PF challenges Zambia Sugar to employ local people

The Patriot Front in Mazabuka district has appealed to management at Zambia Sugar to consider employing local people as seasonal workers particularly cane cutters.

 

PF District Chairperson, Moses Ngosa, said it is high time Zambia Sugar started employing Mazabuka residents as cane cutters as opposed to restricting their employment to people from Western Province.

 

Mr Ngosa told ZANIS in an interview that he will soon write to the Sugar Company over the need to start employing local people as cane cutters as opposed to the current situation where only those from Western Province are considered.

 

Mr Ngosa observed that while it is a known traditional fact that Zambia Sugar has over the years employed people from Western Province with the perception that they are strong, the local people have since shown willingness to take up the job of cane cutting.

 

Mr Ngosa said it is time Zambia Sugar Company considers revising its policy on the employment of cane cutters with the view to allow Mazabuka residents to get jobs as well.

 

He said it is the view of the PF party in the area that while Zambia Sugar continues to employ colleagues from parts of Western Province, spaces should equally be reserved for the locally based, especially youth, who have no jobs at the moment.

 

Mr Ngosa explained that it does not make any economic sense to continue employing people from outside the district at the expense of local people who are trying hard to get jobs in order to put food on their tables.

 

He observed that application letters by the local people to the company for employment opportunities have in the recent past been turned down on assumptions that they are lazy and not capable working as cane cutters.

 

Mr Ngosa said times have now changed where Mazabuka residents shunned and despised the job of cane cutting, saying adequate employment opportunities have made them realize the need to work hard.

He charged that local people will only appreciate the existence of one of Africa’s largest sugar producers if there is direct economic benefit which could only come through the access to employment opportunities.

 

Mr Ngosa further challenged the company to create more permanent employment opportunities now that the company has embarked on the expansion of its product alignment and refinery project.

 

Efforts to get a comment from Zambia Sugar Management proved futile by press time.