On 15 May 2011, there was a news item from the local media about the loss of lives of more than a dozen children in the Zambian city of Ndola.
A hired mini bus, that was carrying some forty children who were going for a Church function, careered off the road and plunged into the Kafubu River.
The Police and the local Fire Brigade were called to the accident scene to rescue the victims.
According to one television footage of the accident, some witnesses who rushed to the scene of the accident were of the opinion that, if the rescue team had acted swiftly, not so many lives would have been lost.
What incensed them was the method that the Fire Brigade officers used to rescue the victims.
One witness claimed that a rope was thrown to the children so that they could climb out of the sinking vehicle !
They expected the officers to have dived into the water and assist the children.
When one looks at the equipment that the emergency services in Zambia have , it would have been suicidal for the Fire Brigade officers to have gone into the water.
The only section of our community that have adequate emergency rescue systems are the Mines and the Military.
There were two similar accidents which occurred on the Copperbelt in the recent past.
A few years ago, there was a heart breaking loss of a Luanshya mother and her children who drowned in their family car. She was apparently trying to drive through a flooded road at a bridge near the Kamfinsa township after a heavy downpour.
The vehicle was swept off the road into the fast running stream. Their bodies were recovered after several hours by the Fire Brigade with the help of a Mine Rescue Proto Team from a nearby Mine.
Recently a car went off the road and plunged into the Kafue river at a bridge on the Mufulira - Kitwe road. It took many days before the car and the body of the driver were recovered by a team of military divers.
Several road accidents have occurred where lives have been lost unnecessarily during rescue operations.
There two reasons to this.
Most people who rescue road accident victims are not familiar with First Aid practice.
There are cases where people bleed to death because there is no one to help them to stop the bleeding. Others die or become paralyzed permanently due to the manner they are transported from the accident scene to the hospital. A person with a broken spine needs a special method of transportation, for example.
One worry is that it takes time for authorities to respond to emergencies or to remove hazards from the roads.
A recent example is that of a Tanzanian truck that overturned at a sharp corner on the Chingola- Kitwe Road very close to the CEC substation at Luano early this year.
The truck, which was carrying a load of dump truck tyres each weighing over five tonnes, apparently overturned after going through a very big pot hole.
Despite the truck being a danger to individual motorists and passengers of public transport vehicles, it took more than five weeks before the truck was removed.
I happen to have been traveling on the road on a near daily basis during that time. I and friend used to cross with a Police traffic vehicle that was commuting between Chingola and Kitwe.
There were several near misses where some vehicles almost rammed into the obstructing truck. The only warning to other motorists were pieces of tree branches spread on the road from either side and some warning triangles which were not easily seen. The crew of the truck were stuck at the place for all that time without any assistance from anybody.
At one time we stopped our vehicle and interviewed the truck crew. They told us that they have sent word via fellow truck drivers to the owners of the truck who was in Tanzania.
Had a fatal accident occurred as result of the obstructing truck, it was going to be high profile news. As long as no accident occurred it was, apparently alright, with the authorities in charge of road safety !
This is a very sad state of affairs which needs urgent attention from all concerned.
What is lacking in our society is the lack of urgency to resolve problems which are under our control.
What comes to mind is the establishment of road safety organizations which would supplement authorities to reduce the accidents on our roads.
In many parts of the world there clubs such as the Automobile Association (AA) which look into the well being of motorists. If I remember well we used to have such an organization in the distant past when I was just a school boy.
There is potential for establishment of motoring clubs that would remove dangerous obstacles from the roads, provide first aid to accident victims and do rescue operations at accident scenes.
The country has a lot of people who are professionals in the field of first aid and rescue operations. If these put their heads together a formidable organization would be formed.
An example would be if each motorist was asked to contribute a regular fee of say, K10,000 per month, towards such an organization on a voluntary basis, it would go a long way towards reducing suffering to the road users.
As more and more people realize the benefits of belonging to such a "club" it would encourage others to join. This would extend even to rescue operations in residential areas where people find them selves in many emergencies.
Some people may not agree with me and say such duties should be left to the existing sytems run by the Government and Local Authorities.
If one can afford to pay, say K50,000 to belong to a drinking social club, why not belong to one which is looking after his own safety ?
What do you think ?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Your Mindset Determines Your Destiny !
This year, citizens of the Republic of Zambia will be going to the polls to elect new civic and political leaders from a number of political parties.
It is during this time like this that each party is trying to outdo others by massive campaigning to attract the attention of the voters.
Very well written manifestos will be distributed around the country.
As usual, the electrorate is promised good developmental programmes by each political party.
After 47 years of political independence, my heart bleeds when I realise that, despite the campaigns, the attitude of an average Zambian towards basic things like hygiene and self development is still wanting.
As an example, I was recently in Kitwe City Centre when I decided to go home by public transport. The family car was being used for another purpose in town, so I took a shortcut to the bus stop, via an alley that passes between two commercial banks on one end and some shops on the other end.
The water drain was full to the brim with stagnant and dirty water.
On closer look, I noticed that the water could not flow freely because people who walk along the alley have thrown away all sorts of litter into the drain, thereby choking it !
An average Zambian who has gone to school knows that stagnant water is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is the cause of the deadly malaria disease. Thousands of people are killed by malaria across Zambia every year.
It is a pity that after so many years of Independence the mindset of an average citizen is not tuned to self discipline towards looking after surroundings.
There is a general tendency amongst us that the Government and local authorities will do everything for us.
If litter is thrown away so carelessly resulting in water drains being blocked, what sort of development are we expecting in the country ?
Is there any political party that will change our mindset to develop ourselves?
What every citizen should know is that this country will not be developed by any politicians if we are not tuned to develop ourselves in the first place.
Do we need a council policeman to guard that drain for 24 hours to prevent irresponsible people from choking the water drain by throwing away litter
anyhow ?
Do we need foreign experts to come and show us how to look after our cities properly ?
Remember your mindset determines your destiny !
NOTE : -
To see the water drain referred to click the link below:-
http://files.myopera.com/hmsialex/operamini/1302872245.jpg
It is during this time like this that each party is trying to outdo others by massive campaigning to attract the attention of the voters.
Very well written manifestos will be distributed around the country.
As usual, the electrorate is promised good developmental programmes by each political party.
After 47 years of political independence, my heart bleeds when I realise that, despite the campaigns, the attitude of an average Zambian towards basic things like hygiene and self development is still wanting.
As an example, I was recently in Kitwe City Centre when I decided to go home by public transport. The family car was being used for another purpose in town, so I took a shortcut to the bus stop, via an alley that passes between two commercial banks on one end and some shops on the other end.
The water drain was full to the brim with stagnant and dirty water.
On closer look, I noticed that the water could not flow freely because people who walk along the alley have thrown away all sorts of litter into the drain, thereby choking it !
An average Zambian who has gone to school knows that stagnant water is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is the cause of the deadly malaria disease. Thousands of people are killed by malaria across Zambia every year.
It is a pity that after so many years of Independence the mindset of an average citizen is not tuned to self discipline towards looking after surroundings.
There is a general tendency amongst us that the Government and local authorities will do everything for us.
If litter is thrown away so carelessly resulting in water drains being blocked, what sort of development are we expecting in the country ?
Is there any political party that will change our mindset to develop ourselves?
What every citizen should know is that this country will not be developed by any politicians if we are not tuned to develop ourselves in the first place.
Do we need a council policeman to guard that drain for 24 hours to prevent irresponsible people from choking the water drain by throwing away litter
anyhow ?
Do we need foreign experts to come and show us how to look after our cities properly ?
Remember your mindset determines your destiny !
NOTE : -
To see the water drain referred to click the link below:-
http://files.myopera.com/hmsialex/operamini/1302872245.jpg
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Deception of Wealth
Have you ever wondered why money keeps on losing value every time ?
Just after Independence, the Zambian Kwacha was equivalent to about two US dollars. Today it takes nearly five thousand Kwacha to exchange it for one US dollar.
We have heard of countries whose national currencies became worthless, to a point that to buy a loaf of bread, one has to carry a suitcase full of cash!
Money in itself does not represent wealth. Money is a means of exchange of wealth or value.
To illustrate this:- Suppose you were given one million US dollars cash today, you would be an instant millionaire and would be jumping all day long.
The one million dollars would have some value if it was given to you in a city flourishing with all types of goods and services that money can buy.
If you were given that sort of money and left with it at an isolated oasis in the middle of a desert, would it be any use to you? Certainly not. If no food and water was brought to you in time you would certainly starve to death!
For money to be useful to people wealth must be made.
Wealth comes in form of consumer goods and services that are produced by people working to have them realised.
Wealth can only be created in the nation when everyone is involved in productive work that produces value.
It is very sad to note that nowadays many societies are slowly changing from producing to consuming products.
In many countries political leaders are voted into power by promising the electrorate developmental projects in their areas.
These projects are either funded by money borrowed from other countries where wealth is produced (people working hard) or taxes of the working class.
The question we should ask ourselves is : Can development in any country be brought by merely changing political leaders ?
The answer is certainly a big NO.
Wealth can only be created when the citizens of any country are productive.
The role of the political leaders in any country is to put in place policies that will encourage productivity amongst its citizens.
If citizens are not empowered to produce wealth from the country's resources, no amount of political propaganda and bigotry will bring development to that nation.
Just after Independence, the Zambian Kwacha was equivalent to about two US dollars. Today it takes nearly five thousand Kwacha to exchange it for one US dollar.
We have heard of countries whose national currencies became worthless, to a point that to buy a loaf of bread, one has to carry a suitcase full of cash!
Money in itself does not represent wealth. Money is a means of exchange of wealth or value.
To illustrate this:- Suppose you were given one million US dollars cash today, you would be an instant millionaire and would be jumping all day long.
The one million dollars would have some value if it was given to you in a city flourishing with all types of goods and services that money can buy.
If you were given that sort of money and left with it at an isolated oasis in the middle of a desert, would it be any use to you? Certainly not. If no food and water was brought to you in time you would certainly starve to death!
For money to be useful to people wealth must be made.
Wealth comes in form of consumer goods and services that are produced by people working to have them realised.
Wealth can only be created in the nation when everyone is involved in productive work that produces value.
It is very sad to note that nowadays many societies are slowly changing from producing to consuming products.
In many countries political leaders are voted into power by promising the electrorate developmental projects in their areas.
These projects are either funded by money borrowed from other countries where wealth is produced (people working hard) or taxes of the working class.
The question we should ask ourselves is : Can development in any country be brought by merely changing political leaders ?
The answer is certainly a big NO.
Wealth can only be created when the citizens of any country are productive.
The role of the political leaders in any country is to put in place policies that will encourage productivity amongst its citizens.
If citizens are not empowered to produce wealth from the country's resources, no amount of political propaganda and bigotry will bring development to that nation.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
YES YOU CAN DO IT !
When I was growing up, as a child, I used to wonder how some people were able to do certain things with ease. This was amazing to me.
I could not , for example, understand how some people were able to climb up a tall tree with great ease.
A lot us are capable of doing things we never thought of doing sometime back.
Before attending school, letters and numbers never meant anything to us. Once one is educated and trained in a certain profession, he or she able to do a lot of tasks which can only be done by those trained in that particular field.
Any individual is able to do anything as long as he or she has a passion for it.
I have always been interested in finding out how equipment worked from my early life. It is therefore not a wonder that I eventually became an engineer.
One's capacity to do anything is not restricted by any physical limitations.
Mental barriers are always playing the major role in what one achieves in life.
One chooses what he becomes in life.
Some people choose to be rich right from the beginning of their lives. In a similar vein, poverty is not an inborn situation, it is "acquired".
Circumstances always play a part in what situation someone finds himself in. It is the way one responds to the situation that determines one's destiny.
In the 1980s, it was unthinkable in Zambia for anyone to buy bottled water for drinking. With the advent of Cholera in the country that killed hundreds of people, mineral water became a must for all travellers and in most homes.
Drinking of tap water was a common practice before the Cholera epidemics. Most homes now drink only boiled water or mineral water.
The adage that says "necessity is the mother of invention" is true for getting out of most situations we find ourselves in.
"Difficulty situations are sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys?
Get away to the hills, live there; get that honey out of the rock, and the wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest " -- Daily Devotional Commentary.
"Got rivers they say are uncrossable, Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through' ?
We specialise in the wholly impossible. Doing the things they say you can't do."--Song of the Panama Canal builders.
The Bible says:
"I am able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13).
Do not be afraid to show off what you are capable of doing. It is your birthright to do what you are good at.
Always remember this "Yes you can do it!"
As Mark Alofokhai puts it : "
Is it showing off when you do the extraordinary things you are capable of doing?... Is a bird showing off when it flies ? ".
Of course not!
Decide today to start a business that you have always been dreaming about.
Stay blessed and remain in the Lord's favour. Amen !
I could not , for example, understand how some people were able to climb up a tall tree with great ease.
A lot us are capable of doing things we never thought of doing sometime back.
Before attending school, letters and numbers never meant anything to us. Once one is educated and trained in a certain profession, he or she able to do a lot of tasks which can only be done by those trained in that particular field.
Any individual is able to do anything as long as he or she has a passion for it.
I have always been interested in finding out how equipment worked from my early life. It is therefore not a wonder that I eventually became an engineer.
One's capacity to do anything is not restricted by any physical limitations.
Mental barriers are always playing the major role in what one achieves in life.
One chooses what he becomes in life.
Some people choose to be rich right from the beginning of their lives. In a similar vein, poverty is not an inborn situation, it is "acquired".
Circumstances always play a part in what situation someone finds himself in. It is the way one responds to the situation that determines one's destiny.
In the 1980s, it was unthinkable in Zambia for anyone to buy bottled water for drinking. With the advent of Cholera in the country that killed hundreds of people, mineral water became a must for all travellers and in most homes.
Drinking of tap water was a common practice before the Cholera epidemics. Most homes now drink only boiled water or mineral water.
The adage that says "necessity is the mother of invention" is true for getting out of most situations we find ourselves in.
"Difficulty situations are sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys?
Get away to the hills, live there; get that honey out of the rock, and the wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest " -- Daily Devotional Commentary.
"Got rivers they say are uncrossable, Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through' ?
We specialise in the wholly impossible. Doing the things they say you can't do."--Song of the Panama Canal builders.
The Bible says:
"I am able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13).
Do not be afraid to show off what you are capable of doing. It is your birthright to do what you are good at.
Always remember this "Yes you can do it!"
As Mark Alofokhai puts it : "
Is it showing off when you do the extraordinary things you are capable of doing?... Is a bird showing off when it flies ? ".
Of course not!
Decide today to start a business that you have always been dreaming about.
Stay blessed and remain in the Lord's favour. Amen !
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Take The Step of Faith
The Bible says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.
For by it the people of old received God's commendation.
By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God's command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible." (Hebrews 11:1-3).
An example of faith is when you flick a switch to "ON" for an electric bulb to give you light.
If you live in a home that is connected to mains electricity, you do not see the electricity but you have faith that it exists.
When you turn the knob of the switch to "ON" you expect the light bulb to give out light.
In a similar manner when a child is tossed high up in the air by its parent, it is by faith that instead of being terrified, he shouts out in joy.
If the child has no faith of being loved by the parent, he would cry out in terror at the thought crashing to the ground after being tossed up into the air.
The child has faith in the parent that no harm would come to it. He knows that the parent would get a strong grip on him a few moments before hitting the ground.
Our heavenly Father is our faithful parent who would not break his promise of protecting us when we are facing trials in our lives.
I am a living testimony to this fact. I have gone through many trials and temptations from childhood as documented in my writings.
He says "No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When we are faced by trials it is only by faith that we know that we would come out of them unharmed.
"My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything." (James 1:2-4).
To a Christian trials are for testing one's faith in God.
The Bible, which is the Word of God, says :-
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?" (Numbers 23:19).
Our human tendency is to make us to depend more on the physical rather than on the spiritual part of us.
"Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16
Pastors Neil and Joanne Anderson, writers of the "Daily in Christ" devotional, say.
"If you are hoping for a magic formula or list of foolproof steps for walking in the Spirit, you will be disappointed.
The moment you reduce the Spirit-filled walk to a formula or an intellectual experience, you won't be Spirit-filled anymore."
Take the step of faith and live by the Spirit of God.
In Jesus Christ's name.
Amen!
For by it the people of old received God's commendation.
By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God's command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible." (Hebrews 11:1-3).
An example of faith is when you flick a switch to "ON" for an electric bulb to give you light.
If you live in a home that is connected to mains electricity, you do not see the electricity but you have faith that it exists.
When you turn the knob of the switch to "ON" you expect the light bulb to give out light.
In a similar manner when a child is tossed high up in the air by its parent, it is by faith that instead of being terrified, he shouts out in joy.
If the child has no faith of being loved by the parent, he would cry out in terror at the thought crashing to the ground after being tossed up into the air.
The child has faith in the parent that no harm would come to it. He knows that the parent would get a strong grip on him a few moments before hitting the ground.
Our heavenly Father is our faithful parent who would not break his promise of protecting us when we are facing trials in our lives.
I am a living testimony to this fact. I have gone through many trials and temptations from childhood as documented in my writings.
He says "No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When we are faced by trials it is only by faith that we know that we would come out of them unharmed.
"My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything." (James 1:2-4).
To a Christian trials are for testing one's faith in God.
The Bible, which is the Word of God, says :-
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?" (Numbers 23:19).
Our human tendency is to make us to depend more on the physical rather than on the spiritual part of us.
"Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16
Pastors Neil and Joanne Anderson, writers of the "Daily in Christ" devotional, say.
"If you are hoping for a magic formula or list of foolproof steps for walking in the Spirit, you will be disappointed.
The moment you reduce the Spirit-filled walk to a formula or an intellectual experience, you won't be Spirit-filled anymore."
Take the step of faith and live by the Spirit of God.
In Jesus Christ's name.
Amen!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Pawns of Political Bigotry
A few days ago, there was a news item informing us that the results of a by-election that was recently held in one province in Zambia has been nullified by a Court judge.
This was because of the violence perpetrated by the rival political parties during the campaign period.
The violence, which was unprecedented in the country, save for that seen during the " Cha Cha Cha" era before Independence, saw a number of people seriously injured.
What attracted my attention was the observation the learned Judge made about the violence.
He noted that despite the violence, none of the aspiring candidates who were in the opposing political camps had any scars on their faces as result of the violence!
He directed that one young man who lost an eye during one fracas should be compensated.
I just wondered who was going to foot the bill for that? The State, I presumed? If this is the case, why should the tax payer pay for political bigotry ?
Furthermore, one may also ask, why should innocent people find themselves maimed as a result of other people who are aspiring for political office?
The unfortunate fact is that some individuals find themselves being used by others to achieve their political ambitions.
Whereas there maybe different reasons why this scenario is evident in our country, it is clear that politicians are fond of taking advantage of the weak in our society.
It is common practice during elections for politicians seeking favour from the electorate to use various methods to win their support.
With this state of affairs, the atmosphere becomes conducive for tempers to rise up.
There are cases where a group of people who have been members of one political party for many years, would suddenly change their minds and crossover to the rival party!
Are these people really genuine supporters or just political drifters?
These people are used as pawns by political bigots.
One man, whose writings I follow, Rick Warren is the Author of the book called "Purpose Driven Life". He says :-
"If you are not living on purpose , you'll be driven by pressure, pleasure, popularity, power,
prestige, possessions, your past, or pain."
Without a purpose in life one would find himself being manipulated by others.
In Africa, by elections or no by elections, we always get the best out of a bad deal from our politicians.
I pray that this scenario will never show its ugly head in Zambia in future.
This was because of the violence perpetrated by the rival political parties during the campaign period.
The violence, which was unprecedented in the country, save for that seen during the " Cha Cha Cha" era before Independence, saw a number of people seriously injured.
What attracted my attention was the observation the learned Judge made about the violence.
He noted that despite the violence, none of the aspiring candidates who were in the opposing political camps had any scars on their faces as result of the violence!
He directed that one young man who lost an eye during one fracas should be compensated.
I just wondered who was going to foot the bill for that? The State, I presumed? If this is the case, why should the tax payer pay for political bigotry ?
Furthermore, one may also ask, why should innocent people find themselves maimed as a result of other people who are aspiring for political office?
The unfortunate fact is that some individuals find themselves being used by others to achieve their political ambitions.
Whereas there maybe different reasons why this scenario is evident in our country, it is clear that politicians are fond of taking advantage of the weak in our society.
It is common practice during elections for politicians seeking favour from the electorate to use various methods to win their support.
With this state of affairs, the atmosphere becomes conducive for tempers to rise up.
There are cases where a group of people who have been members of one political party for many years, would suddenly change their minds and crossover to the rival party!
Are these people really genuine supporters or just political drifters?
These people are used as pawns by political bigots.
One man, whose writings I follow, Rick Warren is the Author of the book called "Purpose Driven Life". He says :-
"If you are not living on purpose , you'll be driven by pressure, pleasure, popularity, power,
prestige, possessions, your past, or pain."
Without a purpose in life one would find himself being manipulated by others.
In Africa, by elections or no by elections, we always get the best out of a bad deal from our politicians.
I pray that this scenario will never show its ugly head in Zambia in future.
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