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The newly elected Copperbelt Athletics Area Board (CAAB) wants to revamp the sport in the province.
The Andson Katongo led executive was ushered into office last Saturday after elections held at Kitwe College of Education.
Other executive committee members are vice chairman Nathan Nyirongo, Treasurer Jane Tembo, Secretary Mulenga Chipoma and his vice Peggy Mutuna while committee members are Felix Mbuye, Zachariah Kumwenda, Judy Mutupa and Felix Kapembwa.
In an interview, Chipoma said his executive is determined to restore glory days in Copperbelt athletics.
“In the history of Zambian athletics, Copperbelt has always been producing athletes in the country. We would want to bring back those glory days such that the Copperbelt is again seen as the habour of athletics in Zambia,” Chipoma said.
Chipoma said as Secretary he has the vision to bring unity and harmony on the Copperbelt.
“My first task generally, will be to help in uniting the province in terms of working together amongst all the clubs so that we can promote athletics in Zambia,” he said.
“Our priority is to promote athletics. As an executive our vision is to put athletics first,” Chipoma said.
Government has lauded YARA International a Norwegian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) for donating 2,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to the Ministry of Agriculture.
And Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo says the agriculture sector is one of several sectors that have not been spared from the adverse effects of the COVID-19, hence the donation will certainly go a long way in assisting small scale farmers especially those in rural areas.
Mr Katambo praised the fertilizer donation during a joint press briefing by the Ministry of Agriculture and TARA International, held at Mulungushi House in Lusaka yesterday.
Mr Katambo pointed out that most of the activities that farmers used to undertake to improve their farming businesses have been halted due to the restrictions enforced on the general public, thus contributing to the country’s food insecurity particularly among small scale farmers.
“On behalf of the President, Edgar Lungu, the people of Zambia, my Ministry and all the would-be beneficiaries, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude towards this generous and timely donation,” Mr Katambo stated.
He assured that the input will be distributed among the intended beneficiaries through the Conservation Farming Unit (CFU) and will be put to good use by the end users.
Mr. Katambo further warned that government will not allow any possible malpractice among the implementers.
“May the recipients of these inputs, therefore, count it as a rare privilege to be among those few who have been chosen as beneficiaries. To all the implementers, ensure that the donations are channeled to the intended beneficiaries as the government will not allow any malpractices towards this gift,” he stated.
And YARA International Commercial Director for Zambia, (1b) Gawie Peens disclosed that Zambia is among seven African countries to benefit from the initiative,
Mr Peens revealed that 40, 000 tonnes of high quality fertilizer has already been shipped to Africa of which Zambia has been allocated 2,000 metric tonnes.
“YARA’S fertilizer contribution, combined with agronomic support, is expected to triple maize production and feed more than one million people across Africa.
Shishuwa accuses the same government that tolerates him to continue writing his anti-government theories of being intolerant, forgetting that it is also the same government that feeds him? To us, this proves the obvious that Shishuwa represents an agenda that is beyond fair academic commentary but a deeper political interest. Our conclusion is that Shishuwa is just another disgruntled and half-baked politician hiding behind the curtain of academia and must be treated as such
By Dr. Joze Manda
Were it not for Shishuwa Shishuwa’s impeccable academic background, we would have ignored him because we have followed his many biased political commentaries against Edgar Lungu and his government and we know his inclination towards the opposition from the time of the Post Newspaper, but given his academic background and the audience he represents (UNZA) we are forced to debunk his sensational claim in his recent ranting titled “This is how President Lungu is planning to rig Zambia’s 2021 general election” which is full of unsubstantiated claims.
Shishuwa exposes mediocre understanding on how governments are run and how laws are made and amended which also explains why he cherry-picks loose information and fills his analysis with too many theories and zero facts.
Shishuwa accuses the same government that tolerates him to continue writing his anti-government theories of being intolerant, forgetting that it is also the same government that feeds him? To us, this proves obvious that Shishuwa represents an agenda that is beyond fair academic commentary but a deeper political interest, which is his constitutional right, we respect that.
Step 1: Amend the Constitution
For an Oxford trained academician, Shishuwa shows a very low understanding of what the constitution is, what it is meant to achieve, and how it can be amended. He employs a biased analysis against Lungu without considering the fact that the same constitution would apply to HH in the event he failed to reach the 51 plus mark.
*Did it ever occur to our learned Dr that it is possible to have a tie of 49% votes for Lungu and 49% for HH and whoever managed to get the 2% support from the other small parties would carry the day?
Our learned friend must understand that by definition, a constitution is an aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. The constitution forms the basic structure of any government.
The constitution of any country is important because of the fact that it lays down all the legal and cultural aspects under which its people and the governmental bodies will be governed. The constitution is also referred to as a living documents. It is a living document because it should continually be edited and updated to conform to the new times and also to fit the current needs of the people.
A poor country like Zambia can avoid expensive elections re-runs and save huge amounts of money by introducing such amendments to the constitution and that’s what lawmakers are paid to do when we elect them to parliament.
Step 2: Abolish the voters’ roll
Our learned friend here he also fails to appreciate and understand the role of the voter’s roll and the independence the Electoral Commission of Zambia. An outdated voters roll is a risk to all the parties involved, which include the party in power, the opposition and the people of Zambia who are the voters themselves.
As we have always know our learned friend to be speculative, he claims “Sources in the commission said Lungu exerted significant pressure on the electoral body to abolish the permanent register rather than updating it, as required by law, and as has been done in each election since 2005 when it was first created”. Shishuwa fails to understand and appreciated that the Electoral Commission of Zambia follows its own set guideline in implementing whatever necessary changes are needed and no individual can influence them.
Shishuwa goes on to baselessly claim that, “Three of the four provinces in which Hichilema retains huge support, for instance, are in rural areas. Limited publicity about the commission’s plans to abolish the existing register, the long distances to the nearest administrative centres, the onset of the rainy season (which starts in late October), and the limited time available to complete the exercise will undermine the capacity of voters in these areas to take part in the voter registration.” Has our learned friend taken time to analyse the demographics setup of the whole country that its evenly the same countrywide and does he understand that the same way the Electoral Commission reaches the voters during voting will be the same way it will reach the same voters to register?
The commission can easily capture the nine million expected voters in the allocated time considering the advancement of technology and considering that they are able to reach the same number of people during the voting period within a twenty-four hour period.
Shishuwa concludes his article by baselessly claiming that Lungu harbours plans to arrest Hichilema on a trumped-up charge. It is very sad and disappointing when a learned academician and a government worker for that matter plays propaganda politics on the expense of educating the public just to satisfy his political sponsors.
Our conclusion is that Shishuwa is just another disgruntled and half-baked politician hiding behind the curtain of academia and must be treated as such with the gloves that fit his hands. He must be brought to account for his claims and accusations as they have the potential to breach our national security.
Scores of Opposition New Hope Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) members and residents of Lusaka today stormed Zambia Police Headquarters to show solidarity to Dr. Nevers Mumba who was appearing before the Zambian Police.
Dr. Mumba who is the President of the New Hope MMD had been summoned by the Police for Interrogation over his revelations of the alleged rigging of the Lukashya by-elections. He had earlier been summoned by the Electoral Commission of Zambia but the MMD Secretariat declined the invitation that ECZ had no right to summon anyone.
As early as 7 hours, people started trooping to Force Headquarters. The residents had banners that read among others that “Nevers Fit, PF Weak”, “ECZ Should Go!!”, “Nevers say Never” among others.
Dr. Mumba who was in the company of Senior MMD officials, United for a Better Zambia (UBZ) President Mr. Sondo and his Lawyer, Counsel Jeah Madaika arrived at the force Headquarters at 9:50 hours.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) President Dr. Chishimba Kambwili and members of the NDC Central Committee arrived at 11 hours to offer solidarity to Dr. Mumba but was blocked by Riot Police.
Dr. Mumba who was interrogated for over 2 hours emerged from Force Headquarters at 12 hours in high spirit.
Dr. Mumba who addressed the residents, MMD members and the Press said that the journey to save Zambia has started.
“I would like to thank you all for coming through to show solidarity to us. What happened in Lukashya should never happen again. Today is the first step in our journey to save Zambia”, Dr. Mumba said.
NDC President Chishimba Kambwili at the Police Station to give Solidarity to Nevers Mumba
Nevers Mumba Appearing at the Police Station after being summoned over rigging allegationsMMD Vice President at the Police Station to give Solidarity to Nevers Mumba
Konkola Blades, Petauke United, Livingstone Pirates and Kashikishi Warriors have all won their first matches of the FAZ National Division 1 play-offs being played in Lusaka.
Matches are being played on a round robin basis with the top two teams in each group winning promotion to the National Division.
Pirates topped Group A on three points after thumping Blessings FC of Central Province 3-0 in the lunch-time match played at Police College Grounds on Monday.
Petauke United are second in Group A also on three points following a 1-0 win over Malalo Police of Northern Province while City of Lusaka were on bye in this pool.
Kashikishi Warriors are the early pacesetters in Group B after edging former Super Division side Real Nakonde 2-1 at Miller Grounds.
Elsewhere in Group B, Konkola Blades needed post-match penalties to overcome Trident 4-3 after a goalless draw in regulation time.
Western Province champions Luena Buffaloes were on bye.
Meanwhile,the play-offs are entering day two on Tuesday with City of Lusaka facing Malalo Police in the 13h00 kick off match at Police College Ground before Pirates takes on Petauke United at 15h00.
Konkola and Kashikishi will be fighting for the sole leadership of Group B when they go head to head at Miller Grounds in the 15h00 kick off match.
Meanwhile, all matches are being played behind closed door.
Veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga has said that the story circulating on social media under the headline ” THERE IS NO WIND OF CHANGE IN ZAMBIA – VJ MWAANGA” is fake and malicious and denied ever making such a statement.
Responding to a query about the authenticity of the story, Dr. Mwaanga said that the story was a fiction of imagination of its authors, who are disreputable individuals, who are essentially mercenaries, are hired by unscrupulous enemies of progress.
Below is Dr Mwaanga’s statement
Statement by Dr Vernon J Mwaanga GOEZ.
A story has been circulating on social media under the ” THERE IS NO WIND OF CHANGE IN ZAMBIA – VJ MWAANGA”. This story is fake and malicious. I have never made such a statement. It is a fiction of imagination of its authors, who are disreputable individuals, who are essentially mercenaries, are hired by unscrupulous enemies of progress.
This is the downside and dark side of social media, where some of the unprincipled authors are paid to post blatant and wicked lies, to undermine or taint individuals or organizations, with a view to undermining their credibility and integrity. It is a dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible act, which I whole heartily condemn in the strongest terms. There appears to be a hired gang of misformation low calibre persons, who are running a factory of lies and misinformation. In their rush to unleash their lies, even my name appears in parts of the statement as ” Mr. Mwaangala”.
May the authors of this and other similar statements about other people, be guaranteed one-way tickets to hell, where they should rot in pieces.
Lusaka.
27th September, 2020
Below is the Fake News
Veteran politician Vernon Mwanga has observed that Zambia will still be in the hands of the PF even beyond 2021 and that it is senseless to think people will vote the PF out of power because the opposition have failed to show seriousness.
A week ago, ADD president Mr Charles Milupi disclosed that the opposition alliance which he chairs is facing problems because of internal fights about who should lead it.
And now, Mr Mwaanga says there is currently no opposition political party that has shown the green lights and capacity to dislodge the Patriotic Front.
“Opposition political parties have failed to organise themselves and deliver the manifesto to the people of Zambia,” he has said. “The opposition Alliance has no potential to remove PF from power. The message is not enough, they have failed to convince the voters.”
He observed that selfishness will cost the opposition Alliance.
“The PF is on the ground delivering development to the people of Zambia while the opposition is fighting for who should lead the alliance. By the way, Alliances don’t work in Zambia, we have seen strong Alliances collapsing like towers,” Mr Mwaanga is reported to have said. “The PF/UPND in 2011 pact failed because my brother HH thought he would make it on his own. UPND has been in Alliances ever since but it has never worked for them because of selfish way of handling politics. My brother HH is self-centered to allow other members of Alliance to challenge him.”
The 81 Member Organizations of the Zambia National Educational Coalition (ZANEC) has expressed their disappointment over the continued neglect of the education sector by the government.
In a statement made available to ZANIS, ZANEC Executive Director George Hamusunga said the neglect by government has been demonstrated by the Ministers of Finance since 2016 by continuously reducing the budgetary allocation to the education and skills sector.
Mr. Hamusungu stated that the last four Ministers of Finance have collectively reduced the share of the education budget from 20.2% in 2015 to the recently announced 11.5% for 2021, representing a 46.3% reduction in the last five years.
He added that the Coalition observes that the K13.8 billion allocation is lower than last year’s budget when one considers the sharp rise in the inflation rate in the last year.
The Director further added that by neglecting education, the four Ministers of Finance have championed the deteriorating education standards in the education system.
Mr Hamusungu noted that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the long closure of schools, it was the Coalition’s expectation that the budget would plan to address the repercussions of the closure.
“The failure for the 2021 Education and Skills Sector budget to allocate enough resources to remediate the loss of learning during the COVID 19 period demonstrates the government’s lack of political will to mitigate the looming education quality crisis,” he said.
“ZANEC further hopes that government will prioritize the disbursement of the K2.3 billion allocated to social cash transfer to vulnerable households with learners who have difficulties to pay school fees to mitigate the impact of COVID-19,” he said.
He said the Coalition has observed that the current budget highlights missed the opportunity for transforming the education system which is currently experiencing a quality crisis.
He explained that the budget has failed to provide the required financing for the education and skills sector to achieve most of the targets provided for in the 7th National Development Plan, vision 2030 and the Education and Skills Sector Plan.
Namwali Serpell has won the UK’s top prize for science fiction, the Arthur C Clarke award, for her first novel The Old Drift, which judges described as “stealth sci-fi”.
The Zambian author’s debut tells the stories of three families over three generations, moving from a colonial settlement by Victoria Falls at the turn of the 20th century, to the 1960s as Zambia attempts to send a woman to the moon, and into the near future.
A mix of historical fiction, magical realism and sci-fi, Serpell saw off competition from authors including previous winner Adrian Tchaikovsky and Hugo best novel winner Arkady Martine to take the prize.
Originally established by the author Arthur C Clarke with the aim of promoting science fiction in Britain, the award goes to the best sci-fi novel of the year.
Chair of judges Andrew M Butler called The Old Drift “an extraordinary family saga that spans eras from Cecil Rhodes to Rhodes Must Fall, and beyond”, praising it for “interrogat[ing] colonialism from within and point[ing] to the science fictionality of everyday events”.
“The Old Drift is, as one of our judges put it, ‘stealth sci-fi’, with inheritance and infection at its heart,” said Butler. “Our pandemic-ravaged world reminds us how connected our world has been for the last century or more – and this book points to the global nature of science fiction.”
Last year’s winner of the prize, Tade Thompson, called The Old Drift “the great African novel of the 21st century”.
“At last, a book that acknowledges that the African lives with the fantastic and mundane. At last, an African book of unarguable universality,” said Thompson.
“Serpell has created something specifically Zambian and generally African at the same time. The Old Drift is everything fiction should be, and everything those of us who write should aspire to. Hats off. A well-deserved win.”
And President Lungu took to Facebook to congratulate Serpell on the achievement.
It is heartwarming to learn that a Zambian writer Namwali Serpell has won the UK’s top prize for science fiction, the Arthur C Clarke award, for her first novel ‘The Old Drift’. I believe that this recognition is a great endorsement for writers of Zambian origin or stories from a Zambian inspired context. This is also a motivation for other writers and artists,” President Lungu said.
Government has handed over livestock to Sinda District women clubs meant to improve their livelihoods.
Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Nkandu Luo explained that the programme is focused on empowering women because they are likely to pass on the wealth to others.
Professor Luo announced that the programme of empowering women clubs with livestock is also meant to change the mindset of people towards the new ways of feeding animals such as the cultivated pastures as opposed to communal feeding.
“We have a programme in our ministry where we are growing pastures in which you should all participate,” she said.
Prof. Luo was speaking when she addressed women at Sinda and Kapoche constituency offices where she handed over chickens and goats to the clubs.
And Prof. Luo also mentioned that that programme will also target the youths so that they are kept busy away from bad vices such as beer drinking.
She advised clubs to balance representation by including 15 percent women, 30 percent youths and 20 percent men.
She explained to the recipients of the chickens that the birds they were receiving were cross-breeds meant for multiplication of wealth and not meant for cooking.
“These chickens you have been given can hatch up to 100 eggs in a short period of time, so there will be nothing that will be thrown out from the chickens or goats, not even feathers or skin, as all those can be sold for cash money,” she said.
And speaking earlier Chief Nyanje of the Nsenga speaking people thanked government for the empowerment.
Chief Nyanje called on government not to leave out women as they play a major role in the community and at household level.
“Don’t leave out women because they are hardworking especially in clubs,” he said
And Florence Banda one of the beneficiaries from Kachamukana village whose club received chickens thanked government for the livestock empowerment.
“These chickens can help us with money through meat sells and egg sells,” said Ms Banda.
She also called on fellow beneficiaries to take care of their livestock in order for them to realize the benefits.
Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela has urged Zambian Universities to emphasize on the need to prepare graduates to start entrepreneurship instead of advancing to seek employment.
Speaking when he featured as guest lecturer for the Executive Masters of Business Administration at University of Lusaka (UNILUS) yesterday, the Minister said graduates must open their minds for new ventures including those in the tourism industry that come with good incentives from government.
Mr Chitotela stated that graduates must pay attention to Presidential pronouncements and National Budget Presentations that form government positions on where best to invest.
“It is ‘old school’ to think that investing in tourism is only for foreign financiers considering that the government has opened up opportunities for local Zambians to invest in the sector,” he said.
The Minister challenged the students to search for any Zambian that has created wealth out of earning a salary.
Mr Chitotela noted that there is a need to turn to entrepreneurship for the betterment of the economy and the Zambian people’s livelihood.
The Minister said the University of Lusaka is a true model of a Zambian business model that needs to be supported as it offers free enterprise training to students.
And UNILUS Vice-Chancellor Pinalo Chifwanakeni said the tourism sector has more to offer if young people started considering investing in it.
Professor Chifwanakeni noted that countries like Israel have benefited more and their economies have been strengthened by foreign exchange earnings by advertising religious tourism.
He said Zambians could grow more out of the various knishes of tourism offing.
Prof. Chifwanakeni emphasized on the need to look to Northern Tourism Circuit for tourism investments.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Public Relations Officer Sakabilo Kalembwe.
The committee probing illegalities in land allocation in Kitwe has concluded receiving oral and written submissions from residents. The committee was yesterday carrying out field visits in the areas that have been cited for illegal land allocations as part of the investigations.
Several Kitwe residents had turned up in huge numbers to make their submissions to the committee which was chaired by Adam Jere. During the hearings which started its sittings on Monday last week, councillors, agents and some council employees were mentioned to be responsible for the illegal allocation.
However, it was difficult for some residents to clearly state the names of people who sold them pieces of land.
It was also observed that most of the people that were making submissions were from Ndeke presidential area and Mindolo- North and were seeking offer letters for their parcels of land.
And speaking in an interview, Mr Jere said the committee has an insight into the problems of land illegalities in Kitwe. He said the committee allocated three days for public hearings and submission of reports.
“Today, we are doing fieldwork. We want to check what is on the ground,” he said.
The Committee is expected to finalize its business in Kitwe today.
The tragic death of Daev, one of Zambia’s most creative and talented singers, in a road traffic accident is a devastating loss. I am terribly sad for Zambia. We have lost a huge talent. Daev had his unique gentle way of singing – he actually could sing, as unlike the majority of “musicians” these days. Most importantly, Daev demonstrated that freedom of expression is a powerful right. When fully owned and expressed, it has potential to change the world.
There is an important lesson from the death of Daev. We know this musician today and are mourning his death because he expressed himself; he did not end up singing in his shower or church, or some other private space. Depending on how we live our life, it is only when we die that we become truly immortal. We are resurrected by other people through our creative works.
Daev knew that it is not enough for one to have a talent. One must apply it publicly or in ways that enhance the lives of others. He used his talent to give himself to the public in a permanent form, even at his young age. He created a record, a permanent record. 50 or 200 years from now, what evidence would exist that show that we once lived? This idea of life on a safe side, of not offending, of being on the “right” side, is incredibly stupid.
Some would say my legacy is my children. But it is not enough to have children because they are their own people. Nobody bothers about children unless they are the children of Kenneth Kaunda, but nobody cares about the children of Kaunda’s children. Who knows the children of Panji Kaunda, for instance?
We must take life a little bit more serious in this country of my birth and refuse to celebrate mediocrity or incompetence as a virtue. We must create. Humanity is about creating. And what is the value of creativity if it is not being shared?
There ought to be something that we live for beyond the routines of life that are created by other people for us: wake up, eat, go to the toilet, go to work, fight for hierarchy or power, have sex, drink beer, produce children, and die. But there is no creative agency to these things. Many of them are biological, with very little creative input from us. The true legacy of human beings is their creative works, publicly shared. That is how individuals like Jesus Christ or Karl Marx made their name and how their works, because they were publicly shared, remain a mark for generations. There were many people in the time of Christ or Marx who were intelligent, but they did not express themselves in permanent form. They did not write. They did not publish. They did not sing. They did not design. They did not…That is why we don’t know anything or much about them.
Argh, today’s Zambia disgusts me, sometimes. Many of us are not living meaningfully. We are just there, occupying spaces, breathing free air, fitting in routine roles. What are we giving to the world that is distinctively us? What are we expressing in some permanent form? It is our expressive thoughts either through our music, artworks, or literary works that show the essence of our value to the world. It is the only lasting proof that we once lived. The future belongs to creators, because when we all die and someone in the future wants to know something about 2020, they would turn to the outward expressions of our thoughts, to the thoughts of those who lived in this moment and shared their creations publicly.
There is something about creative works that give of us. But we are so hostile to thinking or to those who think, who create, and share their output publicly that we would rather shut them up. This is why we ended up worshiping other people’s God. Come to think of it, the Bible is simply a collection of novels. If we do not express ourselves, we run the risk of extinction. Those who try to prohibit those who give outward expression to what they think, to who we are, are actually a threat to our future. What is distinctive about us? That is why we get offended by a few people who express themselves.
Let us offend. Publicly. Let us disturb. Let us confront. Let us retain the innocence of children. It is a mistake to lose that innocence and gag ourselves unnecessarily. We have become way too comfortable with the purposeless lives we lead. In one sense, we are the living dead. In the entire nation, very few contribute or create anything that will outlast us. We have not developed as a country, as individuals or continent, because the heavy lifting is left to a few. There ought to be more to life, but we have settled for being all round irrelevant, waiting to die. That is a very sad way to live, to die.
May Daev rest in power. It remains my conviction that the relevance of death lies in its impact on those that live.
President Edgar Lungu, has noted with concern insinuations from some quarters of society that he has directed the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to abandon the current voters’ register and to introduce electronic voting in an effort to disadvantage the opposition in the 2021 elections.
In a statement made available to the media by Press and Public Relations Special Assistant to the President Isaac Chipampe, President Lungu said the ECZ is an independent and autonomous Electoral Management Body, empowered under Act No. 35 of 2016 to make regulations providing for the registration of voters and for the manner of conducting elections among other functions.
He has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to ensuring the independence of the ECZ, or indeed any other Constitutional body.
President Lungu stated that he would not sanction any acts that would usurp the powers of the ECZ.
He added that under his leadership, he has allowed and will continue to allow Constitutional bodies like the ECZ to operate autonomously and independently.
“I therefore find it absurd that some citizens continue to claim that I am directing the Electoral Commission of Zambia to change voter registration methods to mine and the ruling party’s advantage,” said President Lungu.
President Lungu added that even he and the ruling party are uncomfortable with some of the newly introduced methods but he is restrained to comment because his words may be seen as interference in the operations of the ECZ.
He further added that he does not want the electoral process to be marred in controversy and prays that the pols would be free and fair before, during and after voting.
Copperbelt Minister Japhen Mwakalombe has urged authorities in Luanshya District to quickly put in place safety measures at the mine dumpsite to save people’s lives from accidents.
This was after the provincial minister learnt of the accident which happened at the dump site on Friday where one person died while two were injured.
Mr Mwakalombe said there is need to put in place safety measures to protect people at the mine dumpsite.
The minister said government understands the challenges people are going through to fend for their families.
He said the poverty situation has been worsened by the Coronavirus pandemic which has seen many people out of employment.
Meanwhile, Mr Mwakalombe advised the people of Luanshya to form Cooperatives in order to benefit from the empowerment programs government is rolling out throughout the country through various ministries.
And speaking earlier, Luanshya District Commissioner Patrick Maipambe informed the Minister that 16,704 people have obtained National Registration Cards (RNCs) in the just ended mobile NRC issuance exercise against a target of 18,000.
He added that the district has received farm inputs for farmers and the vulnerable farmers saying distribution is scheduled for next week.
Six people have died in a fatal road accident in Mwense District along the Mwense-Mansa road in Luapula Province.
In a statement released by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) Public Relations Officer Fedrick Mubanga said the accident happened around 07:00 hours today.
Mr. Mubanga said the accident happened after the driver of a Zhong Tong Bus registration number AIB3978 belonging to VIDA Logistics Transport driven by Kedrick Simusokwe lost control while avoiding to hit a pothole and in the process killed Winstone Kalemfu who was riding a motorbike which was coming from the opposite direction.
“Accident investigations by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) indicate that due to the impact, Kalemfu and five other passengers died on the spot, while 14 others including the driver sustained serious injuries and 19 had minor injuries,” he said
Mr. Mubanga said the bus had a shattered windscreen, depressed roof while the motor bike was extensively damaged.
The Agency has since cautioned motorists particularly Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers to observe speed limits and obey traffic regulations and laws.
Mr Mubanga said the Agency is monitoring driver behavior of all PSV and those found wanting, risk having their licenses revoked as provided for in the Road Traffic Act No.11 of 2002.
