Aron Mushaukwa
Katima Mulilo-The Mafwe Traditional Authority under the chieftainship of George Simasiku Mamili says they see nothing wrong with the ongoing cutting down of trees at Katima Farm in the Zambezi Region to clear an area earmarked for a green scheme irrigation project.
This follows a newspaper article published early this month which said no clearance was given to the Chinese company by the environment ministry to cut down protected trees at Katima Farm.
It was reported that New Force Logistics has an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to buy timber which it then exports to China.
A senior induna from the Mafwe Traditional Authority, Elias Mueze, stressed that the traditional authority sees nothing wrong with the cutting down of trees to pave the way for development.
“People are always saying Mamili doesn’t want to give away land; now we gave land to the government for the green scheme project because all we want is development, yet now people are complaining about the cutting down of trees. How will the green scheme proceed if trees are not cut down?” he said.
Mueze is of the opinion that those who are complaining simply don’t want development to come to the area. “They should not try to block projects – we want our children to be employed on the farms,” he stated.
Mueze also gave his opinion on the controversial tobacco plantation earmarked for Zambezi. According to him the Mafwe Traditional Authority fully supports the plantation as it will create employment for local people.
“Some people are not in support of the tobacco plantation and have rejected it, but we want it to continue as it will create job opportunities for the youth,” he said.