KATIMA MULILO – The dust refuses to settle over where a planned school hostel should be built in the Kongola constituency where there is intense tribal rivalry.
Initially the hostel was expected to be built at the Kongola Combined School as stipulated in NDP3. But this plan was shelved last year following bitter rivalry between villagers at Kongola and Sesheke. Even though the two communities practically live in one area and share the same ethnic background they are pitted against each other along tribal lines, which has derailed plans to build the hostel.
The wrangling is believed to be due to tribal allegiances. The Kongola community falls under chief Joseph Tembwe Mayuni and the Sesheke community falls under his nephew Mafwe chief George Simasiku Mamili. An outspoken member of the Kongola community and a retired teacher in the area, Bornwell Mutelo accuses Kongola constituency councillor David Muluti of double standards. Mutelo says the hostel in the Kongola area, which he claims met all requirements has been sacrificed to tribal politics and undermines development that could otherwise have benefited all the people in the constituency. “The Kongola combined school hostel met all the criteria of the ministry of education. It was even gazetted in NDP3. Even the councillor informed the constituency about the hostel. Just within a matter of weeks after that he rushed to the Sesheke community and promised them the same hostel. The regional council was even summoned to the Chincimane traditional authority to force them to change their decision. This is simply because Kongola falls under the Mashi traditional authority. It is now a tribal issue,” lamented the outspoken Mutelo. Mutelo further claims the councillor, who in the past headed the Kongola Combined School before he became a councillor has deprived the community of their right to the hostel, because he was once ‘booted’ out by the community as a school principal due to alleged non-performance. “The former principal who is a councillor today was not performing with the Grade 10s. The learners failed for three years consecutively on a massive scale. That’s why they removed him with a peaceful demonstration and he accepted,” charged Mutelo. According to Mutelo Kongola has more learners than Sesheke, and accuses the councillor of deliberate attempts to deny the Kongola community the planned hostel.
“A meeting was convened by the councillor on instruction of the governor. The councillor only informed the Sesheke community which eventually led to poor attendance by Kongola residents. The councillor even pressured the Induna of the Kongola community by saying the governor has given the hostel to the Sesheke community,” he further charged.
Although New Era could not independently verify his claims, Mutelo says he is in possession of a copy of a letter which he says the constituency councillor wrote on behalf and in support of the community of Shesheke to the of the Kongola community. Mutelo also claims Kongola was being marginalised, because it lacked a ‘representative’ in government and insists “tribalism in the region” is likely to hamper progress, particularly among the voiceless. “Tribalism is causing all this. The Kongola community is left in limbo. We do not have support anywhere. We do not have any true representative in government, who can look after our grievances,” Mutelo said. When approached for comment on the alleged favouritism, Muluti referred all queries to the Regional Education Directorate and to the Office of the Regional Governor. He could not confirm nor deny claims that he had written a letter of motivation on behalf of the Sesheke community. “Whether I wrote a supportive letter or not, it does not matter. These decisions are taken by the Ministry of Education. The hostel will be built, but I don’t know where as the matter is with the Office of the Governor,” said Muluti. Information obtained from a credible source within the Directorate of Education indicates that the matter has indeed been left in the hands of governor. “That issue is out of our hands, it’s now tribal politics. We as technocrats cannot be involved in such matters and we have left it in the hands of politicians.
We have however gone ahead with the construction of the Ndoro Memorial School hostel in the same constituency. We will wait until such a time when the matter is resolved,” said the source. Zambezi Regional Governor Lawrence Sampofu said the hostel under contention will be built together with a new secondary school in a ‘neutral’ area between Sesheke and Kongola that has been identified by Indunas from both sides. “It’s true that there has been a tug-of-war between the two communities. It all started in 2012. We called all the Indunas from Kongola to Singalamwe to agree on where we should build this hostel. The community showed us where it should be built. We are just waiting for the budget to come out in the next financial year. As you know that there’s no secondary school in the Kongola constituency, the hostel will be built together with a senior secondary school in the constituency,” Sampofu clarified.
By George Sanzila