Africa-Press – Zambia. Dear Mr. President,
Warm greetings from the hungry citizens of the Republic the same ones whose stomachs now make more noise than your campaign microphones once did.
Sir, let’s call a spade a spade, not a “technical tool for developmental excavation.” The growing discontent and social unrest in our nation are not random acts of mischief they are direct results of insensitive, careless, and tone-deaf governance.
The Chingola incident is not about lawlessness, it is a cry from the heart of a people whose patience has finally expired. When citizens begin turning stones into instruments of protest, it’s not because they enjoy geology it’s because the pain of living has become heavier than the minerals your government keeps exporting.
Your people are crying, Mr. President. The same hopeful faces that once chanted “Bally will fix it!” now stare at empty pots asking, “So, what exactly Bally is fixing?” Prices are rising faster than your campaign promises, and even optimism has become a luxury commodity taxed, scarce, and unavailable in rural shops.
Let’s talk about Chingola the heartbeat of the Copperbelt, now faint and irregular from neglect. The people watched as Senseli Mine was stripped from the small-scale miners, the so-called Jerabos, and handed over to foreigners interests while locals were left to mine only their disappointment. You promised jobs, empowerment, and fair participation. What they got instead was political grammar, greenness and long speeches and short action.
Your Minister of Mines, Paul Kabuswe, seems to believe that patriotism can be served as a meal and that speeches can replace salaries. His actions or lack thereof have fueled frustration. But perhaps he’s only following your script, Mr. President one where “empowerment” means waiting endlessly for the next directive that never comes. Please remind him, Sir, that no one can chew patriotism, no matter how sweetly it’s pronounced.
Leadership, Mr. President, is not about how loud you speak at the airport tarmac it’s about how well you listen in the streets. You cannot develop a nation with your ears sealed like a pack of bubble gum. The cries of the people are not noise they are the soundtrack of democracy. Ignore that rhythm, and it will soon turn into a beat of rebellion.
We understand that governing is not easy no one expected miracles. But remember, a hungry man is an angry man. And the same hands that clapped you into State House can just as easily wave you out of it.
So, Mr. President, with due respect and a touch of humour, when will the Fixer fix the fixes that need fixing? Because right now, it seems the Fixer himself is being fixed trapped by the very problems he promised to dismantle.
What happened in Chingola should not be blamed on the police or unruly elements. It is a reflection of your administration’s failure to respond to the long-standing cries of small-scale miners the very backbone of Copperbelt survival. The Jerabos have been pleading for years. Their patience has run out, and their pain has turned into protest.
So, Mr. President, do not blame the stones that flew blame the silence that preceded them.
Yours faithfully,
Simpamba Abraham
A Concerned Citizen and Advocate for Good Governance
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