Ex-Miners on the Copperbelt yet to receive farm land, one year after retrenchment

Ex Miners In Kitwe

By Clinton Masumba in Kitwe

It’s been exactly one year since Miners were retrenched from various Mining Companies in Zambia.

In this edition The Reporter looks at how the miners have been surviving after being laid off with no meaningful packages to sustain their livelihoods.

When news broke out that Mining Companies were going to cut down on their work force due to Global Economic Recessions that saw a decline in Copper Prices on the London Metal Exchange, there was panic among the stakeholders in Zambia.

Mine Unions and other stakeholders held various consultative meetings to understand the intentions of Mining Companies. Meetings were held, decisions were made but not to the satisfaction of the Unions.

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu developed interest and shifted to Kitwe to hold consultative meetings with the Mining Investors to see how best the issues of cutting down employment would be addressed considering economic hardships that had hit the nation.

President Edgar Lungu with NFMC Mine Management

President Edgar Lungu had shifted to the Kitwe Presidential Guest house and for over a week, the Head of State met various stakeholders, among them Chief Executive Officers of various Mining Companies and Union Leaders to find a solution to the looming job losses then in the mining industry.

Now, after all consultations were held, decisions were made and the disturbing news was broken out. Thousands of miners had already received redundancy letters and a package of K 18,000 was already waiting to see them off the mines.

Mining Companies on the Copperbelt and North Western Province had effected the Job Cuts.

The Mine Unions in Zambia negotiated for K 18,000 ex-gratia package for each of the retrenched miner, which they asked to be a stand-alone payment apart from the pension money pay by the number of years of service.

Some relief reached the ears of those who had interest to get into the Agriculture Sector as Republican President Edgar Lungu directed that all Ex Miners be allocated with farm land to help them sustain their living standards after being retrenched.

The News was received with mixed feelings with others excited while others objected the move and called it political considering that General Elections were just 9 months away.

Meetings were held among the stakeholders with an Association that was formed to oversee the welfare of Ex Miners.

Copperbelt Province Permanent Secretary Reverend Howard Sikwela called for a meeting with all Town Clerks and District Commissioners to ascertain how much farm land was available in the Province to implement President Edgar Lungu’s directive.

Lufwanyama had the biggest chunk of farm land to a tune of 20,000 hectares along the Lusuwishi River; Chingola had 4,000 Hectares in Mutimpi area while Kitwe offered Residential plots across the Kafue River.

Now, The Reporter took time to find out what has happened one year down the line, on how life has been after losing employment.

The National Ex Miners and Allied Workers Union of Zambia was formed and registered to help capture and identify Ex Miners in all the affected towns.

Association President Taulo Chewe told The Reporter that there are about 11,000 ex miners that have been captured so far.

However, the issue of farm land is still a burning issue to the Ex Miners as no single person on the Copperbelt has been allocated with land one year after the promise was made.

“We have been cheated for too long, they are just playing politics and trying to portray a wrong picture to the nation that we are well taken care of when the opposite is the fact. They don’t seem to care and we have come to a realisation that we are dealing with people that are not serious” one of the ex miners Donald Kabashila said.

“Life has been hard you can’t imagine it, some of us had acquired loans from various Banks and the K 18,000 package made no meaningful impact as am telling you some of us are in serious debts and we have no idea of how we are going to survive with the current hardships” another Ex Miners lamented.

National Ex Miners and Allied Workers Union said “On farm land on the Copperbelt people should get accurate information from us as an Association and the office of the District Commissioner, No single person has been allocated with farm land on the Copperbelt but I can confirm that the surveys are on the ground, people must understand that surveying and demarcating over 20,000 hectares cannot be done in an overnight. For Lufwanyama there is a lot of work you know that is virgin land and it is almost a forest, ZNS is opening up roads, so our members must understand the cost implications for they may not understand the challenges the surveyors are facing” he explained

“Our job as an Association is to continue pushing so that Ex Miners can start cultivating, there is need for resources, enough man power and this is being financed by central government, those we have taken on the ground to see what is happening, they are appreciating. In Solwezi over 50 have been given farm land and like in next week we will soon start showing some members pieces of land Solwezi.

“Chingola is next, about the 300 Ex Miners may be shown plots. We are waiting for a report from the surveyors”

 “102 ex miners who opted to apply for residential plots in Kitwe have been allocated with plots and have started developing. The issue of residential plots is quicker because it was done at the local level as compared to the farm land that has to be handled under the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit in Lusaka” The Association President Mr Taulo Chewe gave an update.

Mr Chewe has assured the Ex Miners not to lose hope as efforts are being made to ensure that all ex miners are empowered with land.

A Mining Expert Joseph Mwale said it was wrong for government to keep people waiting especially after assuring them that their Jobs were secure after the Head of state visited the Copperbelt.

“On the issue of them suffering, I think it’s a lesson to those still working that it is important to invest while work, most those were living luxury lives and forgot that one day they will lose employment, it’s not mockery but people must be responsible with their earnings, you find people getting loans to buy cars, that is not investment, had they invested most of the would be stable by now”. Definitely they can’t lose hope let them keep knocking on the doors of government and see if the promise made by the president can be fulfilled” he added.

Freelance Journalist Chanda Chimba III convicted and jailed for two years

Chanda Chimba III

The Lusaka Magistrate Court has convicted and jailed to two years Lusaka Veteran Broadcaster Chanda Chimba III over his role in the production of the controversial television documentaries “Stand up for Zambia”.

Magistrate Obbyster Musukwa also established that the business trading name Phibajo Productions has been found to have been operating without any formal registration of the business at the National Archives.

Delivering the verdict yesterday afternoon, Magistrate Musukwa said the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. Chimba’s firm had no capacity to pay for documentaries aired on public and private media outlets.

Mr Chimba was producing a controversial TV Series called Stand up for Zambia which aired on ZNBC and was notorious for propaganda against then opposition PF leader Michael Sata.

His co-accused former Information Minster Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha and former Information Permanent Secretary Sam Phiri have been acquitted on charges of abuse of authority of office.

In 2011 Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata sued the publisher of Stand Up for Zambia (SUFZ) News, Chanda Chimba III for allegedly publishing defamatory articles about him, including his sickness.

The late Micheal Sata claimed he had been seriously injured in his character, credit and reputation and was demanding damages and an injunction restraining Mr Chimba and his servant or agents from distributing, circulating or selling the said tabloid until determination of the matter.

Chanda Chimba III is set to appeal against his conviction by the Lusaka magistrate.

Land illegalities in Zambia a threat to integrated planning in meeting present and future needs for housing and infrastructure

By Clinton Masumba in Kitwe

Governing Political Party officials have continued to grab land illegally denying ordinary people access to affordable land and housing which is affecting integrated planning to meet present and future needs for land, housing and infrastructure in Zambia.

Zambia like many other countries has committed to the Habitat III agenda on urbanization and Development but with the current trend, 20 years from now the commitment may not be attained should planning authorities allow governing party officials to take the role of planning cities.

The Central African Country has two tenures of land systems being customary and state, according to the land audit conducted in 1974, 6% of land was under state while 94% still under customary, and that is land administered by traditional leasers.

Zambia has three land deliveries systems which is Customary, Public institutions (Local Authorities, Ministry of Lands, and Ministry of Agriculture) and private formal systems.

Access to land has become a commodity in Zambia making it inaccessible to the vulnerable.

Elected Civic Leaders have several times been caught up in illegal land allocations especially those coming from the governing political parties.

Some of those interacted with reveals why they engage in illegal land activities that have led to an increase in informal settlements in the country.

“We are elected officers but our work is more of volunteerism because we are not entitled to salary, we are not entitled to gratuity even after serving for five years, but how do we survive? We only get allowances of $70 USD in a month where do you take such an amount? One of the civic leaders asked.

“Our supporters are not empowered and giving them land is the only way of empowering them, and such is deemed illegal. Our work is not appreciated and this forces some of us to engage in such activities because not everyone among us has a permanent job”

In January, 2016 The Ministry of Local Government suspended three major Councils in Zambia to pave way for investigations in illegal land allocations.

The suspended Councils were Ndola City Council, Livingstone City Council and Kitwe City Council.

Archie Mulunda - Land Activist 

And Land Activist Archie Mulunda is worried that Zambia’s Developmental Agenda is under threat due to poor land administration in the country.

He said Zambia has seen an increase in the number of informal settlements that have come as a result of poor planning from the local authorities and giving room to governing party official to allocate themselves pieces of land.

“Governing political party officials must allow professionals to plan for better cities, remember Zambia has agreed in the Habitat III agenda and among other things is to make cities better places to live in, so nations are looking at Zambia, but what will this country report after participating in Quito Eduardo were they agreed to urbanization and Development” Mr. Mulunda said.

He has challenged governments to take responsibility and correct the current situation if the nation is to attain the agreed commitments.

“He says Zambia is experiencing serious problems in land delivery channels and this has resulted in the over 1.3 million Shortages of habitable houses, 80 percent of Zambia’s settlements are informal that have no proper services despite them being prime land”

Meanwhile, local Government Minister Vincent Mwale said it is unfortunate to note that the country has experienced a lot of illegal developments which is as result of poor enforcement of the existing laws.

He said it was sad that people masquerading as governing party officials have engaged in illegal allocations of plots even on planned land and those tasked with the responsibility are often intimidated when confronted by the law breakers.

“The Ministry will ensure that no one will use their political influence to distort well developed plans in the name of being a supporter of this or that political party. It is unfortunate to note that the country has experienced a lot of illegal land developments as a result of poor enforcement of existing law” Mr. Mwale said.

Chisokone Market not ideal for trading - Kitwe Mayor

Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang'ombe (L) and kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe (R)
touring Chisokone Market

By Clinton Masumba in Kitwe

Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe has said Chisokone Market in Kitwe is no longer habitable for trading due to the deteriorating infrastructure coupled with poor sanitation.

Mr Kang’ombe undertook his first tour of Zambia’s arguably second largest Market in the Company of Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe to appreciate the challenges being faced by the marketeers.

As usual bad state of the toilets, poor drainage systems and deteriorating infrastructure are among the major challenges that welcomed the two Youthful leaders.

Mr Kang’ombe said the levels of sanitation are very poor and there is need to urgently move in and arrest the situation to make the environment habitable for doing business.

The Local government Association President said the Council will soon move in to provide drainages and make sure that toilets have adequate water supply.

“We have established that the levels of sanitation are very poor, we urgently need to find a way in which we can provide drainages, were water can easily flow. We need to ensure that toilets have adequate water supply.  We want to assure marketeers that the local authority which is collecting money will provide a service to their satisfaction” His Worship the Mayor said.

“We are going to continue collecting garbage; we are going to continue cleaning the facilities so that they are ideal for trading. The office of the District Commissioner and The office of the Mayor is planning an indaba to come up with solutions that will address the challenges being faced by marketeers.

Mr Kang’ombe has appealed to the Marketeers to continue trading despite the market facility not being ideal for doing business.

 “We have discovered that this facility is not ideal for trading, it’s just that people are suffering but in my view we need to improve the state of the market” He added.

“My anticipation is that there is a lot of money which is not reaching the Council, if our cashiers are collecting money and it’s not reaching the council then we have to address that, it is the reason we are calling for an indaba and establish the actual money which is supposed to come out of Chisokone”

Meanwhile, Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe said his office will urgently move in to provide security market and address the issue of Foreigners that have invaded the markets.

“Government will move in to provide security in the market;  we will protect our marketeers, because the informal sector is what government is looking at to contribute to the country’s economical development, we need to protect the sector, there is too much money that can add value to national development” He said

Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang'ombe and Kitwe DC Chanda Kabwe

And the two District leaders have issued a joint statement regarding superiority in the district.

Kitwe District Commissioner Chanda Kabwe said “we are not interested in who is senior and who has more authority, we are interested in providing services, but we are going to work as a team, anything to do within the district we will work as a team”

And His Worship the Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe said “His Excellency is not interested in politics of seniority, who should report to who, who should sit in which office and drive which vehicle, our purpose is to provide a service”