.KALABA

By CHUSA SICHONE –

LANDS Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Harry Kalaba has directed his Permanent Secretary Ing’utu Suba to set up a committee to empower women with land.
This follows President Michael Sata’s directive on International Women’s Day for the ministry to work closely with the Gender Ministry to ensure that women were helped to access land.
Mr Kalaba told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that his ministry was taking President Sata’s directive seriously and to this effect, a committee would be set up this week to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Gender to identify land to be given to women.
Mr Kalaba observed that Zambia was signatory to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) addendum on ensuring women were given equal access to land, among other possession.
The minister said Mr Sata was, therefore, simply invoking what the country committed itself to achieving.
Mr Kalaba said once the committee was formed, the President would be informed on how far the ministry will have achieved in enabling women to own land.
He said the Patriotic Front (PF) manifesto clearly stated the need to take care of marginalised groups such as the women, people living with disabilities and the youth.
And in another development, Mr Kalaba warned opposition parties against rushing the Government over the Constitution-making process at the expense of the citizenry.
He reiterated Government’s commitment to giving the nation a wholesome, holistic and people-driven Constitution even though it was a costly undertaking
The Government, he said would not allow some people to hijack the process.
Mr Kalaba said this at Grace Ministries Mission Revival Christian Centre in Lusaka yesterday where he officiated at the conferring of Grace Ministries Mission senior Pastor Ernest Mumbi with Doctorate of Divinity obtained from Mount Zion University of South Africa.
Mr Kalaba was responding to concerns raised by Bishop Mumbi over the Constitution-making process and on the need to start naming buildings and roads, among others, by Christian names as a way of branding Zambia a Christian Nation.
Mr Kalaba also pledged to look into Bishop Mumbi’s appeal to name roads and infrastructure by Christian names.