The Barotse Royal Establishment ignore Zambias Independence Celebrations Zambian Watchdog, reports that the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) has shunned this year’ Independence celebrations. Todays event held at Mongu stadium was officiated by Zambias Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu with Movement for Multi-party Democracy, MMD, Luampa member of parliament Josephine Limata occupying one of the seats of the Zambian government officials. She works in the Patriotic Front, PF, led government as an under minister. Also in attendence was Western province Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga. Amazingly this year, no BRE representatives was present. Even the acting Ngambela or the PF aligned Indunas were no where to be seen. Meanwhile, civil servants were reportedly forced to gather at the stadium to listen to Lungu. School going children were also bundled in trucks and taken to the stadium. ‘It looks like just a government workshop but with school children in attendance’, observed one person who was at the stadium. Over 83 people from that area, including former Barotseland prime minister Clement W Sinyinda, are currently held in Zambias Mwembeshi Maximum prison over treasonous charges under Zambian laws, that attract death penalty upon conviction for what the Zambian government tearmed as attempting to create an independent state of Barotseland. The problem over Barotseland emanates from a historical agreement that was entered into in 1964 between Barotseland, a protectorate of Britain then, and Northern Rhodesia which was a colony of Britain. Under the Barotseland Agreement of 1964, Barotseland was meant to be an autonomous region within the new independent state of Zambia, with her own ‘Barotse government’. However, the agreement was unilaterally abrogated by the new Zambian government, leading to periodic discontent over this abrogation by both the Barotse Royal Establishment as well as the majority of the ordinary people of Barotseland who more recently through the 26th – 28th March 2012, Barotseland National Council (the highest decision making body in Barotse governance system) unanimously resolved to accept the unilateral nullification of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 by Zambia, and also resolved that Barotseland immediately initiated all formal and necessary procedures and acts for the re-establishment of Barotseland Sovereignty and Independence, a de facto break away from its current underlying status within the Republic of Zambia. On 14th August, 2013, Afumba Mombotwa was sworn as Administrator General of Barotseland. This singular activity and his subsequent announcing of a new government over Barotseland sparked up wide spread celebrations and excitement in Barotseland as word spread that, finally, Barotseland had broken ‘free’ from Zambia. In response, however, Zambia went on rampage arresting everyone suspected to have participated either in the swearing in or in the eventual celebration of the swearing in of an administrator general, and the announcement of a government in Barotseland, calling it a ‘treasonable’ act of making of a “state within a state” contrary to Zambian Laws, punishable only by death upon conviction. Zambia has always responded with military heavy handedness over any discontent over the Barotseland Agreement 1964, resulting in mass arrests, torture and in some instances, killing of people of Barotseland, although these atrocities are never always acknowledged officially by Zambia. - See more at: barotsepost/index.php/en/frontnews/local-news/552-the-barotse-royal-establishment-ignore-zambia-s-independence-celebrations#sthash.csR6hL2Q.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 10:52:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015