Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife is calling for active participation of communities in protection of wildlife in Kalumbila district of North-western province.
Area Warden for Kalumbila district, Francis Samalumo said there is need for communities to be involved in wildlife protection if the numbers are to increase.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Kalumbila today that the department has embarked on a 10 day programme, to engage communities in chiefdoms on wildlife protection through the creation of wildlife protection committees.
“It is high time the communities showed active participation in wildlife protection if we must see the wildlife numbers increase. We want to ensure communities are involved to best address the problem. The committees have sub-committees which are referred to as village action groups and comprise of nine members appointed through an election,” Mr Samalumo said.
He bemoaned the low levels of wildlife in the game management area between Matebo and Musele chiefdoms.
“The game management area between Matebo and Musele chiefdom is much depleted owing to too much poaching activities in the area,” he said.
“In the recent past the department did not invest much in the protection of wildlife in the province. It is the least stocked in terms of wildlife and the closeness to the border areas, has also contributed to the depletion,” Mr Samalumo said.
He has disclosed that Kalumbila Minerals Limited (KML) has come on board to support the department.
“There is a lot of support coming from KML. They are helping us in the setting up of committees, they supported the training and funding of 17 game scouts, the provision of field kits, camping tents and weapons for operations,” he explained.
Mr Samalumo expressed happiness with the community initiative by the Musele chiefdom to establish the Kafumfula camp site.
“What the community of Musele has done is very encouraging. They have managed to establish the Kafumfula camp site with the help of KML. This will not only serve for adventure purposes but also one way of generating an income for the community,” he said.
Traders at Nyanji market in Ndola’s Twapia ward have joined efforts with the local authority to have the area legally structured.
ZANIS reports that this follows the degazzeting of the trading site by the Ndola city council (NCC) in a full council meeting held recently.
NCC public relations Manager Rabbeca Mushota said in a phone interview that the council was only providing technical advice and the project is solely being undertaken by the community.
And speaking in an interview, Twapia Councillor Gilbert Musonda confirmed the development and that works on site have commenced.
He said the project is estimated to cost K600 thousand and will accommodate a market shelter, an ablution block with piped water.
He has since appealed to stakeholders and well-wishers to contribute towards the project in monetary or materials form.
“The decision by the council to make the area a legal trading place is a boost for them to see to it that they trade in a conducive environment. We need poles, pipes, stones, bricks, sand, and cement to bring the project to fruition, we need the input of every citizenry,” he said.
And a traders found at the site expressed eagerness to have a sheltered market as they have for many years traded on open space.
Both Mary Muchemwa and Martin Mwale said trading at the Nyanji market has been compromised due to lack of sanitary facilities.
“Marketers usually come to Nyanji for their orders of agriculture produce, especially vegetables. But there is a business challenge we face at this site namely shelter, access to clean water, and toilets.
Shepolopolo will be in interesting company in Tokyo this July following the completion of the 2020 Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament draws today at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Bruce Mwape’s side will face three ex-FIFA Women’s World Cup silver medal winners in Group F who include 2019 runners-up and defending European champions The Netherlands.
The other two Group F opponents are China, who were runners-up in 1999, and Brazil who were silver medalists in 2007.
Meanwhile, Brazil and China are the only Group F sides make the Olympic podium.
Brazil has two silvers from the 2004 Games in Greece and 2008 in China.
China won silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The Tokyo Olympics Women’s Football Tournament will run from July 21 to August 6.
Government has released K1.8m to Kaoma District in Western Province for the vulnerable under the Social Cash Transfer (SCT).
District Commissioner, Vincent Mutti said the funds will be disbursed to the beneficiaries before the end of this week.
Ms Mutti stated that the release of the funds to the vulnerable in Kaoma, is a clear indication of President Edgar Lungu’s commitment in improving the welfare of people countrywide despite their political affiliations.
And Kaoma District Social Welfare Officer, Brian Kashimoto said the funds will benefit 5,781 beneficiaries on SCT and that payments would be done bi-monthly with effect from January 2021.
“The government has revised bi-monthly transfer amounts with effect from January 2021 as follows; households with disabled will now be getting K600 from K360 and other households like the chronically ill, the female headed, the aged, and child headed households will be receiving K300 from K180 every month,” Mr Kashimoto explained.
Mr Kashimoto thanked government for releasing the funds and pledged to ensure that it is given to the intended beneficiaries.
Currently the number of SCT beneficiaries in Western Province stands at 79, 464 and the number will soon increase to 101,000.
Disclaimer: This question is not about safety of the vaccine. Benefits of vaccines may outweigh the risks.This question is about efficacy( It may be safe but is it effective?)
Background
On December 30 2020, the then Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya announced an increase in Covid-19 cases that were linked to South Africa’s new variant 501Y.v2 or B.1.351 which was more contagious and had become dominant in may areas in the country
This was confirmed by a CDC report that stated that the 16 fold increase in covid-19 cases in Zambia were due to the South African variant. The South African mutation was first detected in that country in October 2020.The South Africa mutation, known by scientists as B.1.351, was first detected in Zambia in December.The daily average of new cases rose from 44 in the first 10 days of that month to 700 in the first 10 days of January.
This means the dominant strain in Zambia from December was the South African variant.
Reaction to the Second Wave
Following South Africa’s devastating second wave, Health Minister Zweli Mkize announced that South Africa had secured 1.5-million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine.This decision came amidst growing public pressure for South Africa to begin its national vaccine roll-out, ahead of vaccine doses secured through the international procurement mechanism, COVAX. At the time, a big factor considered by the health department was which companies could deliver doses immediately, given the limited stock availability due to high global demand for the jabs, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said during a televised address.
Efficacy of AstraZeneca against South african variant
However, after South Africa bought AstraZeneca vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, results from a small local study with only mild and moderate infections showed that the vaccine was not effective against the 501Y.V2 variant. The results from the study showed that AstraZeneca was only 21.9% effective against SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa.
When researchers isolated those cases of participants who were infected with the new variant of the virus (B.1.351 or 501Y.V2) they noted that the jab was only 10.4% effective. Further, laboratory studies confirmed that the variant was able to completely escape the vaccine’s immunity. Because of this the AstraZeneca rollout was halted.
South African experts, including the government’s ministerial advisory committee on vaccines, said the move to halt the roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine was in line with South Africa’s evidence-based approach to COVID-19 decisions.
Dr. Benjamin Kagina, a senior research officer at Vaccines for Africa Initiative explained that the South African arm of the trial showed that AstraZeneca did not provide enough protection against mild to moderate COVID caused by the newly identified variant.
South Africa then decided to sell its stock of AstraZeneca doses on 15 March, a few weeks after a WHO expert group concluded that the “potential benefits [of the AstraZeneca vaccine] outweigh the known and potential risks”.
The WHO recommended the use of the vaccine even in countries such as South Africa where new variants are in circulation for which the jab had shown reduced efficacy.
“[The WHO] is simply saying go with it, because we think it’s still going to work. It’s a speculation,” explained Ministerial advisory committee for COVID vaccines, Barry Schoub. “There’s no evidence.”
In a Lancet publication entitled “COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectiveness—the elephant (not) in the room” , Olliaro,Torreel and Vaillant elucidate that it is important to know whether a vaccine with a given efficacy in a study population will have the same efficacy in another population with different levels of background risk of COVID-19. This is not a trivial question because transmission intensity varies between countries, affected by factors such as public health interventions and virus variants.
As part of the COVAX countries perhaps,Zambia did not have a choice in the say on the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for the pilot program.But as custodians of the health of Zambians, Government should explain which Evidence Based Data is being used to inoculate 40% of the population with a vaccine that is not efficacious according to South African studies where like Zambia the B.1.351 strain is dominant.
The Edgar Chagwa Lungu Multi-purpose Empowerment Cooperative has empowered various youth and women groups in Mambwe district with assorted items as capital to enhance their livelihood.
The empowerment given to cooperatives includes broiler chicks, starter and grower chicken feed, roofing sheets and cement, water pumps, sewing machines and groceries.
And presenting the empowerment in Mambwe, Edgar Chagwa Lungu Multi-purpose Empowerment Cooperative Coordinator, Fuli Msimuko urged the beneficiaries to put the empowerment they have received to good use so that they are able to sustain themselves.
Mr Msimuko stated that the cooperatives were being empowered because President Lungu hates poverty that is why he does not want to see his people suffer.
“The empowerment you are receiving today has nothing to do with politics. The president has friends who help him and with the help that he receives from others, he is sharing with you who are benefiting today because it hurts him to see people languish in poverty,” he said.
Mr Msimuko further encouraged recipients of the empowerment to work together instead of fighting.
“It is common for chaos to erupt when money and other things that bring about profits are involved. However, I’m urging you as the messenger for the president that you must strive to work peacefully with each other so that the businesses that you will engage yourselves in can bring about fruits,” he stated.
He further added that the ECL MPEC team will keep on monitoring and evaluating from time to time how the beneficiaries make use of the different items they have received.
Meanwhile, Chiyambi Cha Zimayi Women’s Group Chairperson, Violet Zulu thanked President Lungu for his efforts in trying to better the lives of citizens especially the vulnerable in society.
“We are thankful to the Republican President for all the good things he keeps doing for us. We now see that our votes that helped him be in that position were not in vain,” she stated.
Central Province Director of Health (PDH), Kennedy Kabuswe, says Kabwe district has achieved 97 per cent of oral cholera vaccinations.
Dr Kabuswe says preliminary data has shown that both the first and second round of oral cholera vaccination in the district have achieved 97 per cent of the 239, 135 targeted population.
The Provincial Health Chief was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in the area today and clarified that the oral cholera vaccine is targeted at anyone who is one year old and above.
He has attributed the impressive success rate to the overwhelming response by Kabwe residents, adding that the second round of oral cholera vaccination ended two days ago.
He has also explained that the oral cholera vaccination will only cover three districts in the province namely Kabwe, Ngabwe and Shibuyunji which are hotspots for the diarrhoeal diseases.
He said so far two districts have been done and that his team will soon be moving to Ngabwe which will be the last district.
And Dr Kabuswe has disclosed that the ongoing Mass Drugs Administration (MDA) for elephantiasis is progressing well in all the districts except Kabwe.
He stated that Kabwe delayed to commence the MDA due to some technical reasons but his team will soon be engaging the stakeholders to seek consensus that will be followed by the re-training of health workers.
He concluded that once consultation with stakeholders and the re-orientation of staff is done, then the exercise will commence for Kabwe.
Government on the Copperbelt Province has embarked on an exercise to identify crops that are climate resistant.
ZANIS reports that the District Agriculture Coordinating Office (DACO) and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) are the two departments tasked to undertake the exercise.
Speaking in an interview, DMMU Copperbelt Province Coordinator, George Akalemwa disclosed that the two departments have been working together and that the findings are yet to be concluded.
Mr Akalemwa pointed out that once concluded, the information will assist government in putting up an intervention that modify the vulnerability of the agricultural produce.
He stressed that most studies covered have interlinked impact of climate change to low yield in crop produce thereby affecting food security at household level.
“The purpose of the exercise is to gather information in the districts on crops which farmers can grow and obtain a good yield in order to maintain food security”, said Mr Akalemwa.
“Climate change is widely regarded as a threat to food security with the worst affected being small scale farmers, ” he added.
Mr Akalemwa added that the impact of climate change is evident in the province and its effects is being experienced from the flash floods and high temperatures experienced in selected districts.
However, he was quick to mention that government did move in earlier and responded to the impact by supporting households with relief foods.
“DMMU unit has mitigated the impact experienced in the just ended rain season and made sure no one died during this period. Whenever disaster is recorded in any part of the Copperbelt province, we are alert as a unit and we move in on time” he said.
Mr Akalemwa said where there is food insecurity, mealie meal has been provided and where floods have been recorded, and settlers are moved to new locations.
“The traditional leaders in the province have also been helpful with providing information, which has enabled this government attended to its citizenry on time,” he said.
Nkana are promising to put behind their financial challenges and poor local league form as they face Egyptian side Pyramids in Wednesday’s CAF Confederation Cup Group D match at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Kalampa are smarting from a 1-0 loss to Lumwana Radiants in the FAZ Super Division where they are placed second from the bottom of the table with 21 points from 21 matches played.
Going into this penultimate Group D tie in Ndola, Nkana and Pyramids are tied on six points each, six behind leaders Raja Casablanca of Morocco.
“We have challenges but we can’t carry our problems into the field. We have to forget the problems,” Nkana captain Richard Ocran told a pre-match media briefing.
“Playing this CAF match is an opportunity for us as players to shine. We are not doing well in the league and we are not happy as a team but now we have a tough game tomorrow. When we meet in tomorrow’s game we have a chance to go to the next stage,” said Ghanaian defender Ocran.
Nkana have posted two straight wins against bottom placed Namungo in their latest Group D matches to revive chances of progressing to the quarterfinals.
Nkana acting coach Simonda Kaunda is predicting a tough match against the Egyptians.
“It is going to be a difficult game knowing that we are all at six points. Whoever wins then has the advantage of playing the quarterfinal stage. We are prepared for this game and we want to win it,” said Kaunda.
Pyramid coach Aroua Barina believes his team’s 3-0 win over Nkana in the reserve fixture on March 10 in Cairo won’t be a factor when the two teams meet at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
“It is a very important game for Nkana and for my team. I will try to play well and win. This is a different match,” Barina said.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 15h00.
Meanwhile, Casablanca are visiting Namungo in Tanzania on Wednesday in the other Group D match.
Roan United are mourning Stylish and Zambia great Ginger Pensulo who has died at the age of 86.
Former striker Pensulo died on Sunday at his home in Mikomfwa, Luanshya.
His nephew Steven Kanta said Pensulo died from old age related illness.
He was part of the Roan team that won the inaugural National Football League title in 1962.
Pensulo, who played for the National Team between 1996 and 1968, was the first Zambian to attend trials at an English club when he was invited by Leeds United in 1963.
Roan have paid tribute to legendary Pensulo.
“We are in shock as Roan United Football Club and the whole community because he was part of us and a very important figure in the history of our club,” said Roan Secretary Geoffrey Ngulube.
“As much as we wish to be sad of his passing, his life is worth celebrating because it brings so much beautiful memories of football to Luanshya. Stylish will miss him for being the architect of smooth flowing Football which earned us a Brand ‘Stylish’.” said Ngulube.
He coached Roan United, Luanshya United, ZEMEFA and Luanshya Mine Police.
Pensulo has left behind six children and several grandchildren.
Funeral gathering is in Mikofwa Township and burial is tentatively set for Wednesday.
Zambia has been elected as one of the four Vice Presidents of the United Nations Conference of the State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
As Vice President, Zambia will represent the African Group in New York, in the Bureau of the Conference of the State Parties for the period 2021-2022.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. It was adopted by the general Assembly on December 13th, 2006 and subsequently came into force on May 3rd, 2008.
State Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full equality under the law.
The Convention serves as a major catalyst in the global disability rights movement enabling a shift from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity or medical treatment and social protection to viewing them as full and equal members of society, with human rights.
The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension.
In accordance with Article 40 of the Convention which states that “The States Parties shall meet regularly in a Conference of States Parties (COSP) in order to consider any matter with regard to the implementation of the present Convention.” Sessions of the Conference of the State Parties have been held in New York at the United Nations Headquarters since 2008
The 14th Session of the Conference of States Parties is scheduled to take from 15th to 17th June, 2021, this year at the United Nations Headquarters. The over-arching theme of the 14th Conference is ” Building back better: COVID-19 response and recovery; Meeting the needs, Realizing the rights and Addressing the socio-economic impacts on persons with disabilities”.
Women from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDAWomen from the Mukuni Royal Establishment of Kazungula District yesterday protested outside the Livingstone Central police station demanding the release of Chief Mukini’s wife who was arrested on Monday. Picture by KELVIN MUDENDA
United Party for National Development (UPND) Solwezi East Member of Parliament Hon Teddy Kasonso says it’s disillusioned to think that UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema can fix anything.
Mr. Kasonso has admitted that governance is a serious and complex issue whose development is gradual.
Speaking when he officially defected to the Patriotic Front,Mr Kasonso said his defection is painful but very necessary in the interest of national development devoid of tribalism, regionalism and hatred which is what the UPND is known for.
He admitted further that the PF under President Lungu’s leadership has scored on many socioeconomic sectors and deserves to continue on such a trajectory.
“What will bally fix?he cannot fix anything” hon Kasonso said and emphasized that development cannot come at a goal.
He has since encouraged President Lungu not to be distracted by detractors but continue to deliver more development and unite the country beyond tribal and regional politics which is the DNA of the UPND.
He said he disagrees that the PF is not a party of national unity going by how it has embraced members from all regions across the country.
He said the PF has delivered and it is time to show the world “what you have done”.
“Chingola-Solwezi road is a good example of the good works under the PF” hon Kasonso said.
And Hon Kasonso has said the UPND does not have numbers to win this year’s general elections.
He said he will go flat out and give it “his best shot” to ensure President Lungu wins the August general elections.
He said President Lungu is Zambia’s best choice and has the experience of having worked with him for 6 years and knowing his capabilities.
