By CHUSA SICHONE-
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has exercised lenience on Libala Water Works residents by embarking on a process of legalising their stay in the area.
LCC public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda told the Sunday Times that there was a portion in Libala Water Works where people had illegally settled but that the local authority had given the settlers a second chance instead of demolishing their structures.
“There’s one portion which we call illegal because people built structures without planning permission. So what the council has done is to recognise that area, so next week we are beginning the registration of the properties and getting the details of the owners,” he said.
Mr Mulunda said the affected families were expected to open accounts with the LCC where they will deposit K7,500 as a penalty fee aimed at enabling the council to come up with a layout to be numbered by the Ministry of Lands before giving the residents offer letters.
Mr Mulunda, however, could not give the number of households involved but hinted that the area in question was big.
He urged the residents to comply as failure to do so would force the LCC to apply the law against their continued illegal stay in the area.
“It’s at their own risk if they don’t comply because we are just offering them. They are in the wrong but we have placed a human face to it.
“If we used the Town and Country Planning Act, we should have demolished those structures but we are saying let us recognise them and it’s up to them now to pay that penalty fee for us to facilitate for their offer letters,” Mr Mulunda said.
‘Empower East women’
By JULIUS PHIRI –
THE Government has called for economic empowerment of women in Eastern Province as a strategy to fight gender-based violence.
During a courtesy call on the provincial administration, Gender and Child Development Permanent Secretary Daisy Ng’ambi said that the lack of economic independence for women made them vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.
Ms Ng’ambi said that gender and child policies had been approved by Cabinet as a means of strengthening the role of the Ministry of Gender and Child Development, which was formulated in 2012.
She said that all provinces in Zambia would soon be hosting a Women’s Economic Expo, which would see women exhibit their various crafts and trades.
Ms Ng’ambi said that was aimed at challenging women to be economically active, and that 20 women from Eastern Province would be selected from the Expo to participate in the national Expo.
Meanwhile, provincial deputy Permanent Secretary Patrick Mwanawasa acknowledged President Edgar Lungu’s step of engaging traditional leaders in mainstreaming gender.
Mr Mwanawasa said that involvement of traditional leaders would help the ministry to spread the policies at grass root level.
Zesco blamed for burnt properties
By ADRIAN MWANZA
KAMWALA residents say Zesco Limited is responsible for the fire that burnt down two houses due to an electrical fault and persistent load-shedding in the area.
Two houses located on Kamwala’s Lusitu Road caught fire on Monday afternoon after the area experienced load-shedding.
Eye witnesses said the first house caught fire around 15:00 hours and burnt goods worth thousands of Kwacha.
Batwell Michelo said the first house caught fire after the child who was playing with a packet of matches failed to put off a flame that engulfed the entire house.
He said the mother of the child was also burnt in the process and was rushed to the hospital where she was receiving treatment.
Michelo said quick response from the community and the Fire Brigade helped the affected families recover some goods from the inferno.
“I must commend the Fire Brigade and Kamwala residents for their swift action in trying to quench the raging inferno,” he said.
The owner of house Number 28, Lusitu Road, could not be reached for a comment as his mobile phone was switched off.
But a few hours after putting off the inferno, neighbours noticed smoke coming out of house number 16 belonging to Mr Robert Ndopu.
It was at this point that the neighbours broke down the door since there was no one at home at the time.
Jasper Mulenga said people noticed fire coming out from the roof and forced the door open to save the house.
“We noticed fire coming from Mr Ndopu’s house an hour after the Fire Brigade had just quenched it from the other house on the same road,” he said.
Mulenga said he suspected that the fire that burnt Mr Ndopu’s house might have been started by a Zesco fault because the area experienced load-shedding earlier and the house caught fire a few minutes after power was restored.
“We suspect that the fire on the second house might have been started by a Zesco fault since the fire started a few minutes after power came back,” he said.
And Mr Robert Ndopu said he was grateful to the Fire Brigade and community of Kamwala for risking their lives to help save his house.
He said the house was being looked after by caretakers who were not home at the time of the inferno.
Mr Ndopu said he had just finished renovating his house at K900,000.
“I am just from renovating this house and I spent a huge amount of money trying to make it more spacious and attractive,” he said.
But Zesco Limited spokesperson Henry Kapata said the organisation had not received any complaint from any one over loss of property due to power.
Mr Kapata said Zesco Limited would move in and investigate the matter immediately the affected property owner reported the matter.
“We are going to clear the owners if at all the fire was started due to an electrical fault which was caused by Zesco Limited,” he said.
‘We‘re not silent on public smoking ban’
By CHUSA SICHONE
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) says it has not been dormant in the enforcement of Statutory Instrument (SI) number 39 of 2008, which has banned smoking in public places.
LCC public relations manager Habeenzu Mulunda told the Sunday Times during the week that the local authority had taken the sensitisation approach in the implementation of SI No. 39 of 2008.
Mr Mulunda said the SI in question had generated debate as some smokers had argued that the SI had lacunas such as not specifying what it meant by ‘public’ and not providing alternative places or smoking zones for those who wanted to continue smoking.
“I wouldn’t say it (SI) makes implementation difficult (because) we are already implementing it. Implementing for us we say let us start with sensitisation. We are implementing it already but we cannot curtail the debate which is there.
“The debate can go ahead but we need to educate people, people need to appreciate. If I come and tell you to stop eating meat, you will ask me why. Now, for us to answer that why, first of all we need to give them that information,” he said.
LCC health inspectors have encompassed sensitisation on dangers associated with smoking to smokers and non-smokers (passive smokers).
The LCC has also been distributing posters, especially to owners of public buildings such as bars or nightclubs, among others, that discourage smoking but it has currently run out of such materials.
He said the introduction of the SI by the Government through then Local Government and Housing minister Sylvia Masebo in 2008, smoking in public places had somewhat reduced as compared to alcohol abuse.
Mr Mulunda, however, said that discouraging people from smoking should be a concerted effort and not be left to the council alone.
“It’s not just the role of the council, it’s the role of everybody because there is no one who is called a council. It’s all of us, that’s why we insist that everyone should participate. Let us educate each other on the dangers.
“Of course the council will take the lead role but it’s not just the council. When a person breaks the law, we expect other players coming in. Whether it’s the State police, if they find someone smoking they are supposed to arrest because the law says don’t smoke in public,” he said.
When contacted for a comment, Local Government and Housing Minister John Phiri said he was in a meeting.
100,000 Central cattle treated
By SYLVIA MMWEETWA
MORE than 100,000 cattle have been vaccinated against animal diseases in Itezhi-Itezhi and Mumbwa districts, Central Province Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale has disclosed.
Ms Mutale further revealed that 18 dip tanks were rehabilitated and constructed in the province aimed at protecting against cattle diseases.
Speaking during the Provincial Development Coordinating Committee (PDCC) in Kabwe, Ms Mutale said 96,000 cattle were vaccinated in Itezhi-Tezhi and 59,553 in Mumbwa under the Veterinary Department, bringing the total to 155,553.
She said the Government was committed to ensuring that farmers were sensitised over the importance of vaccination of cattle to avoid losing out, and encouraged those who had not done so to follow suit to avoid losing out.
The Government has further constructed an office block for Chibombo veterinary office and a camp house in Mumbwa.
Meanwhile, as at December 2014 under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), a total of 157,665 maize packs were distributed to beneficiary farmers, representing 94 per cent of the total allocation of 166,888 packs.
17 discharged after eating poisoned meat
By SYLVIA MWEETWA
SEVENTEEN members of one family in which two children died after eating suspected poisoned animal offals in Mkushi District have been discharged from hospital, while a woman has lost her pregnancy.
Central Province Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale, who visited the victims at the hospital yesterday, said she was happy that they were all out of danger but advised the public against eating animals that died mysteriously.
Ms Mutale said samples on the carcass had been taken by Police and health personnel for testing in Lusaka to establish what caused the death of the cattle.
Ms Mutale said 75 per cent of the patients tested positive for Malaria and the health personnel had given them one mosquito net each after suspecting that the area could be infested with mosquitoes.
She, however, was saddened that a woman lost her pregnancy after eating the offals.
Last week, two children aged 10 and 14 years died after eating suspected poisoned animal offals in Mkushi, while 10 others, all members of one family, were battling for their lives in Mkushi District Hospital.
The deceased, identified as Winder and Goodson Mpande, vomited yellow liquid before dying at Mkushi District Hospital and Tuyo Clinic, respectively.
Central Province Police Chief Lombe Kamukoshi described the condition as serious and said that the victims were all of Mpande Village in Chief Chikupili’s chiefdom.
