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Final Lesson from US: Movement of Movements Vital for Regime Change

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By Dr Parkie Mbozi

In boxing they say you need a technical knock out to bring down a champion. I will piggyback on this analogy and argue that in politics, you need a conglomerate of movements and an all-inclusive well-oiled team, which is holding the centre, to bring down the party in power.

Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden had connections to, and endorsement from, numerous movements. However, Biden’s election as the 46th President of the United States of America was to a large extent due to having more effective connection with, and use of, a movement of movements. His win offers to our local political parties a lesson about the rewards of putting together a coalition of movements to unseat the party in power and effect regime change. Short of a coalition of movements, the task is a lot harder. I will triangulate the Biden example with some local examples of the triumph of movements.

A movement is a type of informal social organization where several people form a group in order to collectively achieve changes in policies or social values on a local, national or global level. The goals of movements are often about making an impact on policy in the political sphere or achieving social or political change in general. Among the several types of movements, of interest in politics and for this article is mass civil movements, which are galvanized around a common goal of regime change. In the case of Zambia, movements exist around such special interest as gender, rights of special interest groups (e.g. disabled, children, minorities, etc.), labour matters, student affairs, religious affairs, youths, farmers, miners, etc.

Ideologies and/or policies play a large role in movements and individuals that are a part of a movement usually have a similar ideological reasoning for their participation. The ideologies can be very oppositional to the current political system, and how it operates in comparison to the goals that the members of the movement aspire to achieve. This ideological difference shapes the message of the political movement.

Relation to political parties

Movements are different from political parties since movements are usually focused on a single issue and they have no interest in attaining office in government. A political party, on the other hand, seeks to influence or control government policy through conventional methods, with the ultimate goal of taking over government. Political parties and movements both aim to influence government in one way or another and both are often related to a certain ideology.

There are two models with which movements play a part in regime change: either form their own party or support a party they whom they believe will take care of their interests once in power. Examples of movements that turned into political parties include the 15-M Movement against austerity in Spain, which led to the creation of the populist party called Podemos. In Brazil the labor movements helped form the Brazilian Workers Party. These types of movement parties serve to raise awareness on the main issue about which they feel that the established parties may have neglected in the past. I can’t think of any Zambian interest group that turned into a political party. Please help if you can.

Our interest in this article is model 2, in which social movements rally behind a political party with whom it shares an ideology or goals. That is the model the Biden group capitalized on to enforce regime. When Biden addressed the nation for the first time as president-elect, he said that his victory was supported by “the broadest and most diverse coalition in history.”

Indeed, Biden won because he was able to galvanise more interest groups then Trump. Wikipedia reports over 14 notable parent movement of movements which endorsed Biden’s campaign. Some of the organisations boast of affiliates ranging from two to over 60 and huge following of individual members.

These are: 1. Activist groups (with 53 affiliate movements). The affiliates include the all-powerful Black Lives Matter; Millennial and Generation Z-led progressive (representing over eight national ‘progressive’ youth movements); Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), Friends of the Earth, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which is the largest LGBTQ advocacy and political lobbying group, National Organization for Women (NOW), The People’s Alliance (PA)), etc.

2. Labor unions: National, state and international unions (representing 64 affiliates). The notable affiliates include: American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada; American Federation of Teachers (AFT); 3. Newspapers, magazines, and other news media organizations; 4. Political organizations (representing 46 formations); 5. Political parties (six international; 53 State and territorial; three local and one national – The Working Families Party (WFP))

Others were: 6. Eight Influential Websites; 7. Congressional Delegations (three groups); 8. Native American Tribes; 9. Towns; and 10. Companies and private enterprises (representing eight major companies). All these and other movements ad their affiliates and individual members played a significant role in Biden’s win.

The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) offers us a good example of present-time effective use of movements in Zambia. The MMD was conceived on 20 July 1990 at a meeting at the Garden Hotel in Lusaka convened by Derrick Chitala, Mbikusita Lewanika and a few academics. The gathering included various movements and groups – academia, trade unions, Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), student bodies, civil society and disillusioned individuals, some of whom had held posts under the UNIP government. The movement’s first task and galvanizing goal was to fight for the re-introduction of multiparty politics after 18 years of UNIP’s one-party rule and 27 years of Kenneth Kaunda’s hold on power.

The movement became a political party following the repeal in 1990 of Article 4 of the Republic Constitution to allow for the formation of parties other than UNIP. Growing opposition to UNIP’s monopoly on power, due in part to economic problems, led to the formation of the MMD. Prof Momba writes that, “More simply, however, it might seem that most people wanted a change after 27 years of UNIP government, and MMD leaders won public support by exploiting both this ‘voter fatigue’ and the global shift away from one-party systems.”

After registration on 4 January 1991, MMD’s focus shifted to ending UNIP’s 27-year rule. Multi-party general elections were held on 31 October 1991, which saw the MMD sweep to power in a massive landslide. Chiluba was elected president with 76% of the vote to Kaunda’s 24%, whilst the MMD won 125 of the 150 elected seats in the National Assembly. To-date the MMD’s and Chiluba’s win reman a record landslide in Zambia’s multiparty history.

Analysts say to win the 2011 election, PF founding President Michael Sata capitalized on a form of political mobilization called ethno-populism, a combination of populism and ethnically based mobilization. Scott Kistner writes that, “By targeting both ethnic-based and populist demands, though difficult, a political leader can assemble a vast and wide-ranging support base.” This strategy can be attributed for the broad support base that the PF enjoyed among some of the country’s interest groups, such as the Catholic church, some trade unions, unemployed youths, etc.

In conclusion, a political party aspiring to unseat the ruling party needs a movement to achieve this goal. A movement is more than just a clique of followers of the party and its leader. It is a mass movement, and its leadership goes beyond a clique of ‘insiders’ or ‘founder members’ or ‘loyalists. It is organised around an all-embracing, all-inclusive and selfless formation, which focusses on the bigger picture rather than self-interests.

As Martin Luther King Jr said, “A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.”

The author is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Economic and Social Research, University of Zambia. He is reachable on pmbozi5ATyahooDOTcom.

 

Student nurse murders fellow student

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A second year Student of Chitambo School of Nursing has allegedly been murdered by her boyfriend who has since committed suicide.

Confirming the matter to ZANIS in a phone interview, Central Province Commissioner Chola Katanga said Mapalo Masiku 21 was supposedly murdered yesterday around 14hours by Kaluwaya Mwika 29 a third year student at the same institution.

He said Mapalo must have been strangled and later hit by an object as she appeared to have a deep cut on the forehead.

Mr. Katanga said investigations are underway to fully establish what happened but added that Police are looking into a recorded call made by Margret Chimfwembe to Kaluwaya where he confirmed killing Mapalo by strangling her.

He said in the recording, Kaluwaya said he killed Mapalo because she had ditched him for another man despite him putting a ring on her finger.

“It seems Mapalo did not want to continue the relationship with the man and so he killed her and later killed himself by hanging,” he said.

And commenting on the matter Chitambo School of Nursing Principal Tutor Jonathan Kasoka described the incident as saddening especially that the girl was in her second year of college.

He said the institution has rules were students are supposed to be in school at all times but Mapalo opted to go out in the bush with the gentleman and such was the end result.

“We always tell our students to be in School at all times but failure to adhere to rules often ends badly,” he said.

He urged the remaining students to be security cautious and should not get involved in intimate affairs.

And Chitambo District Commissioner Jeliaty Ntembwa said the deaths of the two students is disheartening as well as disturbing especially that both had advanced in their quest to become Nurses.

Both bodies have so far been deposited in Chitambo Mission Hospital awaiting post-mortem.

Kasenseli residents not responsible over illegal activities at the mine

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Chief Chibwika of the Lunda speaking people in Mwinilunga District of North-Western Province has called for genuineness among stakeholders in handling issues around the investment at Kasenseli Gold mine.

The Traditional Leader expressed disappointment that some senior government officials allegedly accused his subjects over some illegalities at Kasenseli gold mine without obtaining facts.

Chief Chibwika has cited the unsubstantiated blames being apportioned on him together with his subjects over the criminal activities happening at the mine as unfortunate.

“I am very sad and disappointed that such allegations could be made public and threats were being issued against the Chiefdom, it should not be like that,” Chief Chibwika said.

He said this during a courtesy call paid on him at his palace by Ministry of Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Masiye Banda, Provincial Permanent Secretary Willies Mangimela and Commissioner of Police Elias Chushi over the weekend.

He said contrary to the accusations, the recent invasion of the mine involved people from elsewhere.

He said out of the 33 illegal miners who were arrested in the recent invasion of the mine only two are his subjects.

“When we verified with my village Headmen there were only two people that are from Chibwika, so out of 33, 31 are not from Chibwika,” he said.

Chief Chibwika said the people perpetuating illegality at the mine are not from Kasenseli but from an illegal camp in the nearby bush called Kabanda.

And Home Affairs Minister Permanent Secretary Masiye Banda assured Chief Chibwika that the information he provided regarding the security situation at Kasenseli will be used to provide a lasting solution to the problem.

He promised to engage his counterpart from the Ministry of Mines and other stakeholders, to formulate a well-structured sensitization programs which will give residents accurate and valuable information at every stage of the mining activities.

K42.2m SCT funds disbursed to Northern

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The government has released K42.2 million for disbursement to beneficiaries under the Social Cash Transfer Funds in Northern Province.

Provincial Minister, Chungu Bwalya says the funds will cater for payments from March to December this year.

Mr Bwalya, who is also Lupososhi Member of Parliament, has since directed the Department of Social Welfare in the province to ensure that the money is quickly disbursed to beneficiaries.

“His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has released K42.2 million to Northern Province to serve those who are on the Social Cash Transfer scheme,” said Mr. Bwalya.

He stated that government remains committed to improving the lives of vulnerable citizens through various social protection programmes.

“Government wants to ensure that all Zambians in Northern Province receive a piece of cake from the national cake, especially those who are vulnerable,” he said.

Meanwhile, Government has disbursed K299, 340 to 1,619 Social Cash Transfer Scheme beneficiaries in Lusangazi district, Eastern Province.

Lusangazi District Social Welfare Officer, Rostone Njobvu says the money paid out is for the months of August and September 2020.

Speaking during a Social Cash Transfer additional financing sensitization meeting, Mr Njobvu said households with people living with disabilities were paid K360 while the able-bodied but vulnerable households received K180.

He said in an effort to reduce vulnerability in the households by the year 2030, government has secured funds from the World Bank under a programme called additional financing for implementing the Social Cash Transfer Scheme.

“We have paid out the beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Lusangazi and the programme is continuing because the aim of Government is to eradicate or reduce vulnerability in most households by 2030,” he said.

The Social Cash Transfer additional financing programme is expected to run for a period of four years from 2020 to 2024.

Mr Njobvu said Lusangazi District currently has a case load of 1, 619 beneficiaries of which 1,008 are female headed households and 478 are male headed households while 123 are households for people living with disabilities.

“We have a projection of 3,894 beneficiaries for next year because we would have to recruit about 1, 933 new beneficiaries next year,” he said.

And Speaking at the same meeting, Lusangazi District Commissioner, Goodwin Sekelani Phiri said government was committed to reducing vulnerability at household level using various initiatives including the Social Cash Transfer Scheme.

Mr Phiri said the scheme is a source of income for beneficiaries to paying school fees for their children among others.

The DC was speaking in a speech read on his behalf by the District Administrative Officer, Codringtone Sakala.

“Government under the able-leadership of his excellence, President Edgar Lungu is committed to reducing vulnerability at household level and that is the more reason why we have priotised the Social Cash Transfer Scheme to most households,” he said.

Government has neglected Dr Mumba-MMD

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MMD Vice President Reuben Sambo has charged that the Zambian government has neglected the plight of Dr Nevers Mumba who has been arrested in the DRC.

Reverend Sambo revealed that Zambia through its Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Malanji who not even made any follows up to ascertain Dr Mumba’s health and safety.

He said Dr Mumba, being a former Republican Vice President should receive maximum level of attention from the government especially when he is held on foreign soil.

Reverend Sambo said it is disheartening that the party and the nation only got to find out about Dr Mumba’s situation in the newspapers.

“Does this now mean that all matters of government interest will be communicated through newspapers? We have to now get everything about government through the paper?”

Reverend Sambo said the MMD will today seek an official engagement with Mr Malanji to get official government position on the matter.

Asked what Dr Mumba was doing in Lubumbashi, Reverend said he had travelled there on private business and nothing to do with politics or the party.

“You know he is in the property business and he also preaches, so he was in there on private business. Let’s not confuse the problem politics going on in the Congo with Dr Mumba’s presence in that country.

Reverend Sambo said he has been in touch with Dr Mumba who has assured him that he is safe and in good spirits.

Dr Mumba has been holed up in a Lubumbashi hotel room from last week after Congolese authorities detained him as they investigated his presence in that country.

CSO consortium now calls for 3 days voter extension

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A consortium of civil society organisation has now argued the Electoral Commission of Zambia must extend the registration period by 3 days.

Speaking during a press briefing today at Mika Lodge this morning, YALI President Andrew Ntewewe who dubs as Consortium Chairperson said in view of the fact that ECZ has already captured 75 percent of eligible voters, an addition extension of 3 days will help capture 85 percent of eligible voters.

“We think the shorter extension will afford 80 to 85 percent of the eligible population to vote. Secondly, those against the use of the new register are bent on wanting the Commission to run out of time to conduct other processes that add to the integrity of the voter register. An elongated extension will render delivering other activities impossible,” he said.

The CSOs said there are so many other processes in the electoral cycle which include removing of multiple entries which may be identified, correcting the missing data especially fingerprints, inspection, independent audit and certification of the register. These are elaborate processes which require adequate time!

Meanwhile the Consortium has taken a swipe at the Christian Coalition Monitoring Group for what it termed as unbecoming conduct in which some church mother-bodies, while professing to be neutral monitors, have continued to take a partisan stance against or in favour of political players.

“Some of the statements issued by this so-called independent monitor of the electoral process show a clear bias. Some of the church leaders in CCMG have already indicated they want to use the debt issue as a campaign tool against the Lungu administration while imploring their colleagues in the opposition to begin to state how they shall deal with the debt when they get into power,” he said.

The Consortium includes Young African Leaders Initiative, Advocacy for National Development and Democracy, Zambian Institute of Governance and Civil Liberties Platform, University of Zambia Students Union, Zambians for Unity, Peace and Development, and Common Ground Network.

ZCID calls on Government to intervene in Nevers Mumba’s Restriction in DRC

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Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) has called upon the government of Zambia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly intervene in the case of opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) leader Nevers Mumba, who is detained in a hotel in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In a statement released to the media ZCID said that the government must ensure Dr Nevers Mumbas’ safety is prioritized if there will be need and that the government should also provide the nation with the accurate status of his restriction to avoid unwarranted speculations.

Below is the full statement

THE RESTRICTION OF DR NEVERS MUMBA

Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue (ZCID) has received the news of the restriction of Dr. Nevers Mumba, the president of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo with great concern.

The information being circulated on various media platforms of Dr Nevers Mumba an opposition leader and former Republican Vice President of Zambia being restricted in a hotel room by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is unsettling to many Zambians.

MMD seats on the ZCID Board and therefore this development is disturbing to the Centre. ZCID is calling upon the government of Zambia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly intervene and ensure Dr Nevers Mumbas’ safety is prioritized if there will be need. The government should also provide the nation with the accurate status of his restriction to avoid unwarranted speculations.

ZCID is confident that Dr Nevers Mumba will cooperate with the government of the DRC as they conduct their preliminary investigation of his visit to their country and we further wish him a safe return to Zambia.

Issued By:Mr Jackson Silavwe
ZCID BOARD CHAIRPERSON

How to get the economy productive again

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By Billy Katongo Litana

Being a professional in finance and economics, the current problems faced by our economy and kwacha are as a result of underlying defects that need serious attention to improve economic productivity and arrest the Kwacha decline. I believe the following needs to be looked into,

  1. The financial services sector needs to be supported by our government
  2. We need to rebuild investor confidence
  3. Other sectors of the economy need to be productive
  4. We need to end corruption

The Financial services Sector and its role in the economy

Before I start, I must explain one important principle of how the financial sector creates money. The Money multiplier multiple states that, for every deposit into a bank account, the increase in money circulation will be the amount of Money deposited in the bank multiplied by money multiplier. The Money multiplier is calculated as 1 divided by the reserve requirement. In Zambia the reserve requirement currently stands at 9% thus giving a money multiplier for a Zambian bank that is 11. What this means is that if USD5 million was to be deposited in a Zambian bank that bank can potentially create 55 million dollars through lending and relending of deposits.

The principle explained above is how banks around the world create money.

What tends to happen when our country borrows is that the amounts borrowed do not make their way into a local Zambian bank. Instead the funds will be paid directly from the host bank account to the contractor bank account in the same country. Most times the contractor will only maintain local Zambian bank account to pay salaries, which is a small amount since most of the people they employ will have basic skills and thus low wages.

Take a hypothetical loan of USD 300 million borrowed for roads from an Indian bank. The loan agreement will most probably state that an Indian Company be contracted to build the road. This bank will then make payments to the Sum of 300 million dollars from its Indian bank account to the contractor’s Indian bank account without these funds ever reaching Zambia. At a money multiplier ratio of 11 it means our economy has missed creating 3.3 billion dollars for the Zambian economy but the very same economy will still be required to make payments of 300 million dollars to the Indian bank.

Multinational Corporations and their role in African economies

Moving on to the current state of Multinational Corporations and financing structures, Some miners in this country have set up foreign entities whose purpose is to Manage funds for the miner. The argument for this is that the special purpose vehicle managing the funds is better able to ask for reduced rates from its bankers and also better able to allocate funds to areas of the corporation that need it. Unfortunately this is disastrous for African countries like Zambia because again this money does not enter the local financial system. Some Miners in Zambia have been known to sit of cash of about a billion dollars. Again using the money multiplier ratio 1 billion put in a Zambian bank will translate to 11 billion dollars of Money created. 11 billion dollars is equivalent to the money our government owes the world in debt.

However it’s worth noting that us a country we have given these Multinationals an extra reason to not bank their Money here. A Multinational will want assurances that its assets will not be nationalised as is the case with KCM and that the court system will protect its legitimate right to Zambian assets something I feel our courts are not doing very well. The implication of this is a multinational that does not trust our country and prefers to keep its money abroad just in case its physical assets are ceased by the government.

Inconsistent and high taxes also hurt Multinationals and the country at large. A tax authority that is very unforgiving and slaps insurmountable penalties on a vague law hurts the country. Zambia must strive to be an investment heaven. To attract foreign Money we need a tax system that is easy to understand and follow and one where the tax authority and the multinational corporation can talk to each other respectfully and resolve their matters amicably. The current situation where some multinationals are claiming they are owed millions in tax refunds means there is a breakdown in the tax administration system. No one would want to invest in a country that does not honour its tax obligations.

Improving Productivity in other sectors – Agriculture and Energy

Sectors like Agriculture need to be enhanced, to be honest I don’t see why we don’t make any fertiliser in Zambia. I don’t see why we have not seriously thought about recapitalising Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia. This Company can be used to produce fertiliser not just for Zambia but for the entire region. This would lower the cost of food in Zambia and enable us produce food for export. Agriculture would help support rural communities with decent livelihoods since it requires very little education to be a farmer

Another sectors that can be productive is Petroleum and Oil. Angola produces oil and Indeni oil refinery is almost dead. Refurbishing Indeni can bring down the cost of fuel as well as give it capacity to supply Malawi Zimbabwe and other regional countries. Indeni can lower the cost of fuel and save us on foreign exchange used to purchase fuels. A lower fuel cost can even support the electricity production sector since some of our power is from thermal power stations. Lower fuel costs will also support the cost of doing business and lower inflation in Zambia as fuel is a cost in almost every business

Ending corruption in Zambia

Corruption in Zambia both in and outside of government has reached alarming levels. Our police service and other corruption fighting wings are no longer feared by any would be Law breakers. I have heard countless stories of the police being bribed and how cases are decided based on who can pay the most. Almost everyone reading this article, am sure would have bribed a police officer at one time or another, especially police officers in the traffic section.

While we speak of corruption it’s important to acknowledge that the police are not corrupt by themselves and that as Zambians we too engage in corruption when it most fits us. Rather than pay a fine of K950 one would rather give the cop a bribe of K100 so we get on with our business. The police knowing this then actively look for law breakers not because they want to uphold the law but because they know that as a society we would rather pay them than fearlessly face the law. This type of thinking then spreads to other government departments rendering an entire government and its people corrupt. For example, why wait in line for an NRC when one can pay K50 to skip the line and get it instantly? Why pay duty when one can bribe a tax officer? What then happens is that you have a government that cannot deliver a service because the officer entrusted to deliver services will first want to see who can bribe them. Corruption of this magnitude puts off investors and also destroys local businesses.

What can be done?

So what must be done to help our economy and our Kwacha?

  1. We need to put an end to borrowing where our financial system is not actively involved in these transactions. Where a lending country refuses to let us borrow and inject into our financial system then such a borrowing must only be for purchase of equipment and education on how to use and maintain that equipment. What this does is that while the money has not come here as a country we would have learnt how to build a road and also how to operate the machinery.
  2. Multinationals must be given tax incentives to keep their Money in Zambian banks. Again, if 1 billion was entrusted to Zambia that would translate to 11 billion dollars for the economy since this money will be learnt over and over again.to do this a penalty needs to be charged in the form of tax to those banks that keep our money in offshore accounts. For those that keep our money in our banks a lower tax rate must be given.
  3. Taxes as a whole need to be lowered for everyone and government needs to spend its annual budgets more carefully. A lower tax rate for Zambian Companies will encourage these companies to reinvest locally, thus producing more Jobs. The more investments the company makes, the larger its profits and the more money government can yield through a lower tax rate. Also a lower personal income tax will mean individuals will spend more thus boosting Company profits and government revenue through Company tax.
  4. We need to respect our own rule of law. The KCM case is being watched by the world. How we decided the last presidential elections says a lot about our current courts. If Investors Judge that we have a weak rule of law then they would rather consider investing elsewhere because their rights to property will not be respected if there was a political interest. I tell my friends that if ever I broke a law and I was given a choice to be tried by a Zambian Judge or a white American Judge I would choose the latter despite the racist background of the American Justice system. This is because if you look at George Floyd’s death, you can see that the American Justice system has tried to investigate what happened and has tried to remedy the issue. On the other hand to this day we still don’t know what happened to Vespers.
  5. We need to be serious about investing in other sectors of the economy like agriculture and energy. This is where using our reserves might come in handy. If we have positive return projects then why not use a little of our reserves. Is this not the reason we keep reserves in the first place? For situations like ours? Revamping these sectors will not require no more than 300 million dollars to make an impact.

The Author is a professional consultant with vast experience in Accounting and financial management. He is currently a candidate for the CFA exams known to be one of the toughest exams in finance.

It’s a Mockery For President Lungu to say he laughs when people say things are bad

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BY Edward Sichali UPND-National Youth Spokesperson

It’s a sad state of affairs that Zambians are going through a lot of suffering all because of a selfish and greedy PF government that have mismanaged the economy. It’s even more sad to hear ECL rubbish the evidently deteriorated Zambian economy. High currency exchange rate aside, Imagine an ordinary Zambian is now getting one egg at K2.50 or K3.00, getting a 25KG bag of mealie – meal at K140, a 1kg pack of sugar at k20, a full dressed chicken is now at k65 or more. It is a mockery to the Zambian people for the Head of State to be heard saying he laughs when people say things in Zambia are bad.

Things have really gone from bad to worse in this country and yet the Head of State has the tenacity to mock Zambian people. The PF does not deserve another term in office because they have done nothing but mess up the economy. People are unable to have a meal a day, talk less of three square meals everyday, yet the president claims things are okay. The PF has totally failed to manage the governance system of this country.

As the UPND youths, we wish to plead with the good people of Zambia to not lose hope. Ensure that you, your family and those around you get Voters’ cards today. It is through our votes that you and I will be able to vote the obviously pompous and power drunk PF out and usher the UPND into office. As the UPND, we pleadge to ensure that our economy is back on track, normalize the prices of basic commodies and ensure equal opportunities for every Zambian. We will also ensure accountability of all public resources unlike the PF that has over borrowed and used the over borrowed money for corrupt purposes resulting into a collapsing economy. There can never be any just reason why a 25kg bag of mealie-meal should cost K140.

Our plan as UPND is to make sure that within 30 days of being in office, all basic commodities are reduced by 60%, we will provide subsides which will ensure that our citizens get basic needs at low prices and we have a solid plan on how we are going to realize this plan. As UPND, we are passionate about our people’s well being and want to reclaim Zambia’s dignity and lost glory.

Come 12th August, 2021, turn up in good numbers and reclaim Zambia’s lost glory by voting for the UPND under the leadership of Hakainde Hichilema (HH).

Socialist Party spokesperson urges more women, particularly young women to join politics

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Socialist Party spokesperson Rehoboth Kafwabulula has urged more women, particularly young women to join politics. 21 year-old Kafwabulula bemoaned women’s continued suffering, pain and hardship. Speaking at a recent event on 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) organised by the Socialist Party, Kafwabulula called for an urgent need for women to take up leadership positions as they were the most affected. “Out of the 156 members of parliament (MPs) in Zambia, how many MP women do we have? Less than 15 per cent and we expect to have laws that favour us? It is not possible. There is a saying that laws made by men are designed to save their interests only, to a greater extent, I think that saying is true,” said Kawabulula.

We know our suffering; I think nobody has to tell us how we have suffered. We are the ones who face gender violence, gender discrimination whether it’s in our homes, in the streets, in the market places, we know how we have struggled, nobody has to tell us. In Nyanja they say, tavutika, in bemba they say twachula, in tonga they say twapenga, and in Kaonde they say twayanda, we have suffered.”

Kafwabulula further called for a need to create a peaceful world, one that accommodates both men and women. “The prominent question is how do we create a world that is violence-free? The only solution is for women to get involved in politics, and we need to design a political solution to the problem. Women need to take up leadership positions if they are to begin to make the change for themselves and others. “The only way we can change the world is by taking power for ourselves, for our fellow women, for the girl child, and saying enough is enough, no more violence against us, there will be no more rape, there will be no more battering. It is possible to create that world where we are heard.”

Kafwabulula has charged that as things stand today, women in Zambia had no power to make real decisions in higher political offices. “Women need to take up the power to make decisions that affect them. But the biggest challenge is how to get this power. How do we take this power? We can only get power by taking political office. We can only take that power by becoming councillors, by becoming MPs, by imagining the world we want because everything we see, whether it is the drum, the t-shirts, clothes, all come from someone’s mind. If we look at even the things to do with the city council, how is the city council designed, how is the world designed? Has the world that we have built favour women? I don’t think it does.

The Socialist Party acknowledges that women bear the greatest burden and therefore should have more to say in everything. The party came up with a decision that not less than 50 per cent of its MPs should be women, not less than 50 per cent of its councillors should be women.

Kafwabulula has called on Zambians to join the revolutionary movement. “Becoming a revolutionary, simply means to evolve, to change. Do we like the way our country and the world are going now? No, we don’t. We need to change the way the world is moving. We need to change the course of the world. That is what it means to evolve, that is what we call a revolution.”

President Lungu poised to win the 2021 general elections with a landslide-Lusambo

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Kabushi constituency Member of Parliament Hon. Bowman Lusambo says PF and President Edgar Lungu is poised to win the 2021 general elections with a landslide.

Addressing journalists in Ndola, Hon. Lusambo said the opposition stands no chance of unseating the PF because they have no plan for the country.

He said there is no way the PF can lose an election to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema because he is a political amateur.
Hon. Lusambo who is also Lusaka province Minister, said the PF will continue to mobilize the party at all levels to ensure maximum votes for President Lungu.

“And as PF Copperbelt province mobilization coordinator, I can assure you that we are not playing, we mean business and come 2021 President Lungu is back to State House and we will make sure that all the 22 seats on the Copperbelt are retained, ” Hon. Lusambo said.
And Hon. Lusambo said the PF Government will continue to deliver development to all parts of the country despite the negative criticism from the opposition.

Health critical in socio-economic development -VEEP

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The Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) Bill has been considered by parliament, (Vice President Inonge Wina has said. Mrs. Wina says the Bill will among other things provide for the coordination of public health security and human capacity building by effectively recruiting, engaging and returning top health care talent.

The Vice President said this last night in a statement read on her behalf by Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister, Lawrence Sichalwe, at the Zambia Medical Association Annual Ball and Gala night held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.

And Mrs Wina has reiterated that the government has prioritised health care as a strategic pillar, saying nothing is more fundamental to the social economic security of any nation and the health of its people.

She adds that the government has further placed a high premium on human security by establishing a healthcare ecosystem that is robust and able to rapidly and effectively respond and withstand most shocks caused by epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19.

“It should be clear that the healthcare ecosystem forms the backbone of human security of any country which in turn is part of national security. Therefore, I wish to follow this approach and use for this event the following theme “Advancing human Security, Prioritising Healthcare as a National Security Agenda,” she noted.

And Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya has noted that there is a need to introduce entrepreneurship in the health sector and to also take advantage of the National Health Insurance Authority that has been introduced in the country.

“I therefore urge senior doctors to take advantage of the environment that the government has created and promote entrepreneurship in the health sector,” Dr. Chilufya noted.

The Minister further stated that President Edgar Lungu is committed to the agenda of health for all and that the partnership between government and the Zambia Medical Association is critical to the country’s attainment of Universal Health Coverage.

Meanwhile, Zambia Medical Association President Samson Chisele said his Association has embarked on looking for alternative sources of income for doctors to discourage total dependency on salaries.

“The Association has since urged the Zambia Medical Association Cooperatives to help with promoting the welfare of doctors.

He also assured that his Association is committed to making sure that doctors in the country continue to work in a safe environment.

Zambia Finish 4th At COSAFA U20

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Defending champions Zambia on Sunday missed out on winning bronze at the COSAFA Under-20 Cup in South Africa after losing 2-1 to Angola in the third and fourth match in Port Elizabeth.

Angola took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals from Benvindo Afonso and tournament joint top-scorer Ambrosini Salvador.

But Zambia showed improvement in the last half and won a penalty which was converted by Muma Mumba.

However, Angola managed to hold on to the 2-1 lead to grab Bronze.

Meanwhile, Zambia captain Prince Mumba was named Player of the Tournament.

Mozambique have won their first regional title after a 1-0 victory over Namibia in the final of the COSAFA Cup which was used as qualifiers for TOTAL U-20 AFCON, Mauritania 2021.

Mozambique matched to the final on Friday after eliminating Zambia 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw in the semifinals.

Kansanshi Dynamos Keep Top Spot

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Kansanshi Dynamos have stayed top of the FAZ National Division 1 table after their closest rivals dropped points on Sunday in round 10 action.

Kansanshi took an overnight lead after beating Konkola Blades 1-0 away at Konkola Stadium in Chililabombwe on Saturday.

The Solwezi outfit opened a one point lead at the top with 20 points after Chambishi, City of Lusaka and Chambishi all failed to win in Sunday’s action.

City and Celtic settled for a 1-1 draw at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka as they both missed a chance to reclaim top spot.

Chambishi were held to a disappointing goalless draw at home by struggling Gomes.

Celtic, Chambishi and City are second, third and fourth on the table respectively on the table with 19 points each.

Meanwhile, Nchanga Rangers comes in fifth place after Sunday’s 1-1 home draw against Livingstone Pirates at Nchanga Stadium in Chingola.

Brave conceded a stoppage time own goal by captain Gift Phiri who cancelled Kunda Nkandu’s 18th minute goal.

FAZ National Division 1 – Week 10 Results

Zesco Malaiti 2-1 Kashikishi Warriors

Mpulungu Harbour 1-0 Zesco Shockers

MUZA FC 1-1 Kabwe Youth

Chambishi 0-0 Gomes FC

Konkola Blades 0-1 Kansanshi Dynamos

Nchanga Rangers 1-1 Livingston Pirates

Trident 1-0 National Assembly

Mufulira Wanderers 2-0 Police College

City of Lusaka 1-1 Kafue Celtic

Nkana Dismantle Green Eagles

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Nkana ended their three-match winless run with their best performance of the season so far when they shocked Green Eagles 3-1 at home in Kitwe.

The defending champions came into the match after losing two of their last three league matches that had left them stranded inside the bottom four relegation zone.

But three first half goals from Fred Tshimenga, Idris Mbombo and Harrison Chisala lifted the defending champions from 16th and out of the drop zone to 14th following their biggest league win so far this season.

Nkana sent Eagles to the ropes with two quick-goals in the opening five minutes when Tshimenga headed in the first in the 3rd minute and Mbombo added the second two minutes later.

It was all Nkana from then on until the 17th minute when Shadreck Mulungwe reduced the gap.

But Chisala stretched Nkana’s lead on the stroke of halftime when he poked in a ball that was teed into the midfielders’ path by Tshimenga
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Meanwhile, Nkana sat back after the break to conserve some energy ahead of Wednesdays Kitwe derby at home against Kitwe United.

And in Ndola, Buildcon reclaimed number one from Zesco United on goal difference after they came from behind to beat Kitwe United 2-1 at home.

Motela Mulembya scored for United in the 46th minute but Buildcon hit back through an Isaac Shamujompa 76th penalty and Emmanuel Mwiinde completed the comeback in stoppage time.

Buildcon and second placed Zesco are tied on 18 points from nine and ten games respectively.