Simbotwe: Firefighter mastering the art of carpentry

THERE is a common perception that earning good money is tightly linked to having a job with standard working hours or having big connections that will eventually help to find a job with standard working hours.

But earning a little extra, doesn’t work like that.We have heard of how doctors and nurses have gone on to moonlight at private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

Simbotwe working in his workshop.

We have also heard about teachers who have taken up part-time jobs at various private schools just so they can earn a little extra, to enable them catch up with the current economic times.
Liwena Simbotwe, 38, a firefighter at the Livingstone City Council has also found a way of making that extra money for himself and his family. 
Despite being a firefighter, a job he says he loves so much, Simbotwe, who is married to Cindy Nyoni, with whom he has two children, all boys – Liswani (9) and Likezo (5), is also a carpenter and runs a workshop at his home.
He and Cindy, his wife of ten years co-owns Ecowood Furniture, a business they registered in 2009 after seeing an advert by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).
When he is not fighting fires in the tourist capital, he is ‘playing’ with wood, making furniture such as beds, wardrobes, tables and desks among other things.
Whereas he is a council employee, he is also his own boss and his intention is to grow beyond expectations.
“We registered with the hope to get some funding from the commission and it was a requirement that a business needed to be registered with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA),” he says.
The couple may not have been successful in their pursuit of that loan from the commission, but that has not stopped them from aiming high and becoming a near household name in the tourist capital.
“Even then, we have been able to clinch a couple of big deals from the Ministry of Health where they wanted us to make shelves at a number of clinics. It was quite a good deal,” he says.
He had also at some point clinched a deal with the Ministry of Education where he supplied desks to some schools.
“It is just that we haven’t been able to get that extra financing that we initially wanted, otherwise, I had and still have very big dreams for Ecowood Furniture,” he adds.
He further mentioned he plans to grow and empower women and youths with carpentry and joinery skills.
“I and my wife have, through our church been encouraging people, especially women and youths to come and learn this skill,” he says.
He adds, “Our wish is for people to learn a trade that will be able to earn them a little extra. I was fortunate enough that growing up, I developed this interest in carpentry and learnt it from my father.”
Indeed, Simbotwe born from Enock Simbotwe and Beauty Nanyangwe (both late) and sixth in a family of 12, learnt the tools at a very young age.
“My father wanted us to have a trade that we would fall back on once we are done with school,” he says.
After completing his secondary education at Mpongwe Secondary School in 1995, he flirted with courses such as tourism and travel at Fairview College and also one in public education at the University of Zambia Adult Education.
It was not until 2005 that he decided to enrol at Mwinilunga Trades Training Institute where he obtained a crafts certificate in carpentry and joinery.
After that, he went to work for Radian Stores in Lusaka where he was assembling furniture.
“I then rose through the ranks and became a Radian Store Freedom Way store manager, opened the Mazabuka branch in 2007 before being promoted and transferred to Livingstone in 2010 and I can safely boast that I am the one that opened the Radian Store Mosi-oa-Tunya Square store,” he says.
Other than wanting to own his own workshop and be able to employ and empower other people, his other wish had always been to work in the civil service.
“My chance came in 2013 when I was employed by the council as a firefighter and driver. In 2015, we went to Kabwe to train as firefighters and emergency driving,” he says.
He adds, “The journey has been interesting because we receive many orders. People who have seen my works from my Facebook page and others in person have been recommending others to come too.”
The challenge and bottlenecks in accessing empowerment funds is however what riles him.
“There is too much red tape in the procedure and it does not favour the youths. Take for instance me and my wife, we have been very compliant with all the regulations but it hasn’t been easy at all,” he says.
He is also for the idea that colleges consider upgrading the carpentry and joinery course beyond craft certificate level.
“Our friends in Germany go as far as getting a diploma and degree in carpentry,” he says.
Their two children however, aspire to be something else. Liswani, the older wants to become a pilot and Likezo the younger aspires to become a medical doctor and save lives, something their parents don’t want to get into their way.

“But they usually come and help out in the workshop,” says their father, Simbotwe.
True to his words, the young boys know almost every tool in the workshop and it seems they too will learn a thing or two about carpentry after all.

Careful, there is cattle on the road!

THE law is clear, but what is not is whether the people living on the Livingstone road know anything about it.

“Subject to the provisions of subsection (2), no person shall leave or permit any animal to be on any road which is fenced or enclosed in any other manner along both sides, and no person shall leave any such animal in a place from which it may stray on to such road,” reads section 209 (1) of the Road Traffic Act of 2002.

This particular piece of legislation looks at the management of animals on and also around the road.

But does it apply to people living on the Mazabuka- Livingstone road? If you have driven on the road, then you may like to think that it does not.

“We bring our animals here because it’s closer to our homes. Most of the areas around here are private farms and the owners can be strict sometimes,” says Derrick Simweemba, 32, a cattle herder of Harmony, in Batoka area in Choma.

That is the only explanation Simweemba is able to give when asked why his animals are made to graze near the road, which is not only against the law but also inconveniences motorists. For Christopher Miyoba, 41, a father of six, who lives in the same area, his only concern is to see an increase in his herd of cattle.

“I am a farmer and these animals have helped me in many ways. From these five, I hope they will keep increasing with time,” he says.

Well, for most people in this granary part of the country, farming is their livelihood. But unlike their counterparts in other regions, livestock is also part and parcel of their livelihoods.

In fact, their wealth is counted in terms of livestock.

Section 209 (1) of the Road Traffic Act of 2002 may not mean much to them; except perhaps to the motorists who feel the inconvenience.

“Big man, this road and animals, you simply have no idea,” says Abel Mulenga, 38, a driver for one of the inter-town bus operators.

“To be honest, driving on this road is not always nice. As a driver, you have to be very careful and keep looking out for animals. You never know where it pops out from.

“Just somewhere after Monze, my friend hit two cows and overturned like no man’s business. He was lucky to have survived. He was traveling alone, on his way to pick up his family in Livingstone. Imagine what would have happened had his family been with him? This issue is actually real.”

The traffic authorities in Southern Province are aware of this problem, having recorded a number of accidents involving animals and motor vehicles.

“We have had a lot of cases of this nature. Many are times when these animals are left uncared for and end up on the road. Sometimes they just stray on the road and end up causing an accident,” says Florence Nyirenda, a road safety educator at the divisional police command in the province.

She says her office is committed to ensuring the trend is minimised.

But the provincial minister is already acting; he recently issued a warning to farmers in the province to ensure cattle does not graze near the road as this is not just an offence but also a danger to both property and human life.

In the company of officers from the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and the Zambia Police traffic section, Edify Hamukale at one time drove to Batoka area to go and educate farmers on the dangers of allowing their animals near the road.

“As Government, we are very concerned with the behaviour of our farmers here. They let their animals graze very near the roads. This is very dangerous to both the owners of the animals and to the motorists,” Dr Hamukale says.

“It is actually an offence to do so. There is plenty of sufficient grazing land further from the road but we don’t know why people prefer the roadside. It is very dangerous and they must desist.”

The agency believes there is a lot of ignorance regarding the management of animals, and this problem is not unique to Southern Province but is countrywide.

“The Act is clear on that matter. A person in charge of an animal on a road shall attend to it in such a manner that it does not constitute to an obstruction or danger to any other traffic; and any failure to comply with the provisions of Section 209 is an offence,” says RTSA head of public relations Frederick Mubanga.

“It’s not just in Southern Province actually. It seems people don’t really know that we [RTSA], together with the police, have the powers to actually penalise them for not only putting their property, animals in this case, and also motorists, at risk.”

The agency now plans to engage the communities through their respective traditional leaders and sensitise them on the dangers of grazing animals close to the road.

RTSA Choma station manager Moses Nyundu says his office will soon embark on a campaign, together with the police in the region, to sensitise people on matters to do with road safety.

“These farmers should be taking care of their animals. We value livestock too, but when it starts coming closer to the road to interfere with traffic, then it becomes a problem,” he says.

Perhaps, the engagement with the communities should be countrywide.

P.S: This article was also published in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper of April 29, 2017. You can find it on this link http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/careful-cattle-on-the-road/

Impromptu operation catches drunk drivers

THE thing about drinking alcohol is that it can almost be likened to gambling. You can go out on a drinking night out and not know where you will end up the next day.
It could work out good or it could be disastrous, like the throw of a dice.
Lazarous Siantumbo of Livingstone can at least attest to this. He cannot agree more with the statement because he can definitely relate to it.
The bed he woke up from one Saturday morning earlier this year, was not the one he woke up from on Sunday.
In fact, he never returned to his home that particular night because he ended up sleeping behind bars, in a police cell.
Perhaps you could wonder, “what for?”
Well, Lazarous who was driving a Toyota vehicle had his car impounded, driving licence confiscated and himself detained for driving under the influence of alcohol.

ROAD Transport and Safety Agency head of public relations Frederick Mubanga breathalyses Lazarous Siantumbo of Livingstone whose breath alcohol concentration was three times above the permissible limit of 0.38mg. The agency on Saturday night swung into action and conducted random tests on drivers and about 30 drivers were arrested and charged with drink driving. 

He was pulled over by Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) officers who on that fateful day, in a joint operation with the Zambia Police Service traffic officers had mounted a checkpoint to randomly check the adherence and compliance to road traffic rules and regulations.
Among the issues that the officers were checking was driving licences, motor vehicle fitness certificates and also the breath alcohol concentration, an offence that Lazarous and 30 other drivers were arrested and had their vehicles impounded for.
And it having been a Saturday, it was evidently assured that it was going to be a field day for the road traffic inspectors and the traffic officers.
Lazarous’ reading was 0.99mg, almost three times above the permissible limit of 0.38mg.
“Please bwana [officer]; I am begging you to release me. I won’t do it again,” he begged RTSA head of public relations Frederick Mubanga.
But Mr Mubanga and the other officers who included the agency’s deputy director for road safety Gladwell Banda were not in any compromising mood.
“We are not stopping people from drinking. All we want is to have a cadre of responsible drivers on the roads,” he says.
Mr Mubanga further adds: “If you are going to drink, you either drink within the permissible limit or if that’s not the case, drink your brains out and find someone else to take you home.”
He says the agency aims to reduce the number of road accidents by 50 percent by the year 2020.
“That is why we have partnered with Zambian Breweries to see how best we can work together to scale up this exercise so that we have safer roads. Government has invested so much money on these roads and we have felt the need to have safer drivers on them, too,” he says.
Mr Mubanga hopes the partnership between the agency and Zambian Breweries further reduces the number of road accidents.
“Last year, we recorded a reduction and we want to build on it and reduce the numbers even further,” he says.
“We won’t be announcing where next we go. All drivers with a tendency of driving under the influence of alcohol will be in for a surprise,” Mr Mubanga adds.

ROAD Transport and Safety Agency deputy executive director - road safety Gladwell Banda breathalyses a motorist on the Lusaka road in Livingstone.

From Livingstone, their next stop was Ndola.
There, too, similar check points were mounted and this time around, officers from the Zambian Breweries Ndola plant were part of it.
“We have a dream to create a better world and that can only be achieved with a safe and healthy environment and community,” Zambian Breweries’ corporate affairs director Ezekiel Sekele said.
He added, “The enforcement exercises are a way to go as we continue to get the message across on responsible drinking and the dangers of drinking and driving to our consumers and the community. At Zambian Breweries, we think it’s our responsibility not only to share that message with everybody, but also to back the government and institutions such as the RTSA through such initiatives as the road safety campaign.”
Zambian Breweries signed a memorandum of understanding with RTSA in 2016 aimed at curbing drink driving and ensuring safety on the roads with a view to cutting the number of road accidents.
The company, together with the agency, hopes to see a new Zambia, where motorists and other road users begin to accept that alcohol abuse and drink-driving are socially unacceptable.
With its responsible drinking and don’t drink and drive campaigns in force, consumers are encouraged to be accountable and responsible for the way in which they consume alcohol.

Mr Mubanga and Mr Banda during the operation in Livingstone recently.

The path to responsible drinking and to never drink and drive is a key message the brewing company has dedicated to spread in 2018.
Minister of Transport and Communications Brian Mushimba has been advocating the stiffening of penalties meted on motorists found guilty of drink-driving.
Mr Mushimba said the current K2, 500 fine is not working as a deterring factor to would-be offenders.
“The fine that is given to an offender found drink-driving is not helping in terms of deterring people from drinking and driving because it is so lenient,” he said at the 10 Miles checkpoint in Mazabuka recently.
He feels the traffic offence of drink-driving should go with deterrent penalties such as a minimum of six months to one year imprisonment.
Addressing journalists when Zambian Breweries donated six breathalyzers and a K100, 000 cheque to the agency in December last year, RTSA director and chief executive officer Zindaba Soko said drink-driving is one of the risk factors that contribute to road accidents in Zambia.
He said that when one was driving under the influence of alcohol, they were prone to either miscalculate distances when overtaking or doze off.
He stressed that the offence of drinking and driving has far-reaching implications in that the offender risks his own life, lives of passengers and other road users.
“The agency has identified drink driving as one of the risk factors that contribute to road crashes on our roads. We are pleased that Zambian Breweries, our partner, has provided us with breathalysers that will be used in detecting how much alcohol one may have consumed while driving. This will be done in our routine operations,” he noted.