Tonga roasts ‘heartless’ HH
IT IS outrageous for UPND president Hakainde Hichilema to refuse to pull down a fence which has left over 600 villages without grazing land in Namwala says 3rd Liberation Party president Enock Tonga. Mr Hichilem’s workers fenced off over 1, 500 hectares of land, thereby disadvantaging people in more than 600 villages of grazing land. This has prompted the villagers to take legal action against the opposition leader even with limited resources. Mr Tonga has since appealed to the government to immediately come to the aid of the villagers to protect their livelihood. He was shocked at the level of heartlessness exhibited by Mr Hichilema. “This is not the first time this issue is being raised, people have talked and government even issued directives but really I am shocked with the coldness Mr Hichilema has shown towards fellow humans, and this is an area which is a UPND stronghold, these are his people,” he said. Mr Tonga said that it was inconsequential whether Mr Hichilema legally acquired the land or not because there were ways in which an agreement could be reached. He said it was selfishness for one individual to hold on to such a huge trac of land at the expense of poor villagers. Mr Tonga said politicians were expected to be sympathetic towards the people they served as that was what service to the people was all about. He said if he was Republican president he would have given a directive that the land be returned to the people as he felt touched that poor people were subjected to such ill-treatment. Mr Tonga said the villagers did not have the capacity to hire a lawyer but had challenged a wealthy politician, adding that government must through the ministry of Lands, immediately intervene.