By Mubanga Mubanga
Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe has promised to turn the Kazembe Royal Establishment into a millionaire institution within three years of his party being in government.
And senior chief Kazembe of the Lunda people of Mwansabombwe in Luapula, says power has been grabbed from traditional leaders giving latitude to politicians and in the process the country has been destroyed.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on the Mwata, M’membe said the Province had no millionaires yet it had minerals.
“We don’t have millionaires but twalikwata ama (yet we have) minerals. Epobatampila ukuchita mine manganese nilelo, ama sugilite nilelo (From the time they started mining manganese and sugilite)? But we can’t produce not even one millionaire muno (here) mu (in) Luapula. Even the chiefs are not millionaires. The Royal Establishments are not millionaires. You are poor yet you have all these resources impiya shiya kwi (money is just going where does it go)?” he asked.
He said within three years of being in the government, Socialist Party will turn royal establishments into millionaire institutions.
“Within three Kanabesa (your royal highness), within three years of the Socialist Party being the government, the Kazembe Royal Establishment will be a millionaire institution,” M’membe declared.
He said today, Zambia was in shame because of poverty, adding that Luapula was the most affected by the shame of poverty.
The opposition leader said in 1930, Luapula used to feed the Copperbelt miners and those in Katanga region and had the first black cooperative in the 1930s, with Lorries taking food to the Copperbelt Province and Katanga Region.
Dr. M’membe said it was saddening to note that the once wealthiest Province had shrunk to poverty levels currently standing at 77.3 percent with the highest number of stunted children.
“All economic and social indicators in Luapula are far below. Food is not readily available, fish is depleted in water bodies of which we remained with plain water running into the Congo River and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean. Cassava has been rotting in the last three years because of Brown Streak Disease. Poverty is an embarrassing situation because very few respect poor people. If we do not change how we govern, poverty will continue escalating,” he said.
Dr. M’membe said politicians on their own have failed to effectively govern Zambia for the last 60 years they have ruled the country.
He said before the 1950s, Zambia had no politicians and chiefs were the ones who were ruling.
“Politicians on their own cannot manage to liberate the people from the squalor of poverty. Chiefs as owners of the country should get involved in the governance of the country before it is completely destroyed,” M’membe said.
He said in an event that SP won the 2026 general election, the party would change the governance style by ensuring that traditional leadership, religious leadership, provided leadership together with politicians.
“We need to agree that politicians have failed to govern Zambia effectively on their own without chiefs. If we win in 2026, we shall localise leadership,” he said.
M’membe said SP would remove provincial ministers and district commissioners, saying provincial and district leaders would be chiefs.
“We will have Members of Parliament and Councilors but they will not be there in isolation but will have selected leaders from the chiefdoms and religious institutions. Chiefs will be giving mining licenses as opposed to getting instructions from Lusaka,” he said.
The opposition leader said chiefs would be custodians of mineral royalties and would in turn send half to the central government in Lusaka so that the other half remains in the chiefdom.
“A portion goes to the Chief to pay Chiefs, sub Chiefs and headmen. We shall create provincial banks where all money collected from minerals will be kept,” said M’membe.
During the same meeting, Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people of Mwansabombwe District in Luapula Province said Zambia was in the squalor of poverty because politicians grabbed power from chiefs.
The traditional leader said God never invested authority in politicians but traditional leaders as seen in the Bible through Solomon, David and others.
The Mwata has since urged those with ears to hear M’membe’s message on how he would restore authority among traditional leaders.
Mwata Kazembe said he does not agree that Luapula should be the poorest Province in Zambia when his palace had a mansion during the Stone Age.
“I am very grateful, my President, over the plans SP has. When we declared Zambia as a Christian Nation, we went back to the Bible. God did not install leadership in politicians but chiefs. But they have grabbed power from chiefs giving latitude to politicians and the country has been destroyed,” he said.
The traditional leader said even the Colonial Government did not grab the authority of chiefs in totality as it was being done today.
“The answer is no as far as I am concerned. Solomon, David and all were kings because God placed leadership in traditional leaders,” he said. “When politicians grabbed power from chiefs, God imposed a curse. Bring back our authority if Zambia is to progress. Your message can truly transform Zambia. In 1947, when people were sleeping in caves, my parents had a mansion outside here. Why should Luapula be the poorest Province in Zambia today? I do not agree with that,” he said.
