By: Staff Reporter
SADC truck drivers have ignored calls to call off their Kasumbalesa Border protest and return to work as they continue to demand a security meeting between Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and his counterpart DR Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi.
Eugene Ndhlovu, President for SADC Truck Drivers’ Association says drivers from the entire region are worried that resolutions from a bilateral meeting between the Zambian government and their Congolese counterparts on Monday only culminated into verbal agreements without any official documents signed.
Ndhlovu says drivers are demanding that both President Hakainde Hichilema and President Felix Tshisekedi meet to find a lasting solution to the security challenges or have ministers in charge of security in the two countries spearhead discussions and commit to developing a viable security strategy.
He told Zambia’s Phoenix News that the continued failure by meetings, this time with Chililabombwe Member Of Parliament Paul Kabuswe and his Chingola counterpart Chipoka Mulenga to address the security concerns will see drivers continue their protest and halt traffic until they see actual security provided by the two governments.
Scores of aggrieved drivers over the weekend protested alleging that some unscrupulous Congolese have been attacking and killing truck drivers whenever they fail to pay the demanded amount at the checkpoint in that country. Additional reporting by Phoenix News
