Thursday, March 28, 2024

President Lungu honors 16 Zambians as country celebrates Africa Freedom Day

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President Lungu and First Lady Esther Lungu arrives at State House gardens for the State Reception to mark Africa Freedom Day celebrations

President Edgar Lungu has honored 16 Zambians, four of whom are traditional leaders, for exemplary, gallant and distinguished service to the country.

This took place at a colorful investiture ceremony held at State House to commemorate Africa Freedom Day.

ZANIS reports that President Lungu bestowed 10 Presidential Medals of Gallantry to three pilots and six immigration officers, and one Zambia Correctional Service officer.

The Head of State honored Captain Dalitso Phiri, Chanda Katongo and Christopher Kaira of Proflight Zambia for exhibiting professionalism and courage when the plane they were flying on March 24, 2018 was faced with catastrophe after developing a fault and suffering damage in mid-air on its flight from Lusaka to Solwezi.

The three Pilots managed to fly back and landed in Lusaka saving the lives of 15 passengers on board.

President Lungu also honored six immigration officers for busting and quelling a human tracking syndicate on September 14, 2017 that resulted in the arrest of three Zambian masterminds and rescue of 15 illegal immigrants.

Also awarded for bravery was Kabwe based Zambia Correctional Service Security guard who on March 20, 2017 persuaded and saved a man from committing suicide after climbing an 80 meter high Airtel tower.

During the same event, President Lungu also bestowed the President’s Insignia of Honor on Six citizens who included four traditional leaders.

President Lungu honored Kafula Mucheleka for advocating for child protection, campaigning against Gender Based Violence (GBV), and allocating land for youth and women empowerment in his Chiefdom.

Graham Kanyama was also recognized for his efforts in fighting hunger by establishing a livestock breeding centre and contributing to economic diversification by investing in an integrated fish farming and providing 1,000 acres of land to ZESCO for execution of solar power energy projects to mitigate climate change effects in Mwinilunga district.

Luciano Malunga, who is Chief Mburuma of Luangwa District was honored for being a champion of maternal health while Isaiah Kaacha and Luka Liwoyo were honored posthumously for their dedication to community service.

Teddy Kalimanshi who started supporting 2 orphans when he was 16 years in 1999, was also honored for his distinguished support to orphans with the number having risen to over 160 in 2017.

Mr. Kalimanshi has since extended his support to include assistance to over 5,000 widows receiving entrepreneurship skills from his pockets and well-wishers.

Aside recipients receiving honors and awards, state house grounds were characterized by traditional, gospel and secular music dances from a cluster of bands and artistes as invited guests commemorated the 2018 Africa Freedom Day.

First President Kenneth Kaunda aroused cheers of amusement and support from the gathering when he danced to his famous song Tiyende Pamodzi while President Lungu gloriously responded to Malembe Malembe’s Kadonki song.

The commemorations were climaxed by a touching musical drama through the song Africa my Africa by Green Buffaloes demonstrating slavery and the fight for Africa’s liberation.

This year’s Africa Freedom Day was being celebrated under the theme ‘Winning the fight against corruption; A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”.

Those who attended the function included Vice President Inonge Wina, Dr Kaunda, fourth Republican President Rupiah Banda, Chief Justice Irene Mambilima, Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini, Cabinet Ministers, diplomats, and some opposition political party leaders.

36 COMMENTS

  1. Bwana Mutaware “Lungu” how about honouring 16m Zambians with more ethical leadership and freedom from the stench of corruption + freedom from cholera and filthy road side vending?

    • Yes save it from further Mutaware destruction. A visionless person is destroying the country by stealing even medicine from Medical stores. He sold the medicine to Malawi and Zimbabwe. Criminal number one. SAVE ZAMBIA FROM LUNGU.

    • I am proud of you Dalitso – the grandson of my childhood friend from our Kitwe days! Keep it up young man!

  2. It is unnecessary holiday which contributes nothing to the so-called Freedom. In Uganda and other AU countries it is a full working day, a productive day for the economy.

    • @ Napapa Sana it just makes one wonder why some members of the AU would then choose not to be productive and celebrate without much to show of the so-called Freedom other than the worsening situation from one left by the colonialists! In the US its a day dedicated for most learning and service institutions to conduct investiture ceremonies and family gatherings for remembrance of their departed.

  3. I am proud of you Dalitso – the grandson of my childhood friend from our Kitwe days! Keep it up young man!

  4. This event used to be a must attend A list VIP day during KK’s time…today State House has a two bit corrupt humble thief and his komboni old hen wife Ester….am afraid to say the event has been devalued!!

    • Jay jay what ever your name is, you cannot call someone’s parent a hen or anything of that devalued sort. What is it that this family has gotten from you as a person? Surely, this family did not take itself to statehouse, we did and I’m one of those who proudly voted for them and will come 2021. Why show much hate towards them. Unfortunately, for you they will be in there all five years with a greater chance of another set of five. If you have an issue with them wait, they leave plot one, because right now they are the STATE especially the husband and there is nothing you can do about it. And unfortunately for you not all who hates them probably many do love/like them. Be civil in you comments. Surveillance is upon you!!!!

  5. Congrats to all receipients of honours!
    My criticism to the organizers is that the Economy should not come to a standstill because of some holiday! Why do we have to close Independence Avenue each time we have some of these holidays? Traffic was such a big headache today! Just moving from Civic Centre to Kafue Road via Kamwala was taking 2 hours. Times have moved on and I think we need to shift ALL these Independence Avenue Events to Heroes Stadium so that all essential services and the Wheels of Commerce continue regardless what holiday or Celebration is commemorated! Time is Money and it must Never be Idled! The best way to observe these events is to ensure we stop Ukulya Mwibala! That is stealing and must stop!

  6. {“This year’s Africa Freedom Day was being celebrated under the theme ‘Winning the fight against corruption; A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”}.

    …And the whole event is officiated by a publicly self-confessed:-
    – most corrupt person (Uubomba mwibala….. ). Evidence is mounting on a daily basis.
    – most visionless person in public office Zambia has ever known.

    ..and we seriously think that is ‘A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation towards winning the fight against corruption’??

    I am a Tax payer along with millions of others internationally. Why should the international community, whose Tax money fund loans to mother Zambia, take us seriously on our word when we parade a scumbag like this?

    • An under valuing national assets to enable himself to benefit and wiring the many to Panama

      A thief calling a fellow thief by same name

  7. Even here in the UK we will be celebrating Africa Freedom Day on Monday, but we simply call it End of May Bank Holiday. At the beginning of May, we celebrated Labour Day but we called it Early May Bank Holiday. I rest my case!

    • Its a summer bank holiday in the UK…don’t try to justify laziness..didn’t this lazy thing declare a holiday two months ago? How long have you been in England?

    • Jay Jay to be fair, African Freedom Day is an old and very celebrated holiday only in Africa to celebrate formation of OAU now AU!!

    • MB – Yes, you are right I remember African Freedom Day is a holiday as this was a good day for OBs at boarding school for sampling the local brews in villages…Duda here is trying to pull wool over people’s eyes not knowing that this holidays are the only ones in the UK and no one can simply wake up and declare a holiday next week…like Lazy Lungu did when he sneaked of to SA and Swaziland after “inspecting” kazilunga Bridge.

    • Everything with you revolves around your dumb friends in UPND and their silly leader HH…your brain would literally freeze if the disappeared in tomorrow morning!!

  8. The honors need to be reversed a plane develops a fault and you fly till safe landing U CALL IT AN ACHIEVEMENT? WHAT WAS THE NATURE OF THE FAULT, THE DEGREE OF SAFETY CONCERN ETC..IN FLIGHTS ONE CAN BE HONOURED IF U WERE A PASSENGER AND DISCOVERED PILOT WANTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE AND U TAKE OVER THE FLIGHT, EVEN BIN LADEN AS HIS MEN WHERE TO PLUNGE INTO TWIN TOWERS AS A PASSENGER U CONTROL THE PLANE. Immigration officers be honored if u fight with an immigrant catch him and u speak his language which zambians dont speak, chiefs be honored if UPND /OPPOSITION WINS LIKE DUNDUMWEZI

  9. I only single out Mr. Teddy Kalimanshi of all the mentioned honorees as the most deserving for his selflessness.

  10. In this picture I only see two people Gbagbo and his wife Simone. Look closely on the photo above. It is coming. It will be a shame to hear and see Esther look like Simone and transformed back into a Chawama woman. Stolen national money goes back where it belongs, the nation.

  11. 3 pilots on a plane of 15 passengers from Lusaka to Solwezi? Really? The only musician they needed there is Pilato.

  12. We belive future presidential candidates will run their campains with pledges to bring lungu to justice……that will be a main campain thym , to prosecute lungu and his gang of theives…

    • ehehehhehehehehehehehhehehe ba Spaka mwapwisha? What about your ka small god who receive dundumwezi miracle votes? Are you telling us that ‘thief tag’ is only given attention in the north, east central-east and copper belt? Are you indirectly saying that southerner, westerners and northwesterners do not mind about the tag and so will go for HH despite it? What a backward way of thinking. Deductive and inductive reasoning in politics may be very unpredictable. Michael grew old with it and so it is about packaging the message. Remember Zedians are not like those in 1964 who wanted to be led by a frog. This is where your ka small mwami fails terribly. All of us in this country are thieves including you. Ma, ma give us a sign!!!!!

    • mwansambula kulima – I know who you are as noted by your comment on this post …but why bother changing your name and populating the thread??? You can not hide your dullness in different names..

  13. When you read the events about Africa freedom day The best thing to do is to think about the African Freedom narratives and stories and how Positively they are shaping the current leadership and the youth in particular Is that African freedom or rising narrative really rising in terms of economic blocks bilateral agreements ,global coercion and participation regional and other economic social collaborations
    Can we picture Zambia since the day of say EU or Africa and say its diverging from its freedom in economy and other social sectors especially in the days of rising dragons Is Africa and Zambia developing deeper economic ties with freedom as its narrative creating mutual…

  14. friendships with post colonialism and dependency
    If you comment about Africa rising or freedom without reference to the MO IBRAHIM INDEX and see the progress of Zambia in democracy then your comment should be reserved Whatever award has been given should be seen in a broader sense towards the Africa and Zambia rising narrative and not submerging from its freedom struggles post-colonial socially economically and indeed on the household level its above politics

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