HH’s visit to the Copperbelt missed opportunity, says Christopher Kang’ombe

By VITA BANBA

KAMFINSA Member of Parliament, Christopher Kang’ombe has challenged President Hakainde Hichilema to find viable solutions to the problems affecting the mining sector on the Copperbelt and the economic woes afflicting majority Zambians.

Speaking when he featured on Millennium TV’s the Platform programme, Mr Kang’ombe said President Hichilema and his handlers should have used the visit to the Copperbelt to inform Zambians on the solutions that Government had come up with to address the challenges affecting Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Konkola Copper Mines (KCM).

“Unfortunately, it is the manner in which politics have been done for many years. For many years when there is an area where there is a complaint, sometimes the people who surround the presidency will simply tell the President, sir you need to go to the Copperbelt, sir you need to go and calm the storms, sir there are complaints on the Copperbelt hence the presence of the President on the Coppebelt,” Mr Kang’ombe said.

He said the technocrats couched the programme for President Hichilema’s visit made it in such a manner that the Head of State was just taken around the communities without addressing specific issues affecting the people.

“The President did not go to the Copperbelt with specific issues to address. Of course, he toured some infrastructure that is under construction, this is routine and this has happened in the last 20 years when President Sata was there and when President Chiluba was there, the President would travel but because on the Copperbelt, we have pressing issues of the mining sector, I personally would have hoped that the President should have travelled after identifying the solutions,” Mr Kang’ombe said.

He said during his engagements with traditional leaders and ordinary citizens on the Copperbelt, President Hichilema should have given some feedback on the steps his administration was taking to address the pressing issues at MCM and KCM, the depreciation of the Kwacha and the general economic wellbeing of the people.

“It was an opportunity for the President or those surrounding the President to inform the public about the steps being taken,” Mr Kang’ombe said.