GOVERNMENT DELEGATION INCLUDING WESTERN MPs HEADS TO MONGU TO MEET THE BRE
As the standoff continues between the Barotseland Royal Establishment (BRE) and the Government, the UPND is making frantic efforts to patch up a strained relationship by sending Members of Parliament and other senior Government officials who hail from Western Province to go and meet the BRE.
Sources in Mongu say, among the high profile figures being dispatched today on this Western “peace” mission includes Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti.
Meanwhile, sources have told KBN TV that the BRE has welcomed the resignation of Mr. Clement Wanyae Sinyinda, former Prime Minister of Barotseland from the Teaching Service Commission. A “heroes” welcome has been planned for him on arrival in Mongu today, sources close to BRE have revealed.
Mr. Sinyinda announced that he had resigned saying he had expected President Hakainde Hichilema to have apologized to the Litunga, the Kuta and the People of Western Province when he said there was no country called Barotseland recently.
In a related development on Monday, a Medical Stores truck bashed the entrance to the Limulunga Palace of King Lubosi. The accident has attracted different sensitive interpretations within the Province, prompting the Provincial Permanent Secretary promising to bear the cost of repairing the entrance to the Palace.
However, the BRE has instructed the provincial administration to acknowledge the damage in writing and commit that Government would bear the cost of repairs.
- KBN TV
Just how many countries make Zambia if Barotze ,BRE is also a country ? Does it mean that BRE country has been existing as a country within Zambia ?I think this problem has to be solved once and for all,not administering pain killers to relieve the problem as has been the case in the bygone regimes or else govt will be always be compelled to dance to the BRE tune at any given time.I would have thought Zambia was better as one but alas i was wrong,others think otherwise.Only time will tell.From Berlin
Barotseland is a kingdom that is why it has a king; the rest of Zambia have chiefs. The matter of Barosteland must be resolved once and for all just like UK resolved its issues with Ireland, Welsh etc. The key in resolving it lies in sincere dialogue anything else will fail.
This is showing weakness.
Someone tells you the truth, you play victim. Instead of dealing with the truth, you play victim
The one who told you the truth comes to apologise to you. What they are apologising for is unknown, but this action speaks weakness and just encourages more nonsense.
Barotseland is NOT a country. It does not have a currency. It does not have a political leadership. It does not have it’s own functioning civil service.
What exactly are they going to apologise for?
Which government will repair the damaged entrance post? On one hand you claim you are a country on the other you recognize the real government? STUPID IDIOTS.
I hope all those in the delegation who are Lozis would be brave enough to tell the BRE that the path they have been deceived to walk is rhetrogresive. President Hakainde Hichilema said the plain truth – Barosteland is not a country. If it the name Barosteland they want to use, then Kaoma should revert to the name Mankoya and the area the occupy be called Mankoyaland. Equally the Mbunda should also call their area Mbundaland. The Bemba also should call their area Bembaland. Then the Luvale would call their area Luvaleland with Zambezi town reverting to Balovale.The Lunda should name the area they live in Zambezi, Kabompo, Manyinga and Mwinilunga as Lundaland.
And by the way, Speaker Nelly Mutti is not Lozi – she is Mbunda, like Chinga Miyutu and Makozo Chikote. Are they going to say, ” Your Royal Highness King Litunga of Barosteland with royal power of your subjects in Northwestern, Copperbelt, Central and Southern provinces, we your humble hereby reject President Hakainde Hichilema’s utterances and accept to be your loyal subjects”?.
Usually when we deliberate or debate on Constitutional matters, we also quote the constitution in order to clarify or verify the issue that we are talking about. But when we come to Barotseland Agreement, it’s very rare that anyone would quote from the same Barotseland Agreement to prove his argument. Talking about myself, before I had read this Barotseland Agreement of 1964, I thought it was a very complicated document. I also thought it had a provision for Barotseland to exist as country within the Independent country of the Republic of Zambia. But one day when I decided to read the Agreement on my own, I was very shocked to find that the Barotseland Agreement is quite a very short document of about 7 pages and that document, there is nowhere in all its pages where it states that Barotseland will remain a country within the Independent Zambia. Even those who are calling for cessation are acting outside the Agreement and have no backing from the same Barotseland Agreement. In order for me to support my argument, I want to quote some parts of the Barotseland Agreement and from those quotations, we should be able to see if Barotseland still exists or not. This document called Barotseland Agreement was signed in May, 1964 and this is what it says;
“This Agreement is made this eighteenth day of May, 1964 between KENNETH DAVID KAUNDA, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia of the one part and SIR MWANAWINA LEWANIKA THE THIRD, K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland, acting on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors, his council, and the chiefs and people of Barotseland of the other party is signed by the Right Honorable Duncan Sandys, M.P Her Majesty’s principal secretary of state for common wealth relations and for the colonies, to signify the approval of her majesty’s government in the United Kingdom of the arrangements entered into between the parties to this agreement and recorded therein. Whereas it was proposed that the northern Rhodesia shall become an independent sovereign state to be known as the republic of Zambia. And whereas it is the wish of the government of northern Rhodesia and of the Litunga of Barotseland, his council and the chiefs and people of Barotseland that northern Rhodesia should proceed to independence as one country and that all its peoples should be one nation.”
“NOW THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH and it is hereby agreed between the said Kenneth David Kaunda, Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia, on behalf of the government of Northern Rhodesia and the said Sir Mwanawina Lewanika the Third, K.B.E., Litunga of Barotseland on behalf of himself, his heirs and successors, his Council and the chiefs and the people of Barotseland as follows:
1. Citation and commencement
“This agreement may be cited as the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and shall come into force on the day on which Northern Rhodesia, including Barotseland, becomes the independent sovereign Republic of Zambia.”
The paragraphs I have quoted above are very clear, olo chi Zungu ni problem, there is nothing to confuse anyone in these sentences. It is clearly stated that Northern Rhodesia ought to proceed to independence as one country and that all its peoples ought to be one nation. It was also agreed that the Barotseland Agreement would come into force on the which Northern Rhodesia, including Barotseland becomes independent sovereign Republic of Zambia in this case, 24th October, 1964. So according to my own understanding, Barotseland Agreement of 1964 did not leave any room for Barotseland to remain or continue existing as a country within independent Zambia. That being the case, the President was right and those condemning him are wrong because there is no country called Barotseland since the 24th of October 1964 because as stated in the BA, Northern Rhodesia including Barotseland proceeded to independence as one country and that all its peoples should be one nation. It was further agreed that the Barotseland Agreement 1964 and shall come into force on the day on which Northern Rhodesia, including Barotseland, becomes the independent sovereign Republic of Zambia. So BA could not be as complicated as I thought, we just need people with wisdom, mature and sober minds and sit together to chat a way forward. One of the last paragraphs in the Agreement states that any question concerning the interpretation of this Agreement may be referred by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to the High Court of the Republic for consideration (in which case the opinion thereon of the Court shall be communicated to that Government and to the Litunga of Barotseland and his Council) and any such question.”
Citizen,I understand you and and probably everyone else does, this is a written matter and President Hakainde Hichilema always talks of ” zwelopili ” development in all parts of our country.Our National anthem stresses much on oneness,Naha ya kozo nikutwano “a country of peace and tranquility” like a noble eagle in it’s flight.This country is governed by the principles of the constitution and the President of Zambia like any other citizen follows the laws enshrined in this paramount document.Polititians in our country either from the ruling or opposition must stop insighting,issuing statements or commenting carelessly on an
understanding that was done by country elders way before majority of the national population was born.This is very bad and this must be stopped.It’s uncouth and it’s against development.We must grow as a nation and in our minds and thought.People should gain their political milage in a better way.We can only have one president at a given period of time chosen by the people of Zambia through the ballot.Let us therefore respect our traditional leaders and our cultures regardless of where one hails from.One Zambia One People.Let us resolve matters amicably.