GOVERNMENT BUILDING IN CHOMA- This building will be left behind standing by us all and left behind by our grand children’s generation- MILES Sampa
In 2011 and in his own wisdom, late President Micheal Sata transferred me from Lusaka as Provincial Minister to Southern Province in the same capacity. About the same time, he also appointed in other 9 Provinces to be led by Ministers whose great great grandmothers umbilical cords were not buried in those provinces.
Based in Livingstone, my first role was to visit all chiefs in the province. One trip to Siavonga and back took me two days. In a phone call with President Sata I explained my movements to far districts and challenges. “Southern province is vast. Maybe we must centralize the provincial office to Choma and then Livingstone can be left to specialize on its status as the tourist capital ”.
A week later just heard it announced on radio. Choma was my new domicile as provincial minister.
Next few weeks l ventured into Choma with stakeholders to find a location to have the new provincial headquarters built. Various areas were suggested but I settled to recommend the old Choma airport land area. Pilots in the past had already condemned it as a danger geographically. Turns out my tour to the site and accompanied by my then PS Inutu Suba would be to this old airport site.
A day later I was transferred back to Lusaka at MOF.
Yesterday and 10 years later, it was amazing to me to see the fruits of what I was part of conceptualizing with President Sata. The new Southern province Government administration office block is complete at the old airport land in Choma and I gather it will be launched next few weeks.
This building will be left behind standing by us all and left behind by our grand children’s generation.
It’s called sustainable development and that such projects is what should preoccupy all in the Nation.
Together We Can
MBS08.04.2022
