Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:13:15 +0000
The Lozi Royal establishment has been angered by government failure to turn up for a meeting it had requested for with the traditional leaders in Limulunga yesterday.
The Ngambela of Barotseland Clement Sinyinda yesterday the non-appearance of the vice president Guy Scott and his team and this apparently angered the Lozis who were kept waiting the whole day.
The vice president in company of tourism minister Sylvia Masebo and her Traditional counterpart Inonge Wina were supposed to meet members of the Kuta for a meeting whose agenda was not known to the council.
Mr Sinyinda said Dr Scott and his team never gave reasons for the cancellation of the meeting and this left the Kuta wondering.
But sources in Mongu told the Daily Nation that the government team grew cold feet after information was leaked to them about the Kuta’s intention to unleash a strong and probably an embarrassing message it had prepared for the Zambian government.
“We want to put the record straight, we are not seceding but we are reverting back to our original status using peaceful means.
This is the truth and the truth is that Barotseland is a State inZambiaand does not belong toZambia.
Barotseland has been in existence for the past 500 years and we want to maintain it as anautonomyState,” he said.
He said the people ofBarotselandhave never at any given point stopped to fight for the Barotse Agreement.
The Ngambela said that it was sad that the people of the Barotse have been harassed and intimidated by the Zambian government for unknown reasons.
He said that no successive government has ever bother to restore the 1964 Barotse Agreement.
The people ofBarotselandhave been struggling to have what rightfully belongs to them because of the Zambian government’s negative position,” he said.
He said they were yet to hear what the Zambian government has for them but maintained that the Barotseland was now a State inZambia.
The Ngambela insisted that the Kuta was more than ready to meet government representatives and were anxious to hear what they had for the people ofBarotseland.
