President SATA to work with chiefs

President Michael Sata has reiterated his call to work with traditional leaders as partners in national development.

The president says traditional leaders play a critical role in national development and should continue to partner with government in driving the developmental agenda to improve the living standards of the people.

He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Chief and Traditonal Affairs Minister Professor Nkandu Luo at this year’s Mutomboko traditional ceremony in Mwansabombwe.

The president says the creation of the ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs was a demonstration of the Government attaches to the role that traditional leaders play in national development.

He says traditional leaders were partners in national development and they should work closely with government in improving the living standards of the people in their chiefdoms.

The president says  Mutomboko traditional ceremony which has been celebrated for the past 50 years has been the preservation of the rich cultural heritage of the Lunda people and has been growing from strength to strength.

And Mutomboko traditional Ceremony Organising Committee Chairperson Criticles Mwansa who spoke on behalf of Senior Chief Mwata Kazembe praised President Sata for declaring Mwansabombwe as a district.