Minister of Transport and Communications Brian Mushimba has attributed his accident last month to fatigue. Posting on his Facebook page yesterday, the Minister said that he had spent the whole day flying back from duty in Brazil, adding on the jet lag of having flown from USA a few days earlier.

Last week Zambia Police said that the the cause of the Minister’s accident was unknown

Below is the Minister’s post

By Hon. Brian Mushimba

Guess that’s why it’s called an accident. It just creeps up on you when you least expect it; you can’t anticipate it.

But I know now to listen to my wife more often

She didn’t want me to leave the house that day that late after I had spent the whole day flying back from duty in Brazil, adding on the jet lag of having flown from USA a few days earlier.

But I had to have those two meetings because I was going to the constituency the following morning! (See how we push ourselves even beyond limits!).

It’s already late, had just finished some tasty dinner (specifically prepared since I had been away from home traveling for a month). The meeting was only to last 30mins and I convinced myself I could handle it.

So I went to meet the two colleagues to listen to their predicament and how I could be of help. Then a 30min meeting became 3hrs! My wife calls, worried that I had not rested and the meeting was taking too long. I abruptly excused myself and asked that I now go home and rest.

It’s 11pm and I’m truly feeling tired. I jump in my car and using a road I was not familiar with, found myself in that dark and sharp curve on Thabo Mbeki road.

It came up on me very fast and had limited reaction time. I saw it all happen. Scared, holding on to my rosary I keep on me, I saw the car lose control. I remember saying a short prayer. When it stopped on its side, I climbed out and flagged down a Good Samaritan to rush me to UTH. My right arm had been injured. I also gave the Good Samaritan my wife’s number to call her and advise her of the accident that had just happened. My wife met us at UTH before I went into surgery.

I’m glad my life was spared.

Thank you for your prayers

State House Spokesperson Amos Chanda has distanced State House from AXXEZ Media which is purported to be using the institution’s name in getting business.

Mr. Chanda says neither state house nor he has any dealings with the media company which deals in billboards.

He says the two company shareholders have no connection to him or state house but are reported to be bullying CEOs in councils in Kafue, Lusaka, and some councils on the Copperbelt purporting that they are being sent by state house.

Briefing the media in Lusaka today, Mr. Chanda warned that anyone dealing with them should do so in their own accord and not because they are alleged to have state house support.

He also expressed disappointment with the Lusaka City Council Chief Executive Officer for his complicity and acting with the company saying it is linked to him.

Mr. Chanda said this despite him having warned them about a year ago that he has nothing to do with the company.

Preliminary reports of the 2018 Kafue Lechwe population count on the Kafue flats indicate a critical situation for the endemic species which has recorded a decline of approximately 5,000 animals in three years.

According to surveys conducted by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife with the support of World-Wide Fund for Nature in Zambia and International Crane Foundation, the Lechwe population that stood at 28,711 in 2015 now stands at 23,306 animals.

The aim of the survey that was carried out in the second week of November 2018 was meant to determine the population of the status of large herbivores especially the Kafue Lechwe, and also some water bird species particularly the Wattled Cranes in the Lochnivar and Blue Lagoon National Park as well as the Kafue game management area.

The survey carried a total area of 5,615 encompassing the two National Parks.

Meanwhile, the report on the 2018 count of the common Hippo on the Luangwa River reveals a decline of about 800 Hippos from the previous count.

Kitwe District Acting Mayor Everisto Chilufya has warned bar owners who are using their premises as brothels that the local will soon clamp down on them.

ZANIS reports that Mr, Chilifya has warned that hid council will soon move in an carryout inspections on all bars in the City and consequently shut down all those operating as brothel which he said where on the increase .

He explained that the local authority has recorded complaints from residents in parts of old Ndeke and Chamboli townships that some Bars are illegally being used as brothels.

The Acting Mayor has since ordered erring bar owners to stop forthwith, failure of which they will face the law adding that those who defied the directive to shut risked losing their trading licenses.

He has since appealed to residents to cooperate with the local authority in identifying the properties being used as brothels when it the embarks on the exercise.

Minister of National Development Planning Alexander Chiteme has asked the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) to assist Zambia expand investment in renewable energy.

Mr. Chiteme was speaking when he held a meeting with the Head of CIFs Mafalda Duarte on the sidelines of the CIF 10th Anniversary meeting taking place at the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN)’s Noor Complex Solar Power Plant – the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant– in Ouarzazate, Morocco.

Noor generates about 580 megawatts of power that is fed into the national grid and supplies to at least 2 million people.

Mr. Chiteme says renewable energy is very important to Zambia’s development and stated that CIFs’ outstanding works in promotion of initiatives are aimed at combating climate change and expansion of renewable energy.

Through the Forest Investment Programme (FIP), Zambia has developed an investment plan to reduce deforestation and forest degradation.

“However, we still need more financial support towards actualizing the Investment Plan,” said Mr. Chiteme.

He said this is important for Zambia to actualize the objectives of the Seventh National Development Plan and the Vision 2030 to ensure access to clean and reliable energy for all.

The Minister added that through the support of CIF, the PPCR had utilized the resources to strengthen the operations in key Government institutions such as the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, which is responsible for national climate Information and risk reduction management.

The PPCR had also launched the nationwide awareness campaign dubbed #Think2044 and established a Toll-Free Call Centre to empower people with information about climate change.

Mr. Chiteme said Zambia had developed mainstreaming guidelines that laid the foundation of climate change mainstreaming in Development Plans.

He said the government will revise the current design standards and codes for infrastructure to ensure that climate smart infrastructure was developed in line with attaining the objectives of a resilient development path way for Zambia.

“We reiterate the need for continuity if the gains, lessons, systems created by the CIFs are to provide a platform or foundation for future climate finance. The time is now to put up a collective position on the future role of the CIF in the climate finance architecture,” said Mr. Chiteme.

On her part, Ms. Duarte assured Mr. Chiteme that CIFs will continue to support Zambia’s development agenda, especially addressing the impact of climate change.

CIFs, a multi-donor propelled initiative, is supporting the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) in Zambia, under the Ministry of National Development Planning, which has community projects including women-led organisations that empower the vulnerable people and households in Western, Central, Lusaka and Southern provinces.

This is according to a press statement made available to ZANIS by Ministry of National Development Planning Chibaula Silwamba in Lusaka yesterday

Ndola City Council (NCC) says it will embark on pothole patching in the district after the rainy season.

Ndola City Council (NCC) Public Relations Manager Tilyenji Mwanza says her council has already procured materials to patch the potholes throughout the commercial city in readiness for the exercise after the rains.

She disclosed that the council is mobilising resources in order to reconstruct roads such as kabelenga and kwacha.

Meanwhile Ms Mwanza has appealed to Ndola residents living in high density areas to stop dumping waste in drainages.

She advised residents to help the local authority by always disposing off garbage in designated places, where the local authority picks it up for disposal.

Ms Mwanza said careless dumping of garbage results in blocked drainage system which often leads to floods when it rains.