It’s been almost 15 years to the day since Beyoncé met Nelson Mandela while performing at his foundation’s “Give 1 Minute To AIDS” concert in late 2003. But on Tuesday, the megastar published a poignant letter to the late humanitarian icon, also fondly known as “Madiba,” recalling their time together and Mandela’s incredible and enduring legacy, which she, husband Jay-Z, and others, including Pharrell, Femi Kuti, and Usher, will continue in his memory during this weekend’s Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

As the title of the festival suggests, this year also marked the 100th birthday of the freedom fighter and former South African president, who died in December of 2013. In addition to the concert, a series of initiatives have been made in Mandela’s memory, with the aim of raising $1 billion in aid to the world’s most impoverished citizens, with 50 percent committed to aiding women and girls.

As Beyoncé expresses in her letter, the mission Mandela inspired has since become a personal one:

Dear Madiba,

I first met you in 2004 for the 46664 AIDS Benefit Concert in Cape Town, and the impact you have had on my life resonates with me today and every day. Your kindness and gratitude for every experience, and your ability to forgive are lessons I have learned and will pass on to my three children. My entire family holds you in high regard.

It is an honor for me to travel to South Africa this week in celebration of you and your efforts to right so many wrongs. You were a strategic warrior, a bold activist, and charismatic and well-loved leader. Your vision for dignity, for human rights, for peace and a South Africa free of racism and apartheid, allows us all to turn dreams into reality.

I remember taking that walk with you back to the prison on Robben Island where you spent 18 of those imprisoned 27 years. I recall your measured but focused steps in as you recounted the stories of the struggles, the sacrifices and your resilience. You smiled as you talked to a crowd of artists and their guests, including my mother, who first told my sister and me about the great Nelson Mandela. In that moment I truly understood your heart and humility.

You made it possible for so many people like me to reject impossibilities and understand our capabilities in making lasting change in the world. The smallest efforts could change the trajectory for so many living in extreme poverty, facing injustices, the indecency of racism and fighting for their rights as humans.

As we celebrate the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, honoring your centennial year, I promise you that we have made your dreams our own.

Your work and your sacrifices were not in vain. I will cherish every moment shared in your presence and use the lessons learned from you as fuel to stir positive ideas and solutions.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

(Source: The Grapevine )

State House has clarified that President Edgar Lungu did not sneak out of the country as insinuated by National Democratic Congress Consultant Chishimba Kambwili.

Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda has disclosed that the President has gone on a short vacation in the Luangwa Valley in Eastern Province and not in South Africa.

Mr. Chanda said the President will only return after he takes a short break adding that his vacation was not revealed to the nation in order to keep people away from him.

Speaking when he featured on the Breakfast show on Hot FM this morning, Mr. Chanda said the purpose of keeping President Lungu from State House was to reduce the amount of work going to him.

And on the relationship between the Head of State and Businessman Valden Findlay, Mr. Chanda said the duo have a personal relationship that does not cost anything.

He said Mr. Findlay has never been on any foreign trip on Presidential delegation further describing Mr. Kambwili’s allegations that Mr. Findlay has always been with the President as unfounded.

“If Mr. Findlay wants to travel, he has a bigger plane than the Presidential challenger and if he wants to visit the President as a friend he is free to do so, those allegations are unfounded. He is not a convicted criminal, he returned from England recently and is one of the businessmen funding the PF”, he said.

NDC Consultant Chishimba Kambwili who is also PF Roan PF Member of Parliament charged at a media briefing earlier this week that President Lungu had sneaked out of the country for South Africa without the government telling the nation his whereabouts.

Cleo Ice Queen released the highly anticipated music video for her single “Gimme Dat“. The video was directed by Lawdak, D.O.P was handled by JR Mafia and Tony Davies.

Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has demanded for the immediate release of the NDC Consultant Dr. Chishimba Kambwili from police custody.

Police in Luanshya on Thursday detained Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili after charging him with unlawful assembly.

But Mr Hichilema says Dr Kambwili should be released immediately.

“As a country, we do not need to treat each other like this especially in the midst of the dialogue process in the country,” Mr Hichilema said.

“As far as we are concerned, Dr. Kambwili did not refuse to answer the police callout in Luanshya. All he did was to merely request for a date next week so he could attend to court matters in Lusaka tomorrow.”

Mr Hichilema said there was no need to bundle him like an armed bandit and drive him to Luanshya police.

Police detained Dr Kambwili over night after charging him with unlawful assembly.

This is in relation to the alleged illegal meeting which he held with aggrieved AVIC employees who marched to his house in Luanshya to complain about their conditions of service.

On Wednesday, Dr. Kambwili’s lawyers wrote to Luanshya police asking them to defer their clients appearance to December 10, saying the NDC consultant had a matter to attend to before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

But Copperbelt Police Commissioner Charity Katanga insisted that Kambwili presents himself on Thursday warning that staying away would be at his own peril.

Instead of presenting himself to Luanshya police, however, Dr. Kambwili decided to go to Police Force Headquarters, Thursday, to launch a complaint against Katanga, saying she was being unreasonable.

Before he could lodge his complaint, however, Deputy Inspector General of Police Eugene Sibote ordered his officers to arrest Dr. Kambwili and ferry him to Luanshya.

Dr. Sibote later told journalists at a media briefing later that, “I wish to inform you and through you, of course the nation that the Police in Luanshya issued a police callout for Honourable Chishimba Kambwili to appear today and himself decided to come to Police Headquarters trying to seek refuge or for whatever reasons known best to him. Now what I wish to state is that if any person commits a crime and avails himself or herself to the police other than where he or she is required to appear, such a person can be apprehended by Police and conveyed to the Police Station where he or she is required or alleged to have committed the crime, so that they can answer to the allegations against them. To this effect I want to confirm that we have apprehended and conveyed Honourable Chishimba Kambwili to Luanshya Police Station where he has been asked to go and answer to certain charges by Police on the Copperbelt.”

He said police officers were duty bound to apprehend suspects, no matter the jurisdiction in which the crime was committed.

“You must all understand that this is done on the fact that the Zambia Police is one. When a person commits or is alleged to have committed an offence, in any part of Zambia, all Police officers are duty bound. They are obliged to ensure that such a person if seen is apprehended and taken to where he is alleged to have committed an offence. This is because of the issues of jurisdiction. If a person commits an offence in area ‘A’ and we find him in area ‘Z’, we shall convey him to area A where he is alleged to have committed an offence…I just saw him come in and then he told me that he was supposed to be in Luanshya but I’m not going there. Now what do you expect me as a police officer to do? I will convey him to where he is supposed to be,” said Sibote.

Dr. Kambwili arrived at Luanshya police at 14:06 hours where he was immediately taken to the reception to wait for his lawyers.

Later, Dr. Kambwili demanded to get his medication.

Meanwhile, his son Mwamba and NDC Secretary General Mwenye Musenge and Journalists were blocked from entering the police station.

Minister of National Development Planning Honourable Alexander Chiteme, MP, has called for preservation of natural resources to maximise the value and benefits from them.

Mr. Chiteme was delivering a keynote speech at the World Bank’s eighth Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystems Services (WAVES) Annual Partnership Meeting in Paris, France on Wednesday.

Mr. Chiteme thanked the World Bank for initiating the WAVES Programme, which will enable countries account for their natural resources.

“We joined the WAVES programme voluntarily and we are making a lot of progress. We are now learning how to appreciate our natural resources,” Mr. Chiteme said. “Zambia is a low-income country, but we have a lot of land, a lot of forests, water, and a lot of other natural resources, and biodiversity. Our question has always been: how are we going to harness our resources? How are we going to put our figure to our resources? Fortunately, the World Bank Started this programme, which is helping us answer these questions and move forward.”

The Minister regretted that Zambia has been a mono economy, depending on copper, for a long time despite having numerous resources.

“We are a copper producing country and it’s the only resource that has been predominantly supporting our export earnings. I, therefore, want to thank the World Bank for this initiative; when we joined we said we want to account for our natural resources,” said Mr. Chiteme.

WAVES Global Partnership brings together WAVES partners from developed and developing countries, high-level government officials, United Nations agencies, academics, and experts from think tanks and non-governmental organizations at its Annual Partnership Meeting (APM).

Government has expressed concern that Zambia has continued to rank as one of the lowest in the mathematics and science assessment performance report in Southern Africa.

And Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary Felix Phiri has attributed the poor performance of Zambia in the category to lack of interest by teachers to apply strategic and conceptual teaching methodologies in their lesson plans.

Dr. Phiri stated that there is need for teachers in the country to be creative and embrace pedagogy which is the term refers to how teachers and students relate together as well as the instructional approaches implemented in the classroom.

He said this in a speech read for him in Lusaka today, by MoGE Director of Planning Louis Mwansa during the official opening of a two day National Conference on Pedagogy.

He explained that the Ministry has also adopted a framework to support in-services teachers with more knowledge and skills for them to apply conceptual methods in their teaching for improved learner performance as underlined in the national policy document.

Dr Phiri further added that government is interested in seen improved provision and increased access to education for all the citizens in the country.

And United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director for Southern Africa Carolyn Medel-Anonuvo said the quality and effectiveness of any education system depends on teachers.

Ms. Medel-Anonuvo noted that this is because qualified and competent teachers are a single most resource and determinant in meeting education success goals.

She explained that when teachers use their knowledge of both the subject and the way pupils understand the subject, their knowledge of the subject matter has more direct effect on pupils learning environment.

Ms. Medel-Anonuvo has since pledged UNESCO’ continued support to the improved education services delivery in Zambia.

Orca Deco Zambia has donated mattresses, pillows, Christmas gifts and decorations to the Maternity Ward at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. The material valued at K223,695 is the first donation since Orca Deco Zambia announced their pledge to donate to five charities and institutions at the recently held 5^th anniversary of the store. The furniture store with a presence in 18 countries across Africa began operations in Zambia in 2013 and has since been committed to the betterment of the Zambian community.

University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Principle Nursing Officer, Mrs Mwila Shamalavo in representation of the Maternity Ward at UTH received the donation in the presence of medical staff. She stated that, “our core mission as a maternity ward is to provide health, safety and shelter for newborns and mothers. We appreciate the donation which will assist us greatly in accommodating our patients and meeting their domestic needs while they are in our care. Moreover, this close to Christmas, the festive decorations will bring a cheerful spirit to the hospital.”

Managing Partner of Orca Deco Zambia, Rayan Sharara has expressed that healthcare is of high importance to the community and a top priority to Orca Deco Zambia’s commitment to corporate social responsibility. “We would like to recognise the hard-working staff of UTH and hope that the donated products will add value to the facilitation of their roles in healthcare. We also encourage everyone to help in any way possible to ensure that Zambia’s future generation is born in healthy conditions.”

Orca Deco Zambia will continue to donate to charities in the months to follow in partnership with Lulu Haangala Wood, Founder of the “We Keep Moving” initiative. “The We Keep Moving Initiative is grateful to be able to collaborate on such a meaningful project that seeks to change the lives of the vulnerable in society” added Wood.

The Mine Workers Union of Zambia – MUZ- has called on the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investment Holdings ZCCM IH to increase its stake in all mines in Zambia if the country is to benefit from its mineral resources.

MUZ President Joseph Chewe says the current percent of ZCCM-IH shares in major mines is too small, that is why foreign firms are firing workers and paying them low wages.

Speaking at a public discussion forum organised by the Economics Association of Zambia -EAZ- in Kitwe last night, Mr Chewe also urged government to reject any move by the mines to retrench workers based on the proposed increase of mineral royalties in the 2019 National Budget.

Earlier, Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Bright Nundwe praised the Economics Association of Zambia for being a partner to government in economic development.

The Copperbelt Permanent Secretary added that government is doing a lot to develop the country and it is just in order for associations to give credit where it is due.

And Ministry of Mines Director of Mine Safety Gideon Ndalama revealed that Zambia has not yet reached its full potential in terms of mapping the minerals the country has.

Mr Ndalama revealed that so far, only 62 percent of the geology of the country has been mapped and there are many other minerals which they country may discover in future.