Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili has urged Zambian artists, musicians and event promoters to desist from condoning or participating in activities that undermine the countries national values and principles.

Rev. Sumaili took cognisance of the huge role performing artists play in shaping public perceptions opinions, but insisted that they should detach themselves from foreign influences that dent the country’s national values and principles inline with the Republican constitution.

Speaking during a press briefing with the PR Girl Media at the New government complex in Lusaka, Rev. Sumaili purely stated that government will not allow a situation where event managers invite people with questionable characters as this undermines the morals of the land.

This follows the PR Girls consultation with her ministry on their intent to bring into the country South African Choreographer and TV personality Somizi Mhlongo who is reportedly GAY!

Rev. Sumaili has reiterated that Zambia does not condone gayism and homosexuality adding that it remains a crime according to the Zambian laws.

“In Zambia we do not condone gayism and homosexuality and this is a crime …Inviting people with such means we are slowly accepting the vice. We must guard against such foreign influences as they pose a risk of disturbing our social fiber as a Christian nation,” Rev. Sumaili reaffirmed.

She said government shall remain committed in supporting innovation and creativity but will not compromise the countries shared values.

She maintained that government shall remain consistent in putting the nation first.

Below is the Minister’s full statement

JOINT PRESS BRIEFING WITH THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL AND PR Girl MEDIA ON THE ROLE OF NATIONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ON 28TH JUNE, 2019 AT MINISTRY OF NATIONAL GUIDANCE AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS

Performing artists have a strong influence in society and help shape public perceptions and opinions. Therefore, in the promotion of National values and principles, Artists, Musicians and Event promoters are expected to develop a mechanism to hold their members accountable for compliance with National values and principles.

They are equally expected to refuse to condone or participate in acts of Commission or omission that undermine the national values and principles.

Therefore, as a Government we would not condone a situation where Event Managers are inviting people with questionable characters that might undermine the morals of the land as espoused in our Republican Constitution on National values and principles.  Further, the Constitution demands that these national values and principles be applied in the enactment and interpretation of the laws as well as development and implementation of state policies.

In Zambia,  we do not condone gayism and this is a crime and inviting such people means we are slowly accepting this vice. We must guard against such foreign influences as they pose a risk of disturbing our social fibre as a Christian Nation.

Government has again deferred the implementation of the General Sales Tax to September 1, 2019.

The General Sales Tax was initially supposed to be implemented starting from July 1, 2019.

Delivering her ministerial statement in Parliament today, Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said the implementation of Sales Tax was differed because the Bill has not yet undergo parliamentary procedures which include second reading, committee stage and third reading.

Ms Mwanakatwe said once passed parliament the bill has to undergo Presidential assent.

“Clearly these processes cannot be completed before the stated date of July 1, 2019. To this end I wish to inform this house and the nation that the implementation date for sales tax has been moved to September 1, 2019.

“Government has continued to receive submissions from both the public and private sectors as it continues to sensitize them on the content of the bill. Like I said in my brief to the house in April, 2019, we do not want to leave any stone unturned. It is in this regard that my ministry working hand in hand with Zambia Revenue Authority went to all the 10 provinces to engage stakeholders in order to get their key input on the bill that was presented before this august house. We also interacted with professional bodies, academia, think tanks and other business associations,” she said.

She said there is need of support and determination to ensure that the nation gets enough resources to provide social services.

Ms Mwanakatwe proposed to hold a workshop with all Members of Parliament next week to discuss and clarify all issues on the General Sales Tax.

Below is the full statement

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to respond to the point of order raised by the Honourable member and to update the house and the nation on the progress made towards the implementation of sales tax.

Mr. Speaker, as I announced in April 2019 before this house we intended to implement the move from vat to sales tax on 1st July, 2019.

Sir, as you may be aware, the bill is yet to undergo parliamentary procedures which include second reading, committee stage and third reading. Once passed by parliament the bill has to undergo presidential assent.

Clearly these processes cannot be completed before the stated date of 1st July 2019. To this end Mr, Speaker, I wish to inform this house and the nation that the implementation date for sales tax has been moved to 1st September, 2019.

Mr. Speaker, the government has continued to receive submissions from both the public and private sectors as it continues to sensitize them on the content of the bill.

Sir, like I said in my brief to the house in April, 2019 we do not want to leave any stone unturned. It is in this regard that my ministry working hand in hand with Zambia Revenue Authority went to all the ten provinces to engage stakeholders in order to get their key input on the bill that was presented before this august house. We also interacted with professional bodies, academia, think tanks and other business associations.

Mr. Speaker, may I take this opportunity to thank the Zambian people for their support and determination to ensure that this nation gets enough resources to provide social services. I also wish to inform the nation that their views and suggestions will be taken into account as we implement sales tax.

Additionally Mr. Speaker I propose to hold a workshop with all members of parliament next week to discuss and clarify all issues on sales tax. I look forward to the support of the house during further consideration of the bill presented before this house.
I thank you Mr Speaker.

Through the emPawa Africa initiative, Nigerian artist ,Mr Eazi, selected 100 artists to receive $3000 each to create a music video. Zambia singer Chembo was one of the artists chosen.

Chembo was able to create the music video for the song ‘Iyelele Africa‘ that was produced by Fabrice of Star House Music and co-produced by Emmanuel Shambaka.

Volunteers from Put Foot Foundation Rally of South Africa have donated over 1,000 brand new school shoes to the underprivileged children at Ebenezer Primary School and Orphanage and Ngandu school in Livingstone.
The Foundation has been supporting different schools in the the country for over nine years now. It was born out of the need to tackle the daily plight and indignity of children with no shoes.

The Foundation operates across the whole of South Africa and around neighboring countries like Zambia, Malawi, Botswana with particular focus on the less privileged and rural areas that are often overlooked by charities.

According to the Foundation, providing thousands of school children with a brand new pair of shoes is its main focus and that believe shoes are symbolic of pride and give confidence to young learners knowing that they can walk to school in comfort, as opposed to barefoot.

It says shoes are also a vital protection barrier between our children’s tiny soles and Africa’s rough and unforgiving terrain.
“As an organization, “We believe that a new pair of shoes should be tough enough to protect a young child’s feet whether it be on the playground, on the sports field or even walking home in the snow, on a gravel road in the middle of winter,” the organization states.

For this year, the Foundation has been joined by executives from GOtv who have contributed to this cause and sponsored the branding of its vehicle for the rally and donated towards the shoes being given to the children.

Zambia’s slim chances of having use of marijuana for medicinal purposes have been shattered after Peter Sinkamba lost the case in which he had taken the Minister of Health Dr. Chitalu Chilufya to grant him a license to cultivate the crop.

With several countries having taken that route, Mr. Sinkamba, the Green Party President was hoping the judgement would favour him and salvage the country from the jaws of increased foreign debt.

legalising marijuana can generate US$36 billion annually

Mr. Sinkamba said legalising marijuana can generate US$36 billion annually for Zambia and that it is frustrating that many countries have seen sense in legalising the use of the crop for medicinal use when Zambia is refusing to see it.

Mr. Sinkamba sued Dr. Chilufya for refusal to grant him the license to cultivate, manufacture, distribute, export and import medical marijuana and case came up for judgement before the Court of Appeal in Lusaka this morning.

According to the Court of Appeal, Dangerous Drugs Act which is the principle Act for Administration of Dangerous Drugs section 22 gives discretion to the Minister of Health to reject or grant an application to cultivate Cannabis.

Judge Fulgency Chisanga said the Court of Appeal cannot impose its position on the Health Minister’s discretion.

And Mr. Sinkamba said the judgement is a lost opportunity for the country to generate revenue which could have been used to pay debt and reduce poverty levels.

Lusaka City Council has permitted Shumeite Investment Limited to resume construction works on Kalundu Mall on Plot number 5477 in Kalundu.

This is contrary to an article in Daily Nation of Monday 24th June 2019 which suggested that the investor had defied court and resumed construction works.

According to the Daily Nation the Lusaka City Council (LCC) is playing cat and mouse games over the approval of the Kalundu Mall Project as it has failed to produce documentation pertaining to the same. Area councillor Douglas Tembo charged that the LCC had since Monday failed to avail the project approval letter as demanded by the residents thereby creating threats of a possible showdown between the people and the Chinese developer Shumeite Investment.

According to the article the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) directed that Shumeite Investment obtains a consent from the immediate neighbours on the development before proceeding with the project.But one of the immediate neighbours, disclosed that the company had resumed work on the project without consulting any of the immediate neighbours as directed by ZEMA.

“Even if there was no court ruling, how could these people resume construction works without meeting the ZEMA conditions? Who allowed them to continue building when there is a court ruling stopping them from doing so? Who, at the council, is lying to them?” Mr. Mulenga wondered.

However, the Council in the letter to the developer dated 17th June, 2019 permitted the resumption of construction works. The letter lifted the enforcement notice of 6th June, 2017 following a court ruling.

“Please be notified that the enforcement notice of 6th June 2017 has been lifted,” the letter read in part further setting out some conditions to be followed during construction works.

Some of the conditions were that the developer needed to engage Council building inspectors to be inspecting works, no works on Sundays and public holidays and that the plan should always available on site.

Others were that the developer needed to suppress dust and control noise, among other building regulations.

George Sichimba, Council Public Relations Manager said the article in the Daily Nation headlined “Chinese firm defies court, resumes Kalundu mall works” was not balanced because it lacked the input from LCC which has been handling the matter.

Mr. Sichimba has since appealed to Kalundu residents and the media to get facts from the Council about the project.

In a statement issued to the Media, Mr. Sichimba said it is important that all residents of Lusaka support the urban renew agenda which the city has embarked on.

President Lungu has said that Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have shared warm bilateral relations since time in memorial. The President said that it was important that the two nations continue to build upon their relationship and cooperation as active members of the Southern African Development community, SADC, The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COMESA and the International Conference of the Great lakes Region.

Speaking last evening at the State banquet held in honour of the DRC Leader’s s visit to Zambian at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, the President expressed confidence that the two nations would continue to strive to fuilfil their bilateral and multilateral obligations which will result in uplifting the livelihood of the people of the two nations as well as that of the entire region.

“Your Excellency, in uplifting the lives of our people, we must continue addressing the challenges of peace in the region. As we agreed in our meeting this morning, this is a pre-requisite to development. I therefore wish to reaffirm the Zambian governments commitment to promoting and strengthening the regions peace initiatives, ” the President Said, making a commitment that the Zambian government would continue to persue peace in the region even after Zambias chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security had ended.

President Lungu commended the efforts of President Tshisekedi in restoring peace and security to the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, and paving way for economic and political transformation.

“I wish to quote a rich African Proverb which says that ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. if you want to go far, go together’. I know it is a worn out saying, but it is still relevant to all of us. If we want to make progress, we have to go together.”

He also quoted a Bemba saying whose translation was that moving together is not a sign of cowardice stating that there is strength in numbers.

“In this regard your Excellency, only by working together can we achieve the goals and aspirations of our region and the African continent as a whole,” President Lungu said.

He stressed the importance of African countries speaking with one voice especially at the multilateral level which requires collective action to be taken on issues of social and economic development.

He said this was in addition to matters of peace and security in a quest to reform the United Nations Security Council in line with the Ezulwini consensus and the Sirte declaration.

“It is no doubt that the majority of issues under the UN agenda comprises of African issues. In this regard, we must strive to be the problem solvers of our own challenges. We can do this by fighting for permanent representation at the UN Security Council,”he said.

President Lungu took time to thank his Counterpart for accepting his invitation to grace the 55th Zambia International Trade Fair taking place in Ndola, the Copperbelt town of Zambia.

And President Tshisekedi said his Country would continue to pursue stronger ties with the Zambian government because the two countries are one as evidenced by the many similarities they share in language, culture and history.

He agreed with President Lungu of the need for Africa to have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council and thanked his Zambian Counterpart for the invitation to officiate at the Trade Fair and for the productive and progressive talks and agreements they were engaging in.