CORRUPTION MUST CARRY A DEATH SENTENCE IN ZAMBIA

CORRUPTION MUST CARRY A DEATH SENTENCE IN ZAMBIA, THE “WHITE-MAN” STILL RULES AFTER 50 YEARS BECAUSE OF IT – NIZA PHIRI(Munali independent)
As I left Mopani copper mine in mufulira yesterday, completing an engineering job there, I coudnt help getting caught up in the sadness that engulfed the mine after some individuals were handed retrenchment letters. I watched as some knelt before their “white” bosses, pleading for a chance because their families would be thrown into serious anguish if the lost employment. Why are we always begging the “white man”. It is estimated that up to 12000 jobs will be lost by the year end. so how did we get here? Why do we have such little say about how what is ours is run? We talk of independence, but how many establishments are actually owned by Zambians? How many times do we see Chinese contractors blasting zambians at a construction site? Its far too familiar. We have talked about solutions to these problems for the greater part of the last two decades, but nothing changes, there have been proposals for legislation that allows government some control over the mines but nothing gets done, all because someone somewhere is benefiting. We sold the mines because some individuals wanted kick backs, the foreigner knows in Zambia , if you service the right people business is good for you.

The issue of load-shedding, i wouldn’t be surprised that the reason the new Chinese turbines installed at kafue gorge that require more water to generate an equivalent output as the turbines before is because someone somewhere is benefiting. How disgusting are we as a people, you are willing to put so many individuals at risk just because you want to benefit? We really need to revise our laws and make CORRUPTION punishable by DEATH so as to deter would be offenders. And we further need to develop legislation that supports indigenous peoples, like the Black empowerment laws in south Africa, because as it stands, we are more colonised now than we were pre 1964. We talk of malls, mines etc, who owns those things ? Is it indigenous zambians or foreigners ? The money we used to spend on the tutembas of our fellow zambians we now spend at these malls. Making Zambians even poerer. How many times have we heard about the need to diversify into agriculture. But have we actually made any effort in that area? We stick to NON INCOME generating ventures like roads because we need to reap from kickbacks? And also for political gain so we can secure another term to make proceeds from CORRUPTION. People in hospitals are dying because of CORRUPTION. People are dying of poverty because of CORRUPTION. We are still colonised because of CORRUPTION. This cripples our nation and CORRUPTION should be a capital punishment crime. We need to deter people from this vice.