Movement for Multiparty Democracy-MMD National Secretary Rapheal Nakacinda has described as childish,the statement by Mines Minister Richard Musukwa on the youths who perished at the black mountain.
Musukwa described to parliament on Thursday that the 10 Kitwe youths who died at the Black Mountain were scavengers and illegal people who invaded the slag dump.
Musukwa was responding to questions in parliament from Members of Parliament who wanted an explanation on the deaths that occurred at the Black Mountain on Wednesday.
But featuring on Friday’s edition of radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk Program Nakacinda said said Musukwa should reflect on his statement as it is insensitive and lacks the calibre of a cabinet minister.
He noted that the situation needs to be dealt with in a sober manner as no one deserves to die prematurely regardless of their status in society.
“He is my friend, but am saying this painfully ,that his response was childish and petty for a cabinet minister. He should have thought about it and dealt with it in a sober manner. Whether scavenger or whatever, there is no body that deserves to die. Any life of a Zambian is precious and therefore all those in government need to be real. He still had recourse and more time to give a statement.
“There is still need to investigate the whole process. Infact I can suggest that they structure the mining activities of the youth. We had a structured plan under the MMD and these accidents where avoided. There was some kind of order. There must be some input on expert analysts to look at the risks. Get the mining engineers to give expert advise,” he said.
He called on government to holistically look into the plight of the youths involved in mining at Black Mountains by ensuring that safety measures are put in place adding that the Black Mountain activities should be considered as a starting point for the youths to become mine owners.
He said there is need to put structures that would help youths move from mining with pick and shovel to using new technologies as the youths were not only looking for bread but to also change their living standards and employ others.
Guys don’t be Childish!! Resolve the issue by implementing new legislation and apply existing laws of the country.
Too much corruption hence the reason you can’t think of safety. Both MMD, PF and UPND are crooks and corrupt.
Shame on you guys you were just watching and now you are saying resign, or its Lungu’s fault nonsense. Every lawmaker is to blame.
Ba Kolwe
Richard my friend, if you think you are not supposed to resign – who should resign then. Because clearly and politely somebody needs to resign. This was not an accident and Kitwe mayor Kango’mbe even warned before the tragedy. For you to start calling the lives we lost as criminals and illegal scavengers is not good. Did you not know that there were illegal scavengers on site who could have lost their jobs? You are a good guy unfortunately this tragedy is too huge to ignore – ten young lives – you just have to go Mwana.
The criminals and scavengers were promised 1 million jobs by a known politician…Had those jobs been created these needless deaths would not have occurred.
Wow is that Nakachinda saying something senseable?
Ba Richard really should resign for only calling poor humans as scavengers.
So those scavengers will just be dumped in mass grave by PF?
Musukwa was right.
In UK there was 3 boys that were killed because they use graffiti to destroy thousands of pounds and cause havoc
No one cried here!
Next time you will be crying because a thief was killed in your property.
Whilst we are at it, go and Kill for Maloni Brothers and even your previous President Chiluba who stole billions from zambians.
For heavens sake grow up ! Musukwa was right, those were scavengers That doesn’t mean I am happy they died of course not and I wish they were alive for sure.
I have seen people charged even after they have died.
My name is Mushota Chimwembe and I have a PhD
This Raphael is the one who is an illegal MMD secretary and should not be given the platform to air any views.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
BB2014,2016
Mushota, stop misleading us, the matter boarders on manslaughter. The graffiti artists you are referring to, who died after being hit by a train in south London were trespassing. So how does it relate to the black mountain tragedy, which was declared safe by the Minister of Mines Richard Musukwa. If it were in the UK he would have been forced to resigned for lying to Parliament and legal action taken for putting lives at risk. If the ministry can’t handle such commonsense issues, what is he spending time doing in his well furnished office?
This so-called Minister of Mines does he know how it feels to lose a son, daughter, husband or indeed any close relative through death? Let him wait until his close relative dies. Is this the caliber of leaders we have in Zambia? He could have made that statement in a better and nicer way without sounding offensive, arrogant, ignorant, stupid, f00lish. What kind of training do these people go through before they are appointment cabinet ministers?
Do these “criminals and scavengers” have voters cards? Those criminals and scavengers that are still alive better vote wisely the next time…
Your point is?
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Use your “Phd” to figure that out. This is your homework!
Up to now, Edgar has not even bothered to visit the Kitwe. A caring leader would have abandoned whatever he was doing at a time and rushed to the scene. In fact, he only commented on the matter 24 hours after the incident via a half-hearted Facebook post. This country lacks leadership, this is an indictment of the calibre of us voters.
Not at all you little mongreal.
It doesn’t work like that, what happened was a scandal more than a disaster.
The president went to pay his respects to Mr Munkombwe and rightfully so.
Just because Miners who had no right to be there die, doesn’t imply he should run like a headless chicken there.
That is why is the President and you are nonentity immigrant in SA.
You would have made sense if you said, the President should have commented, and that would have been correct.
Much hubris you? Ridiculous
Thanks
BB2014,2016
YOu are quite correct – he created this mess – he should be held responsible !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The worst comment coming from a Cabinet Minister. I petition that Musukwa resigns or be fired by ECL
Agreed it was a rushed statement, he should have worded it better.
Should he resign ? not for me.
Couldn’t have president what happened.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Musukwa should resign for misleading the nation that the BM was not a DIW. So on that account he should resign or be fired
NO
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Uyo Musukwa is an embassassment to his wife and the president who appointed a minister who thinks after talking.
@Fufu
It is not only now that Musukwa has become an embarrassment to his wife. He has always been. He left his wife of many years to live with the children on the copperbelt whilst he lives with his mother here in Lusaka and continues to bonk college and university female students. Therefore, when Nakachinda says that Musukwa’s response is childish he is spot on. Childishness has been the hallmark of Musukwa’s life. It has to take his mother to continue to take control of his life whilst he shunts his wife and family to the copperbelt. Kapubafye Musukwa.
President Dr Patrick Levy Mwanawasa (mhsrp) was not going to allow Musukwa to stand in parliament and utter those nonsese. He was going to fire him just after hearing the sad news. However, only in president Lungu’s government where people could even have the audacity to defend their inefficiency in parliament. The next thing will be president Lungu to defend Musukwa because he defends everyone regardless of what they have done. On this one he will as usual say bring evidence for me to fire Musukwa.
He was NEVER a Dr
That is your opinion but I disagree with you.
You sound like someone with wisdom bet you are an empty tin
Thanks
BB2014,2016
AS A MINISTER HE SHOULD HAVE SAID GOVERNMENT WAS NOT AWARE THAT YOUTHS HAD STARTED GOING IN BECAUSE THE PROGRAME ON HOW TO MANAGE AND CONTROL THE YOUTH WAS NOT READY ….WE COULDN’T HAVE ALLOWED THE YOUTH TO RISK THEIR LIVES THAT WAY.AND OUTLINE THE PROGRAME TO THE NATION….
You keep selling Tomatoes and concentrate on making sure you have food this evening.
You know nothing about careful statements which Honorable Musukwa put up and made sense to smart people like me
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Very unfortunate comment, do you know how many widows support their families by selling tomatoes. Don’t ruffled feathers of poor Zambians and other third world citizens.
Unfortunately these are the levels we have allowed and accepted in Zambia where a Minister can call young people scavengers. In other words he is saying they deserve to die! As a Minister he should be talking about a public inquiry *A public inquiry is ordered by the Government to investigate events, such as when death has occurred, or serious public concern issues* so that the real reason this happened is investigated and dealt with through legislature. Unfortunately Musukwa, the one-big-eyed bandit has the blessings of his boss for him to utter such rubbish. The buck has to stop somewhere and if he doesn’t resign for misleading the public, his boss has to accept the blame. Zambians lets stop thinking small and worrying about how hungry we are now but how we do the right thing so we are…
…never hungry again. Minister of ‘Religious’ and Human Rights Institutions where are you when you are needed?
Mushota are you related to Musukwa………. kikkkkki the way you are defending the man lol.
@Muchimba and @Joy please don’t give this Mushota a platform by even responding to them
Musukwa is a disgrace.He has no empathy for the families that are crying and they are in anguish after losing their loved ones in that calamity.He was better off keeping quiet than coming out the way he did.Life lost will never be replaced.Leaders should be people who are moved with compassion.It is high time leaders are moved by the suffering of the masses.People should not only be remembered when you want vote from them.In time of sorrow and pain,you as leaders, should also be in peoples’ boots.Emotions and childishness should be dispensed when the nation is mourning.
We expect him to come out and apologize for his puerile talk.He is not worth being called a leader if he cannot feel the pain that those families are going through.
As childish like Childish.
There is something you people are failing to understand. Jerabos started way back in Kitwe during MMD under Chiluba. Mwanawasa also found the and so did Rupiah Banda and Michael Sata. On several occasions, government have made effort in trying to stop this illegal mining and you the same people were against the idea. People need to be responsible for their own actions. In as much as we appreciate that this is an accident, people need to see where there is danger. God gave us 2 eyes each in order to see. But we want to use other people’s eyes and keep ours for future use. You can’t even blame PF who haven’t even finished a term. The Jerabos are feared in Kitwe, you can’t stop them. They are half human and half spirit.
Nakachinda’s MMD faction are you not bedfellows with the PF government? Have you heard of collective responsibility? Don’t note the hand that feeds you.
It was a pathetic ministerial response to say the least, albeit in a regime that rules through populism, rent seeking and reactions. A regime devoid of any aorta of processes, civilized governance or respect for humanity. How many times should we say you were warned? Until the whole fabric of Zambia’s existence comes tumbling down at the hands of clueless resource sharing political opportunists?
Lives have been lost and it is sad. The reasons go deeper than a safety issue. They underlie the current social economic underpinnings of a population that has been used by unscrupulous politicians (with Lungu at the helm) without any meaningful sustainable livelihood returns.
They are very very few positions that PF has appointed on merits people like Musukwa shouldnt have been ministers in such ministries thats why we are in problem but we also blame who appoints them if u dont hv learned mps u appoint professional the way he did on mwanakatwe than appointing Mumbi phiri for what? So we may be just be blaming the innocent musukwa when the problem is somewhere….
Mushota has a PhD in what?