Dear Editor,
AS long as we continue entertaining the culture of thinking that the national development agenda is the monopoly of a governing party, it will take another century to transform Zambia into the “promised land” that our founding mothers birthed for us.
The abuse of legal processes by governing parties in cahoots with deceptive elements in opposition must be stopped.
We all have a patriotic and nationalistic duty to use power at ward, constituency, council and presidential levels to work for the good of all. Our genuine desire was to double twin Kabwata with Efrat and Ariel in Israel. These are not imaginations, but realities. Our plan covered the following:
- Kabwata Constituency Development Trust
✓ Incorporate the development trust to steer development in all sectors of Kabwata.
✓ All markets and wards will have a female and male representative on the board
✓ Hold the Kabwata strategic planning “indaba” to develop the strategic plan.
✓ Affiliate the development trust with international NGOs in Israel, Norway and the USA
✓ Facilitate local and international resource mobilisation for projects in education, healthcare, business finance and all sectors. - Kabwata Metro Neighbourhood Patrol and Rapid Response Security
✓ Buy five vehicles (one per ward) for Kabwata Metro Neighbourhood Patrol and Rapid Response Security
✓ Get a special toll free short number from ZICTA for 24/7hour emergency rapid response calls. - Twining Kabwata with Efrat in Israel
✓ Sign an agreement with the leaders of Efrat in Israel for development partnership.
✓ Create the Efrat friends of Kabwata initiative for resource mobilisation for transforming Kabwata. - Kabwata Sports Academy
✓ Set up sports spaces in all the wards
✓ Register the sports academy
✓ Affiliate the academy with international academies in Europe - Kabwata Housing and Renewable Energy Development Initiative
✓ Through the Kwabwata Development Trust, mobilise resources for the housing upgrade project.
✓ Installation of solar panels on houses. - Kabwata Youth Workspace Centre and Booster Fund for Youth
✓ Through the Kabwata Development Trust, establish a centre where all the youth with self-help initiatives will operate from and be linked to the help they need.
✓ Roll out the current UPP Booster fund to the youth of Kabwata - Kabwata Support Fund to Women in Markets
✓ Create a fund for women in all the markets of Kabwata
✓ Construct toilets in all markets that do not have sanitary facilities - Kabwata Water Kiosks Initiative
✓ Set up the water kiosks in all communities using the Israeli technology - Kabwata Business Centre and Chamber of Commerce
✓ Hold “indaba” for all business owners in Kabwata
✓ Register the Business Centre and Chamber of Commerce
✓ Affiliate the chamber of commerce with international financial institutions - Kabwata Ward-based Community Service Centres
✓ Open ward service centres for all residents to walk and log in complaints that need attention
✓ Get a special toll free short number from ZICTA
In the pictures, you will see images of “before” and “after” in transformations that took place in few years under the leadership of civic officials in Ariel and Efrat in Israel.
Central government played an insignificant role in all these developments. We met and learned from pioneers of such transformationss. We wanted to replicate the workable aspects of the model in Kabwata.
It’s a fallacy to always expect that financing to develop our communities should always come from the centre, for example, through the so-called paltry CDF. This is meant to control the people by making them to believe in the “messiah” president. It’s very sad.
SAVIOUR CHISHIMBA,
