At least 28 people have died in the 225 road traffic accidents that occurred during the 2021 New Year holiday.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed the development to the media in a press statement in Lusaka today.

Mrs. Katongo said there was an increase of 124 road traffic accidents during the 2021 New Year holiday.

During the 2020 New Year holiday, a total of 101 road traffic accidents were recorded.

Mrs. Katongo explained that Lusaka province recorded the highest number of traffic accidents with 105, followed by Copperbelt with 31 while Central province had 22.

She said Southern and Eastern provinces recorded 14 road traffic accidents each while Luapula recorded 11, North-western and Western recorded eight cases each.

She further said Muchinga and Northern provinces recorded six and four cases respectively.

“27 were serious road traffic accidents in which 31 people were seriously injured, 54 were slight road traffic accidents in which 61 people were slightly injured and 122 were damage only road accidents,’’ she explained.

Mrs. Katongo attributed the increase in the number of road traffic accidents in the country to increased movement of motorists to various destinations.

She said the other factor that caused the increase in road traffic accident this year was disregard to the road traffic rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Katongo disclosed that the Zambia Police Service has raised a total of K591.075 during the 2021 New Year holiday from admission of guilt fees compared to the K434, 270 in the same period last year.

A Senior education standards officer in Solwezi district in North Western Province says the cooperation between the Ministries of General Education and Health is yielding results in promoting sexual reproductive health rights in schools.

Mr Borniface Kanema who is Senior Education Officer for Special Education under the Province Education Office says Comprehensive Sexual Education is not about teaching Children on how to have sex but to give them correct information on their physiological make up for them to make informed decision on matters of sex.

“The cooperation between the Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Health is now yielding results because our children are now able to access services on Comprehensive Health Sexual Education,” he said.

Speaking when he gave a report on Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child Adolescent Health, at the end of year stakeholders meeting organized by the Ministry of Health, Mr. Kanema said the adolescents are human beings with different health issues in need of help on sexual matters so that they are protected from early marriages, pregnancies and eventually HIV/Aids.

He said Comprehensive Sexual Education was introduced in Schools because of the alarming numbers of school dropouts due to pregnancy every year.

“In Northwestern province, pregnancies was the 3rd major reason for dropouts in 2017 with 1,226 accounting for 18.9 percent of the total dropouts.

Mr Kanema said 28 percent of the adolescent girls became pregnant before the age of 18 years according to the Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS 2013/2014).

He said the Ministry of General Education has the mandate of providing information to adolescent and young people in Schools through advocates to increase awareness on the consequences of early and unwanted pregnancies.

“We sensitize them on the consequences of child marriages, Sexually Transmitted Infections, un-safe abortion, Gender Based Violence, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS through curriculum activities in Schools,” he added.

Mr Kanema said it is not possible that teachers in schools can start teaching children how to do sex.

Provincial Health Office Principal Nursing Officer Hellen Mahamba called for concerted efforts in making parents understand that Comprehensive Sexual Education is not about teaching learners on how to engage in sex.

“You should help us to sensitize parents on this issue. There is a lot of misunderstanding and fears,” she said.

She said early pregnancies has done a lot of damage to Adolescent girls because of lack of information on Sexual issues.

Ms Mahamba said Comprehensive Sexual Education is there to protect lives of the adolescent in schools and outside.

She said traditional leaders have been engaged and that they are taking a leading role now.

ZANIS/ENDS/CN/BS…..dry.

The body of a 40 year old man from Harare who fell into the 108-meter-deep Victoria Falls chasm while on holiday on New Years’ day was located on Saturday, search teams said.

While police are still withholding the man’s identity, one news outlet named the local tourist as Roy George Tinashe Dikinya.

Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo tweeted Saturday that search teams were now trying to recover the man’s body from the deep and rugged gorge.

“A ZimParks and police search team has identified some body parts down the gorge and work is underway to find ways to retrieve the body of a 40-year-old man who fell into the gorge in Victoria Falls on New year’s day,” Farawo said.

Images emerged on social media of the tourist, who was in the company of a female friend taking turns to take selfies when he slipped into the gorge.It is suspected that he slipped and plunged down the gorge at the danger zone.He was seen wearing slippers and walking on the slippery rocky edge of the water fall.

The International Federation of People with Albinism and Blindness (IFPAB) has been launched in Zambia with a call to supplement government’s effort in improving the living standards of the less privileged in society.

The organization which is currently registered in West, East and Southern Africa has also launched an empowerment initiative for the different abled and the old aged by offering them with grants ranging from K5000 to K200, 000 for different income generating activities.

Speaking during the launch in Lusaka today, IFPAB President Peter Ngoma observed that people with disabilities are the World’s largest minority groups who often face barriers to participate in all spheres of society.

Mr. Ngoma explained that this had resulted in many people living with disabilities to become vulnerable and face many challenges in their lives resulting in high poverty levels.

He said this is why IFPAB whose headquarters is in South Africa identified Zambia to be among the countries that need to benefit from the objectives of the institution, which is among others aimed at reducing poverty among the vulnerable communities by empowering them.

He praised the Zambian government for the various interventions that it is putting in place to improve the welfare of the vulnerable in society.

Mr. Ngoma added that however, government alone cannot manage to respond to all the needs of people hence the need for other stakeholders such as IFPAB to come on board and supplement its efforts.

“We are working to eliminate poverty in Zambia by empowering the people in as much as bearing in mind that the government is trying its best to do so, government cannot archive this poverty alleviation alone hence us other bodies coming to complement what government is already doing,” He said.

He added that the organization realizes the important role that education plays in improving the lives of people in society hence it will provide educational support from primary to tertiary in order to enhance equal access to education among children who do not have financial support.

Mr. Ngoma added that in the educational support, the IFPAB has already offered bursary support to students from all parts of the country to study locally and abroad in different professional fields.

“IFPAB has also seen the need of tertiary support in most cases that the children will qualify to go to college or university, but because of financial obstacles they are failing to continue and pursue the careers of their dreams hence they end up being drop outs, this is IFPAB has implemented a bursary and scholarship to supplement to what the government of Zambia is already doing,” he explained.

Mpika District Commissioner Sampa Muswema says there is need to enhance support to fight against social stigma and barriers facing people with special needs.

Mr. Muswema notes that due to their disabilities, people with special needs are most often sidelined and discriminated in communities.

“Stigma against Children with special needs especially is common throughout the Country, especially in rural areas were retrogressive myths associated with down syndrome and Autism remain strong,” said Mr. Muswema.

The District Commissioner said this during a sensitization meeting against social stigma and barriers faced by people with special needs held over the weekend at Caritas Hall in Mpika District of Muchinga Province.

He said there is need for all stakeholders to increase efforts and come up with strategies that will help remove all barriers hindering people with special needs to actively participating in various activities at community and national level.

Once people with special needs are well embraced, they can productively contribute to the development agenda of the Country, Mr. Muswema said.

Disaster Management and Mitigation Unity (DMMU) Committee has since donated 100 by 50kgs of mealie meal to people with special needs and given more than 2,000 Kwacha primarily from well-wishers within the District.

And Mpika District Caritas Director Father Peter Bwalya says more awareness on the positive contributions of people with special needs is required so that more people can begin accepting and appreciating their unique contribution to sustainable development of the country.

” Last year my organization managed to support 32 children with special needs by helping them with access to health interventions, education and child empowerment,” said Father Bwalya.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of Parents with Children with special need Brenda Chiti thanks Government and Caritas for the help they have continued rendering to People with special needs in the District.

A Chinese national, Zhu Yongjiang in Chinsali District of Muchinga Province, has been given two weeks Community Service by Chinsali Magistrate courts after he was found guilty of assault.

Appearing before Chinsali Magistrate court’s Senior Resident Magistrate Julius Malata, was Zhu Yongjiang, 53, a foreman at Musanya Construction Camp charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to section 248 of the penal code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offence are that on 14th November, 2020 at Chinsali district of Muchinga province, the accused did assault Edwin
Mungulube, 34, of the same construction camp thereby occasioning him actual bodily harm.

It is believed that Taser gun was used to assault his worker which resulted in Munugulube sustaining a swollen left forearm. The weapon has since been forfeited to the state.

And Magistrate Malata said as the court has found the accused guilty of the offence and sentenced him accordingly.

In his mitigation the convict pleaded for leniency from the court saying he was remorseful for his actions.

“I understand that what I did was wrong and am sorry, may the court forgive me, “, he asked.

Magistrate Malata said the court had heard all what the convict had said in his mitigation but that case he committed is serious though a misdemeanor adding that the cases of assault have become common and increasing each day.

He said the court has therefore, sentenced the accused to two weeks community service so that he can learn to respect the local people in
the same way he respects his co-nationals.

“Zambia is a legal state and the Law punishes anyone regardless of status in society,” he added.

Magistrate Malata further ordered that the convict shall do the two weeks community service work from 08:00 hours to 12:00 hours every day.