A renowned Lusaka Entrepreneur Daniel Kabani, has opposed efforts and calls for the separation of the Barotse land from Zambia labeling it as a talk of the idle old men.
The Barosteland separation issue seems to have resurfaced in Western Province and is considered a very politically sensitive issue as boundaries are believed to be extensive and would chip away the mineral-rich parts of Zambia together with the entire current boundaries of Western Province. This is a matter that has been arising from time to time and seems to be getting hotter at the moment.
Commenting on the matter, on his page monitored by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, DNK CEO Daniel Kabani, born and bred in Western Province, described the agenda as the talk of idle men. Kabani argued that there is an urgent need to push for land reform in the Western province noting that the Province is the only province among the 10 provinces in Zambia with a majority of youths that own zero land because the authority has a land policy that conditions them for poverty.
Kabani said the hardest thing to get in the Western province is a title deed. “Your land can be grabbed anytime by the BRE or any envious villager. Land disputes and uncertainty make it hard even for us locals to develop the area” said Kabani.
He said no serious investor can invest in the Western province because of this issue of land adding that the land issue only benefits the BRE with those linked to it.
“I am from Barotseland but this is the talk of idle old men in Western province. The call for separation was in the past justified when the province was being sidelined in development.” Kabani however, emphasized that development is now decentralized through initiatives like the Constituency Development Fund –CDF-. “Development now is in each province’s hands.
“These are often old men that have failed in life, retired with no real investments, and are in the habit of arm-twisting the Government into giving them appointments using the Barotse issue The last time I checked M who ran around as the liberator of Barotse accepted an appointment by Zambia to Europe, the Ngambela who was presiding over the BNC that you are citing is currently working in the Zambian Government as a commissioner,” said Kabani.
Kabani has therefore called on the youths of Western Province not to buy into the agenda of the Barotse separation, but begin to elect vibrant youths into parliament, unlike the retirees who see politics as a saviour. “Go to school and get proper qualifications. There are very few lozis now in any university. Don’t be blinded by the statistically unfounded statement that loziz are the most educated in Zambia” said Kabani. He further advised the youths to push for the building and completion of Lewanika University noting that this is what will make them competitive with other youths in the country.
Kabani added that more productive agendas should be pushed for such as road infrastructure development for the Lusaka Mongu road and also a road to Angola for example.
“Land reform coupled with road network must give us access to Namibia and Angola which are two non-farming economies that agriculture production of rice and livestock could feed and peed to quick development,” said Kabani.
“In the past, our enemies were tribal leaders who hated you for merely being Lozi, who discriminated against you in appointments and development. Now the ground has been leveled. Through hard work we all have access to equal opportunities like any other Zambian” emphasized Kabani.
He has challenged the youths not to waste their time and youth fighting losing battles, but to focus on developing themselves and finding ways of partaking of the national cake. “Let us leave this old useless agenda that has been overtaken by events and time. Let’s be strategic and smart as individuals and as a people” said Kabani.
