By Patson Chilemba
Former Finance minister Ng’andu Magande says it’s a disgrace for this country that the production of clothing materials was not enhanced, such that even women now buy second hand under wear from salaula, which has flooded the market.
And Magande has given reasons on why he feels the country must proceed to conduct mining, alongside tourism in the Lower Zambezi.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Magande said Zambia used to produce good chitenge which could have been protected and developed upon, and could be producing all sorts of clothing by now, but allowed second hand clothing from outside to floods the market, such that now second hand underwear for women was being bought from salaula, “which is a disgrace for this country.”
On the debate over plans to set up a mine in the Lower Zambezi, Magande said a lot of of things have changed now and technology has taken over, saying besides that, mining activities were being proposed in a place that was a bit further apart.
“So if we need to do anything we can still run the two of them together. That’s what I believe and anyway I have been to some mines somewhere where also tourism is there so it’s also the comparative advantage. Which is giving us more money even giving us quicker money,” Magande said. “And with our experience we could have been a giant in mining, and even we could have said let’s go for mining because apart from the fluctuating prices on the London metal exchange for basically copper and perhaps another one or two minerals the other minerals have no stock exchange. I don’t know about gold I think it’s also sold there. Gold has got a very solid market which made some of our neighbors bery wealthy and rich.”
Magande continued.
“The same with this famous green stone in the Copperbelt, the Emeralds. The emeralds really you know we could be getting about $6 billion from emeralds if we just worked on it and properly supervised it. I think what we have to realize is government in most cases should be a regulator,” Magande said. “So I think the people that are there are saying they want to go into it. They would be doing the mining and government can be a regulator to say but we agreed you shouldn’t do this, why have you done? So that for me is what is important than comparing the mining and the tourism in Zambezi lower.
He said he was very impressed with sentiments and figures from the area member of parliament where the Lower Zambezi is located.
“He even has got his figures. If the tourism industry in Zambezi Lower is giving (us for example) &40,000 per year, surely is that something that you can compare with the mine that might give us $400,000? So there is no comparison between the two,” Magande said. “This issue of also saying we have to keep nature for the future. Like someone said whose future are we talking about? At the moment as you can see there are all sorts of machinations being done by people to reduce our population. So at this point whom are we having in future to say he must live comfortable and right now the people out there in Rufunsa, in Zambezi lower are actually suffering, they are not living a life they should be living?”
Magande said on a comparative analysis, he would rather go for mining in the Lower Zambezi, and including fishing.
“And again I was surprised that even fish that I have been enjoying is from across in a foreign country, we are not even exploiting that. But the tourism in that area I think it has had too many controversies, and I was very surprised last week when one of the people who has a lodge there even admitted that they have two airstrips,” said Magande. “And I don’t know who lands on those airstrips and what they bring and what they take. If the Zambians don’t even eat Luangwa or Kafue fish I can’t see these eating that fish.”
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