By Oliver Chisenga
MATERO PF member of parliament Miles Sampa says there is no “good” that can come out of the Lower Zambezi National Park mining project as long as shareholding is not “by and for Zambians”.
In a Facebook posting, Sampa noted that Luangwa and Feira Constituency was “indeed a dead district economically”.
“There is zero industrial or macro commercial activities. Even the confluence of the two big rivers Zambezi and Luangwa has done little thus far to uplift the lives of over 150,000 resident inhabitants in Zambians. It’s even easier to access fresh fish in Matero than locals do in the river waters across borders of Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” Sampa said.
He noted that there are a number of exotic lodges on the river fronts owned by non-Zambians and exclusive to tourists but regretted that majority residents have hardly accessed the lodges as they have no ‘visas’ given that prices are in dollars.
“Once on a political escapade there I booked in one of the Zambezi river lodges for air condition’s sake given the lower Zambezi valley is extremely hot. I had to check out next day as my Visa card began to issue decline receipts overnight,” he stated.
Sampa noted that locals can hardly farm due to harsh valley soils and climate conditions.
On the other hand, Sampa said mine investment would ideally make sense to the lives of people that God made born in the Lower Zambezi.
Not sure of which side of the coin ‘shines’ better, Sampa also figured a mine investment would not make sense to the animals in the area whose existence attracts tourists for the said lodges.
“Herein is the conundrum [conundrum]…Local human home economics benefits from the few mine jobs or cash spill vs wild animals to macro tourists economic benefits. It would be interesting to note the GDP or BOP contribution to our Treasury from the tourist activities in the Lower Zambezi. My instinct is that it’s minimal because most is paid in offshore bank accounts,” he said.
“Then there is the view from the Lumwana Copper and Kasenseli gold mines where locals have equally not benefited economically because payments for minerals dug out from their land is paid for in accounts outside Zambia. Transfer pricing it’s called. Blindfold Zambia out of their minerals and only declare a bit for wages and suppliers.”
He concluded that any foreign contracts signed for mining in the Lower Zambezi by previous regimes can be cancelled by current authorities if they choose to.
“So what’s good for Lower Zambezi?” Sampa asked. “For me none as long as shareholding is not by Zambians and for Zambians. Forget one or two Zambian fronts speaking on their behalf as they are our own economic snipers or mercenaries. They are paid to pose as in charge just to keep us quiet and yet majority locals remain in perpetual abject poverty.”
He said it would be good to consider new local investors with names like Libangila, Tikambenji, Daka, Mbololwa, Siampondo, Hamaleka, Chandalala, Shakafuswa, Sampaula, Kasongo among others.
“Economically, Lower Zambezi born Zambians (Goba, Soli, Sala, Tongas, Nyanjas) should be able to say ‘kuli bonesha ta’ both with tourism lodges and the mine ownership in their God given land,” said Sampa.