President Edgar Lungu says he has not officially received a report on the political situation in neighbouring Malawi.

President Lungu who is SADC Chairperson of the Organ for Politics, Peace and Security says he will however contact the Zambian Embassy in Malawi this evening for an update.

He was speaking upon arrival in Lusaka from Zimbabwe where he had gone to attend the African Union Africa Wildlife Economy Summit.

During the last few days there have been protests in Malawi emanating from the recent elections that were held in that country.

Meanwhile, President Lungu has described his visit to Zimbabwe as a success.

Earlier, President Edgar Lungu said that Zambia is expected to learn new ideas on the management of wildlife and human conflict from other countries, from the African Union Summit on wildlife that began today.

Speaking shortly before his departure for Zimbabwe, President Lungu noted that Zambia is further expected to share experiences on best practices in tourism.

President Lungu joined other African Heads of States and experts in Tourism in Victoria Falls Town, Zimbabwe where the two day African Union-African Wildlife Summit is being hosted in that country’s Victoria town.

The summit is an initiative of Former AU Chairperson, Paul Kigame, to forge a new deal with issues of tourism, rural communities and wildlife.

Head of the PF aligned Policy Monitoring and Research Centre Bernadette Deka Zulu has been sued in the Lusaka High Court for failing to pay Vyansilati Enterprise Limited more than K2.6 million with interest which she borrowed.

According to a statement of claim Vyansilati Enterprise Limited is demanding that Deka pays back the K2,675,000.00 at 15 per cent interest per week from the date of default, being April 27 this year, until the date of the writ.

Vyansilati Enterprise Limited stated that they were a private company Limited by shares incorporated and were engaged in the business of civil woks, electrical repair and money lending.

The plaintiff says that Deka, at her instance and request freely and voluntarily entered into an agreement with the company’s director Marvin Chibwe on or about April 9, this year where it was agreed that she borrows K2,675,000.000.

Vyansilati Enterprise Limited stated that it was an express term of the agreement as accepted by Deka that she would pay back the said sum in two installments from the date of the agreement

The plaintiff stated that despite numerous requests to Deka to settle her indebtedness with interest as agreed, she has to date allegedly failed to make the settlement in part or in full.

They added that despite their advocates writing Deka a demand letter dated May 23 this year, she made promises to pay but there has been no effort from her to honour the said promises, causing the plaintiffs to suffer loss of business, profit and inconvenience.

The plaintiffs are also claiming payment of the money with interest at the average short term deposit rate per annum from the date of the writ to the date of the judgement and thereafter, at the rate not exceeding the current lending rate as determined by Bank of Zambia.

They are also claiming damages for breach of contract.

Socialist Party 2021 presidential candidate Dr Fred M’membe says Zambia is on fire and urged people to liberate themselves.

Dr M’membe said he had offered himself for the leadership of the country because of the suffering and humiliation the majority of the people were enduring.

He was speaking Saturday afternoon during a fairly attended party’s first ever public rally at Nsansa grounds in Chimwemwe, Kitwe.

“It was like jumping from a frying pan into fire. Now we need to quickly get out of the fire before we are all burnt to ashes. But not jumping into the frying pan again,” he told the cheering people.

“I am here because of your suffering. I am here because of the humiliation you have to endure everyday due to unemployment, poor housing, sanitation, water supply, failing to feed your children and pay their school fees,” he told multitudes of Kitwe residents.

“I am here because of the challenges you are facing in paying medical bills for yourselves and your families. I am here because of the difficulties you are facing to clothe yourselves and your children”.

Dr M’membe said poverty levels on the Copperbelt remained at 30.8 per cent despite it being an industrial centre of the country.

“Of course, this is not the worst. We have poverty levels of 82.2 per cent in Western Province; 81.1 per cent in Luapula Province; 79.7 per cent in Northern Province; 70 per cent in Eastern Province; 69.3 per cent in Muchinga Province; 66.4 per cent in North-Western Province; 57.6 per cent in Southern Province; 56.2 per cent in Central Province and 20.2 per cent in Lusaka Province,” he said.

He said despite the country waging a liberation struggle for independence, a better and more dignified life had not come, and things were actually getting worse.

“Today our country is the fourth hungriest country in Africa after Chad, the Central African Republic and Madagascar. We are number four in Africa kunsala. If it was soccer we would qualify straight to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup,” he said.

“We are blessed with good soils and plenty water. What do we need from God? Mana! Tayakamoneke mana. Inshiku shakwa Noah tashakabwele”! How can we be number four in Africa kunsala na fyonse ifi Lesa atupela? Tatuletekwa bwino”!

Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine’s kingdom.

PROS

• Excellent performance by the whole cast. Will Smith was especially exceptional and was the perfect choice to play the Genie.
• The musical numbers were fantastic.
• The movie was filled with visually stunning scenes that brought the colorful city on Agrabah to life. The iconic magic carpet ride was breathtakingly beautiful.

CONS

• The live-action version of Jafar was not as menacing as the original cartoon version.

FAVORITE QUOTES

Genie: I made you look like a prince on the outside, but I didn’t change anything on the inside. Prince Ali got you to the door, but Aladdin has to open it.

Dalia: A handsome prince wants to marry you. Oh, when will life get easier?

Aladdin: [to Jasmine] Do you trust me?

CONCLUSION

The story of Aladdin is familiar to most who grew up on classic 90’s Disney Cartoons. I was originally skeptical about a live-action remake , thinking it would steer to much from the original. I was pleasantly surprised with the Guy Richie directed live-screen adaptation. Even though i was familiar with the story it still had a feel of originality as well as nostalgia.

Of all the characters , Will Smith had the biggest challenge of filling the iconic shoes of Robin Williams who voiced the original Genie. The best thing Will Smith did was not to try to recreate the ‘magic’ but instead put his own spin on the character ,whilst still maintaining the nostalgia of the role.

The movie elevated Jasmines character, giving her more depth and a clear purpose that was equivalent to Aladdin’s but in her own unique way.

Mena Massoud brought the charisma and cheeky brilliance that we expect from Aladdin. He did an outstanding job bringing the character to life.

Aladdin is a classic story that is wonderfully brought to life by the exquisite cast. Those who loved the original will fall in love with it all over again. First time views, Welcome to the magnificence that is Aladdin.

RATING

4 out of 5

BY KAPA KAUMBA

Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) President Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba has called upon Republican President Mr Edgar Lungu to urgently intervene in the ongoing Malawi Impasse in his capacity as Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC) Chairperson on Security and Defense.

In a statement, Dr. Mumba who is a former Republican Vice President said that Malawi and Zambia are twins.

“Zambia and Malawi have so much in common politically, economically and socially. In the political arena, both countries were colonized by the British. Furthermore, between 1953 and 1963, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi made up the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Economically both countries rely on Agriculture, and socially, both Countries have Christianity as the major religion. The Chewas and tumbukas who make up the majority of the population in Malawi are also found in Zambia. The Paramount Chief of the Chewa people, His Royal Highness Gawa Undi is infact based in Zambia in Katete district. So It wouldn’t be wrong for one to conclude that Zambia and Malawi are twins”, Dr. Mumba said.

Dr. Mumba said that the current Malawi Impasse that has arisen after an election dispute could have been avoided if all political players were part and parcel of the election process.

“Our brothers and sisters of Malawi like us are known to be peaceful and loving people. The images and videos coming from Malawi are extremely worrying. I would like to commend the opposition Parties in Malawi for taking their concerns over the disputed Presidential elections to the Constitutional Court. However, we would like to urge all Parties to restrain themselves and their supporters from taking the law into their own hands. We also urge security forces not to be heavy handed in dealing with their own citizens”, Dr. Mumba said.

“This impasse wouldn’t have happened if all the political players were part and parcel of the election process. We however commend the courts in Malawi for their land mark ruling last Friday on the “right to be heard” case lodged by the opposition. This will afford the people of Malawi an opportunity to verify the authenticity of the disputed election. It is such actions that diffuse conflict in a nation”, Dr. Mumba said.

Dr. Mumba said regional bodies like the AU and SADC should take advantage of early warnings to prevent catastrophes from happening on the Continent.

“In the past our region has not taken advantage of early warnings to avert catastrophes in the region. Some cases in point include Zimbabwe, where SADC procrastinated in intervening until the military moved in at a high cost to human life. The case of Sudan is another example of failure on the part of continental and regional watchdog organizations. The results where a military intervention at great human cost. It is for this reason that we are asking SADC to avoid another catastrophe in the making in Malawi. We are running out of time. Any unrest in Malawi affects the security of our nation. The cessation of hostilities in Malawi therefore is in the interest of our country,” Dr Mumba said.

Dr. Mumba has called upon Republican President Mr Edgar Lungu to urgently intervene in the impasse in his capacity as SADC Chairperson of Defense and Security.

“Malawi like Zambia is a member of both the Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC) and the Africa Union (AU). We are fortunate that our Republican President Mr. Lungu is the Chairperson of the Security and Defense Wing of SADC. We call upon President Lungu to urgently call for a SADC defence and security meeting to discuss the Malawi Impasse and find peaceful means to resolve it before it escalates”, Dr. Mumba said.

The opposition UPND has labeled Presidential Edgar Lungu as the worst President in the world looking at the ruins he has caused.

UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka said it is surprising that President Lungu has managed to run down Zambia’s economy in less than three years.

“The Public universities are dead, Times of Zambia worker are in salary arrears, Zampost workers in salary arrears, Zambia Railways is absent in economic affairs, agriculture has been run down, corruption is skyrocketing, graduates have forgotten about job opportunities, businesses have died, the future of mines is uncertain, students have lost their meal allowances, many construction projects have stalled and many more,” Mr Katuka said.

“At the macro level, the Kwacha has run mad with the exchange rate depreciating like there is no President in charge, interest rates are skyrocketing making it very difficult for people to repay their loans resulting in their properties being grabbed by lenders, the economy has stopped growing at a rate that can generate employment, corruption has become the order of the day while the country’s huge foreign debt is becoming unpayable.”

He added, “Many are struggling to sustain their families. Zambians cannot wait to see Lungu leave. Zambians are fatigued and money is hard to come by. In a developed democracy, Lungu could have been forced to resign.”

Mr Katuka said if President Lungu has the conscious given the millions of Zambians he has subjected and condemned to perpetual poverty, let him resign.

“We need a fresh mandate which shall run the country with sanity. We cannot continue with an individual who has no solutions to the nation’s problems.

Transparency International Zambia has welcomed the publication of the Mutual Evaluation Report on Anti Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Financing measures in Zambia by the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti Money Laundering Group.

TIZ President Reuben Lifuka says this is a timely development particularly coming at a time when the nation is gripped with unnecessary debate and attempts instigated mainly by Politically Exposed Persons and political cadres who feel threatened by the work of the Financial Intelligence Centre and therefore seek to jettison the relevance and importance of this entity.

“We continue to witness unprecedented levels of attacks not only on the FIC but the Director General and in the process, the whole essence of why this institution was set up is lost in the political noise being generated by people including Government leaders who should ideally be the bulwark against such baseless attacks on the FIC”, Mr. Lifuka said.

He said the Mutual Evaluation Report provides an objective analysis of the state of play for Anti Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Financing and it will be amiss for Government and especially President Lungu and his team not to take this report seriously and carefully consider the recommendations provided.

Mr. Lifuka has noted a couple of important points raised in the Mutual Evaluation Report which was formally adopted by the Council of Ministers of ESAAMLG which interestingly includes the Zambian Minister of Finance.

He said the Report confirms a matter of serious concern that the five highest proceed generating predicate offences are corruption, tax evasion, fraud and drug trafficking which includes in the National Risk Assessment conducted in 2017, identified corruption as one that generates the highest amount of criminal proceeds among all predicate offences and the resultant money laundering threat that this brings.

“For a while now, we have been raising this concern about the high levels of corruption in this country and what we have not seen from Government are urgent actions to attend to this scourge. Government continues to be pedestrian in its response to ever rising levels of corruption especially in the public service. Our leaders’ take on corruption is worryingly nonchalant despite the severe consequence of corruption on society”, he lamented.

Mr. Lifuka has since reiterated his call on President Edgar Lungu to rethink the current anti-corruption strategy adding that all Zambians should be of one common resolve that corruption is no longer a matter for mundane debate and it is a betrayal of public confidence for leaders to vacillate on this question- the fight against corruption today needs strong decisive action.

UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema has challenged the Patriotic Front Government to provide trading spaces and empowerment funds to street vendors to enable them survive the current harsh economic conditions.

Mr. Hichilema noted that with the ever depressing economic situation in the country, the PF regime should stop looting public resources through corruption and channel the money to helping citizens.

He said the PF should offer safe and conducive trading places to citizens that are trading in the streets and ensure these places are provided with toilets, water and other sanitary facilities so as to avoid waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Mr. Hichilema said it is important that the street vendors are provided with some resources to enable them expand their businesses so they can grow.

He also noted the need to remove PF cadres from the markets where they are charging them illegal levies and basically terrorising citizens.

Mr. Hichilema said ultimately, there must be a well thought out strategy to create meaningful jobs for citizens, particularly young people and women.

He noted that there is a lot of money being stolen from the treasury by the PF leaders who are currently living lavishly while citizens are suffering.