KITWE District Commissioner Lawrence Mwanza says more than 500 cooperatives recently formed in the district have been empowered with capital from the proceeds of the black mountain empowerment initiative.
Mr Mwanza said his office had been at hand to ensure that the proceeds of the mountain benefited many people at the expense of selected individuals.
Speaking at the weekend when he officiated at the launch of a cooperative in Buchi Township called Unity and Liberty Cooperative, he warned cooperative leaders in the district to desist from taking politics in such groupings.
He said in order for the cooperatives to realise benefits from what they were doing, there was need to embrace each other and not take politics at center stage.
“I wish to inform you all that the empowerment programme from Black Mountain has been good and so far more than 500 cooperatives have benefited with capital from its proceeds,” he said.
“I have been ensuring that we see more people benefit at the expense of only selected individuals, this has not been the case,” he said.
Mr Mwanza said politics had the potential to jeopardise the goal by the Government to ensure that cooperatives thrived to be self reliant.
He added that the Government was therefore committed to ensuring that all people in various cooperatives benefit from all the empowerment programmes to help improve their livelihood as well as create job opportunities.
Cooperative Coordinator Enock Chiyuka said the cooperative was formed to help oversee funeral expenses, sickness for families as well as calamity such as flooding in the township.
“We formed this cooperative to supplement Governments efforts in overseeing the affairs of the people, we want to be helping with funeral expenses, sickness as well as other calamities such as death,” Mr Chiyuka said.
