay royalties as was being done in other provinces.

 

Mr. Siachaluza said only one named investor in the district was paying royalties to the chiefdom while the rest were pocketing all their resources to themselves.

 

“We have watched closely the activities of our esteemed investors, hoping that they will one day remind themselves to remit royalties to the Chief as done in other provinces but nothing has been done for the welfare of the community,” Mr. Siachaluza said.

 

He said the trust was a non-political organisation and has opened up their minds to ensure that they were the proper custodians of their wealth and they deserved a share from investor within the chiefdom.

 

“This is not a threat but a friendly reminder, that we deserve royalties also here,” the Chairperson noted.

Mr. Siachaluza explained that the trust’s objective was to uplift the living standard of the communities through regaining the lost wealth that has been drained by investors without paying royalties.

Women for Change field Animator Vincent Akamandisa said he was glad to be part of the MALIKO Community Development Trust because it would benefit the rural people.

 

Mr. Akamandisa said Woman for change initiated and supported the same activity in Chief Bright Nalumamba’s area.

He disclosed that through their efforts they have managed to create SADC council for traditional leaders.

The field Animator noted that despite having a lot of natural resources in Chief Sinazongwe’s area poverty levels were still high.

He reaffirmed that little has been done to raise the living standards of people that were displaced since Lake Kariba was belt in 1967.

“How much money has been raised to develop the displaced people, they have not benefited even from the coal being mined in their area, the trust will help the chief to manage the social capital we wish them the best,” Mr. Akamandisa said.