The Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) has spent over US$1.6 million since 2016 in promoting access to tertiary education and provision of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention skills and services to vulnerable adolescents in the country.

ZANIS reports that CHAZ Board Chairperson Justin Matepa says 3, 150 vulnerable girls and boys have benefited from the Adolescent Girls Accessing Prevention and Education (AGAPE) project being implemented in six districts in Eastern, Luapula and Muchinga provinces.

Father Matepa was speaking when he opened a forum on the AGAPE project in Lusaka yesterday which has drawn participation from District Education Board Secretaries, teachers, health personnel, traditional leaders and female pupils.

He said the project which originally started supporting vulnerable girls in 2016 with 1, 749 beneficiaries, has extended support to boys under the 2018-2020 grant.

Fr. Matepa stressed that a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy and programme is essential to halt the rising cases of infections among adolescents in the country.

He said concerted efforts are needed to address socio-economic factors that are resulting in adolescents especially girls to engage in unprotected sex and getting pregnant thereby dropping out of school.

The AGAPE project is currently being implemented in Chienge, Isoka, Mafinga, Chasefu, Lumezi and Lundazi districts, to empower disadvantaged adolescent girls in extremely poor households.

And Ministry of General Education Assistant Direct for Standards Prisca Simukonda, said government is committed to strengthening the implementation and delivery of comprehensive sexuality education in schools across the country.

Mrs Simukonda said the revised curriculum is intended to provide skills, values and information to young people in the country in order for them to make informed decisions.

She said educating girls gives them an opportunity to lead healthier lives and gives them a chance to improve their livelihoods and welfare.

Mrs Simukonda commended CHAZ for complimenting government in providing access to education and reproductive health services to vulnerable children across the country.

And National AIDS Council Representative Helen Mubanga said the AGAPE project is a great opportunity for Zambia to reduce the rising numbers of new HIV/AIDS infections among adolescents, which currently stands at 43,000 annually.

Mrs Mubanga said AIDS is a huge challenge for the country and there is need to strengthen existing programmes to support girls and end child marriages and prevent HIV/AIDS infections.

And CHAZ Executive Director Karen Sichinga said her organization was compelled to start the AGAPE project in response to the Ministry of Education report in 2016 that stated that over 16, 000 girls dropped out of school due to early pregnancies and marriages.

CHAZ has since earmarked to expand the AGAPE project to Northern, Western and Southern provinces.

The Lusaka City Council says it is unsettled by the rising number of street light poles being damaged by some motorists.

Council Public Relations Manager George Sichimba says the local authority is losing an average of five street light poles per month due to motorists hitting into them.

Mr. Sichimba said most of the road traffic accidents involving damage of street light installations happen on weekends and are not reported.

He said motorists who happen to hit into a street light poles due to some reason must take responsibility and report to Police or Council so that arrangements to replace the pole could be made.

“When a pole is hit into and left laying down other people are taking advantage of the situation to remove fittings. Replacement of damaged poles and fittings is a costly undertaking as one pole and fittings costs not less than K15, 000”, Mr. Sichimba has said.

He said government is doing everything possible to light up the city and these efforts should be supported by all well-meaning residents.

Mr. Sichimba said the face of Lusaka has improved so much due to infrastructure development taking place in the city and no one should be allowed to frustrate the efforts of government.

He has since appealed to motorists to be responsible enough by observing speed limits on the roads to avoid mishaps leading to damage of street light poles.

Mr. Sichimba said if the circumstances leading to the damaging of the pole and indeed other public installations are beyond the motorist control, the damage should still be reported to the Council or the nearest police station.

He explained that the LCC has an arrangement with Police that all road traffic accidents resulting in damage of street light poles reported to them should be communicated to Council as well.

The Non-governmental Gender Organisations Coordinating Council has condemned the exposure of nude pictures on social media which have the potential to erode and compromise morals in society.

NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale says her Organisation has been alerted to some disturbing nude pictures and videos of a named Kabwe woman, which have since gone viral and circulating of a video of a naked woman suspected to be a witch in Chililabombwe, Copperbelt Province.

Mrs. Mwale said the NGOCC is aware that the Zambia Police has a record of this case and knows the culprits who committed this hideous crime and expect that these people will be brought to book.

She said the NGOCC is disheartened and remains deeply concerned at such wanton trends in abrogating women’s rights and dignity which goes further to defeat national values and principles which all must resolve to uphold.

Mrs. Mwale has since appealed to everyone, especially women to desist from taking and sharing pictures that dehumanize and expose their privacy.

She said it is important that as a people, women and men, girls and boys, become cautious of their self-image and self-respect by safeguarding the kind of materials they share on social media and other spaces.

Mrs. Mwale has since appealed to the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, to heighten national sensitisation and broad-based consultations regarding fundamental principles on human and women’s rights.

She said there is urgent need to take the approach of engaging citizens on mind-set change around upholding Zambia’s national values and principles.

The Road Transport and Safety Agency has suspended the Road Service Licence for Beta Build Hardware and Electronics trading as Scorpion Bus Services for violating the terms and conditions upon which the operator’s licence was granted.

This comes in a wake of a road traffic crash on 17th April, 2019 around 19 20 hours on the Chingola Solwezi Road involving a Scorpion bus registration number BCA 8977ZM were 14 people died and 16 others injured.

Accident investigations conducted by the RTSA revealed that the driver of the bus, Eddie Katoyo, was over speeding as evidenced by the fact that he overtook several vehicles and subsequently hit into a stationary truck in the opposite lane.

RTSA records indicate that on 11th April, 2019, the same bus driver was reported to have been driving at excessive speed around Chisamba area on Great North Road after which he was summoned through his employers, but the operator failed to avail him to answer to the charge.

Further, investigations into the accident indicate that the driver, Mr. Katoyo was not licenced to drive a Public Service Vehicle and it was also established that the driver gave false information to officers when he presented fake documentation stating that he was a holder of a PSV licence when in fact not.

In a letter dated 15th May, 2019 addressed to the Director of Beta Build Hardware and Electronics, whose buses are branded as Scorpion Bus services, the RTSA expressed concern that the operator allowed or employed an unlicensed and inexperienced driver to drive a Public Service Vehicle, undoubtedly putting lives of passengers at risk further resulting injuries and loss of lives.

The operator’s action was described as tantamount to violating the conditions upon which the operator’s licence was granted thus posing serious danger to the travelling public.

RTSA has therefore, evoked Section 108(16) of the Road Traffic Act number 11 of 2002 that empowers the Agency to revoke, suspend or vary the terms of a RSL if the conditions subject to which it was granted are not being complied with.

In a statement issued by RTSA Head of Public Relations Fredrick Mubanga, the Agency has forthwith given Scorpion bus services 48 hours from 16th May 2019, to cease operations and thereafter none of the operator’s buses shall be expected to be on the road.

Mr. Mubanga said the Road Service Licence will only be restored subject to the operator meeting the conditions that the Agency has set to address the findings from the accident investigations which include, the company availing all its vehicles to the Agency for road worthiness inspection, avail all its drivers to the Agency for retest, and Installing of Global Positioning System on the buses using the RTSA recommended installation firm.

He said furthermore, the firm will be expected to implement the workplace Road Safety Policy which is underpinned by Driver management, Vehicle management, Journey management, Health and safety at the workplace, Organization management and Monitoring and Evaluation.

Mr. Mubanga said RTSA will fully facilitate the re-testing and re-inspection of the drivers, buses and monitor the operator in a bid to uplift their road safety profile.