“HALULATI! Just re-convene the BNC”—Likuta za Likiliti tell the three Iscariots
by Mampi Ñundamai
“Halulati! Just re-convene the Barotse National Council if you want any changes to the March 27th 2012 BNC Resolutions” was the response from the Kaunga kuta to the proposition of the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) trio of Induna Kalonga (Lubasi Nalishua), Induna Katema (Mowa Zambwe) and Induna Isineke Namuyamba (Dominic Lisulo)—the three Iscariots. In a nutshell this is indeed the response of almost all the Regional Kutas they have visited so far. The three Iscariots continue to hit against the wall in their ill-fated and ill-conceived tour of duty around Barotseland trying to sell the unsalable ‘BRE position statement’ and convince the Regional Kutas that the 2012 BNC is a none-issue. On Thursday, 14th January 2016, the trio got to Kaunga Regional Kuta where they met the down-to-earth and tough Indunas who were equal to the task. As usual after their presentation the Indunas bombarded them with questions they have now become familiar with, most of which they failed to answer. It has become all too clear that not only the message was faulty but the messengers too because they portrayed such incompetence in handling the questions despite the fact that the questions were similar from Regional Kuta to Regional Kuta. The Indunas at the Kaunga Kuta put the three Iscariots to task as to why they had the audacity to travel in a government the Republic of Zambia (GRZ)—the occupying regime—vehicle (Registration No. GRZ 285E) with a GRZ driver, which was indicative of the fact that they had abandoned the people of Barotseland and now stood with GRZ. The acting Induna Mutundwalo was particularly intrigued by the thought that the BNC of 2012 was a sham, when he knew very well the amount of consultation that went into the meeting from the grassroots up to the Regional Kuta level, especially that he was the one who actually presented the Kaunga Kuta submission at the BNC. The Indunas challenged the three Iscariots that they were using divide and rule tactics by going to the Regional Kutas one-by-one instead of calling all of them together for a joint consultative meeting. Meanwhile, it has become clearer that the mission of the three Iscariots is their private affair with the sole approval of the embattled Litunga and fully sponsored by the GRZ. The Saa-Sikalo Kuta was not involved at all and most indunas interviewed expressed ignorance of the tour as well as denied any knowledge of having sanctioned it. It is a very strange phenomenon for the embattled Litunga to choose to work with a handful of Indunas to the exclusion of the whole Kuta. Some Malozi have blamed the Saa-Sikalo indunas for being too weak and allowing the embattled Litunga and the three Iscariots attempt to mislead the whole Kingdom. One prominent Mulozi put it this way, “Mulonga ki Mulena ni Sicaba (the Barotseland Government is comprised of the Litunga and the people of Barotseland), when the Litunga chooses to act contrary to the expressed will and aspiration of the people we have a very serious problem and duty bound to remove him”.