By Staff Reporter
Chongwe member of parliament Sylvia Masebo has warned traditional leaders in her constituency to desist from facilitating the issuance of Green National Registration Cards (NRCs) to foreigners.
According to a statement issued by Ministry of Lands principal public relations officer Delphine Hampande, the warning came following reports that chiefs and headmen were writing letters to officers stationed at Chainda Secondary School to issue NRCs to foreigners, a situation she described as criminal.
Masebo, who is also Lands minister clarified that foreigners had their own special cards authorising them to stay in the country and that NRCs were only for Zambians and anyone found with it illegally would be prosecuted and could be jailed for five years.
“You officers thank you for telling me this, now let it be clear that no chief or headman should intimidate you. What you are doing is good, continue denying them an opportunity to use you to obtain NRCs for foreigners,” Masebo said.
She also directed officers to report anyone trying to obtain the national document to the relevant authorities because some people might use them to commit serious crimes.
Masebo regretted the intermittent load shedding in the area and discussed with ZESCO authorities in Chongwe to deliberately allocate more hours of power especially during the day to enable officers capture more numbers.
“The process is slow when there is no power and people are coming from far places and to find that there is no power makes them spend nights at the school so that they can be the early ones to be captured, we are happy that ZESCO has responded in the affirmative as the use of genset is expensive and slow,” she said.
Masebo also briefed that officers were supposed to be at one school for five days and in the event that people were still not captured they would have to spend another day or two until everyone was captured.
She further urged those captured to ensure that they also obtained voters cards in readiness for voting in next year’s general elections.
Masebo was impressed with the turn out of youths and the capturing of 300 to 400 people on a daily basis.
Elderly people applauded the government for bringing the facilities closer to them because many could not afford transport money to take their children to obtain NRCs.
