The much anticipated Secretary Generals’ meeting has officially began in Siavonga at the Kariba Inn with all invited parties including the PF and UPND in attendance.

The meeting started with an assurance from the UPND represantantives that they carry the full mandate of the party after participants raised an issue with the opposition party’s sending of proxies to the meeting without a clear explanation from the party as to why their principal office bearers were unavailable.

The UPND have sent their Head of Policy and Research Dr Choolwe Beyani, National Trustee Collins Maoma and their Legal Counsel Mukambo Haimbe in place of their party secretary general Stephen Katuka, his Deputy Patrick Mucheleka and Garry Nkombo who had earlier confirmed their participation.

The move to send proxies by the UPND to the Secretary General’s meeting infuriated participants from other political parties as they described it as “lack of seriousness and disregard for the national dialogue process on the part of UPND.

First Chairperson for the Zambia Centre for Interparty Dialogue-ZCID Dr Katele Kalumba said it was important for all participants to accommodate one another and that it was important for those representing their parties to ensure that the adequate mandate to “whip” their Presidents on issues relating to national dialogue.

Dr Kalumba noted that when the level was not adequate it would be difficulty for the representatives to impress on their presidents on what would be agreed during the meetings.

“I hope the representation from UPND reflects an adequate and highest possible level for whiping their president on issues relating to this summit.

“Previous experience suggest that when the level is not adequate it is difficult to push the agenda within the party but I have heard from the subbmission from our colleagues from the UPND that they have enough authority and mandate to execute that task and I hope that in the interest of our nation and I can tell you all eyes are here in Siavonga as far as Zambians are concerned they know that this meeting is taking place, that there is a meeting of secretary generals and that they will come up with an agenda to start the process of dialogue and reconciliation so I hope that we don’t miss this opportunity.

“We need to give and take a little bit. We understand the handcups of our friends and we accept the assurance that they are here with the full mandate of their party. Its sad that I take my heart out for you the secretary general of the PF who had to leave just after burring his Sister had to come here because he felt this meeting was important for the nation, I really take my heart off to you honourable Mwila. It takes patriotism to do that, a great deal of patriotism,” he said.

And PF Secretary General Davis Mwila expressed concern that the move to send proxies to the meeting would set a bad precedence for the forth coming ‘Presidents Summit’ where others would want to send representatives.

Mwila said the UPND should be categorical and assure the people in the meeting that they will send their president to the presidents summit as it hinges on the continued peace of the country.

He said he had travelled to Siavonga because his party understands the magnitude of what ZCID was trying to achieve and that the process was a cost to the country not to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile a University of Zambia Don Dr Alex N’goma implored the UPND to take matters of national dialogue seriously.

Dr N’goma said there is time for institutions to send proxies but that when time for those in positions are invited they should be honourable enough to avail themselves.

The MMD through their National Secretary Raphael Nakacinda submmited that UPND representatives should assure the nation that they would not be disowned by their party after resolutions have been made.

He said the meeting was for Secretary Generals hence principal office bearers should have been the ones attending and not their proxies hence the need for an assurance from the UPND that they would not be abandoned by their party.

In response Dr Beyani assured the delegates to the meeting that he and his team were equal to the task.

“I carry the wit and mantle of the secretary general of the UPND. The decision I will make here represent the decision and the weight of the secretary general of the UPND so let’s make that very clear,” he said.

The Secretary Generals’ meeting is a prelude to the presidents summit which is expected to take place soon.

The meeting is expected to deliberate on the submissions from the previous ZCID led dialogue process which started with consultations with former Republican presidents, political party presidents as well as eminent persons.

Further ZCID engaged stakeholders from different sectors of society at the National Democracy Stakeholders Summit before holding a one day meeting with political parties outside parliament. ZCID also engaged the Church Mother Bodies on the dialogue process.

Gender Minister and Kasenegwa Member of Parliament Victoria Victoria Kalima has died. Hon Kalima died last evening at Maina Soko Military hospital where she had been admitted.

Hon Kalima, born in October 1972, first came into parliament in 2011 on the Movement for Multi-party Democracy ticket as Kasenegwa member of parliament.

In 2016, Kalima staunchly advocated for an alliance between PF and MMD and later defected to the Patriotic Front and stood on the PF ticket and won.

Hon. Kalima was subsequently appointed as Gender Minister by y President Edgar Lungu a position she has held till her death.

Hon Kalima has steered change that many will remember her for. In 2012 she defended the rights of journalists who got detained and who’s cameras were confiscated.

In 2017 she became an activist against gender inequality and child marriages. The same year she also proposed a revised version of Marriage Bill which will ban any marriages between a man and a woman until both are at least 21 years of age.

Details for her funeral and burial are yet to be communicated.

THE Human Rights Commission says President Edgar Lungu’s admissive remarks that political violence is perpetrated mainly by governing PF and UPND supporters is commendable.

On Saturday, President Lungu said the ruling PF and the UPND were the major culprits of election violence.

Speaking at Lusaka’ City Airport shortly before departure for Mongu where he is inspecting ‘developmental projects,’ President Lungu advised the PF and the UPND to draw lessons from the just-ended Chilanga parliamentary by-election where even journalists from the private media were caught up in violence.

In a press statement yesterday, Human Rights Commission (HRC) spokesperson Mweelwa Muleya observed that the President’s remarks could help in finding a long-lasting solution to Zambia’s political violence scenario.

“The Human Rights Commission wishes to commend President Edgar Lungu for publicly stating that the Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development cadres are the major perpetrators of violence. That must be commendable because the admission of a problem is the beginning of finding a lasting solution, more so a peaceful resolution of conflict,” Muleya stated.

He added that the HRC, going forward, expected President Lungu and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to instruct their respective party supporters to immediately stop the use of threatening violence, abusive language and any language that incites violence or hatred in society because “that is against the public order Act.”

Muleya also stated that the public order Act must strictly be respected and that political party cadres ought to be instructed against arming themselves with offensive weapons.

“They should conduct themselves in [an] orderly and lawful manner so that we can respect the rights, freedoms and reputation of other political players in the field. In short, we are saying that the provisions of the public order Act are adequate and must be protected to ensure that this political violence is eliminated from political competition,” stated Muleya.
“Political competition is a democratic norm and it should not result in injuries, loss of property or life and the responsibility lies squarely on political leaders to cage their supporters so that this country can, once again, recover from the political hostilities that are undermining the rights and freedoms of many Zambians who are looking forward to exercise their democratic right in the country.”

President Edgar Lungu has assured the people of Lukulu and Mitete districts that the Katunda-Watopa road will be worked on.

President Lungu says he has heard the cry of the people in the area for the road to be done.

The president says he will sit down with the ministers responsible when he gets back to Lusaka to see what can be done to quicken the reconstruction of the Katunda-Watopa road.

President Lungu told hundreds of Lukulu and Mitete residents who welcomed him at Lukulu airstrip this morning that the road will be done.

The president told the residents that he promised the people of North Western province that he’d work on the Solwezi-Chingola road, which has been done.

President Lungu assured the crowd that his administration is not selective in the way it applies development.

President Lungu has committed to work for all Zambians whether they voted for the PF or not.

The president said there is no leader who can succeed without the people, a principle he said he adopted from PF founding father Michael Sata.

President Lungu reiterated that he will remain answerable to the people of Zambia as he is a president for all.

He also appealed to PF members in the area to be accommodative of those joining the party from the opposition.

The president later proceeded to pay a courtesy call on Chief Anang’anga Imwiko at his Namayula palace in Lukulu district.

He will later this afternoon address a public rally in Lukulu before departing for Mongu, after which he is expected to leave for Lusaka.

And President Lungu has tasked the Provincial Administration in Western Province to work towards creating 15-thousand jobs for the youth in the region.

President Lungu said he was aware that the 54.5 million US Dollars Cashew Infrastructure Development Project (CIDP) will create 600-thousand jobs for men and women in Western Province but said the number was not enough to improve the standard of living of the people in the area.

The President said this through the Provincial Minister Richard Kapita during a rally at Mulumbwa school grounds in Mongu yesterday.

And President Lungu said Government will work on all the bad roads in the Province in order to ease the transportation of goods and services in the region.

Meanwhile, the President has re-assured the people of Western Province that his government will develop Western Province.

The President urged the people of the province to work with his government to ensure development.

The PF Government has drafted a new law that it hopes will address online behavior and introduce jail terms for those found guilty of misconduct on the internet, a leaked draft Bill has shown.

The Cybersecurity and Cybercrimes Draft Bill, 2017 also allows authorities at any reasonable time, without prior notice, and on the authority of a warrant to enter any premises or access an information system and search any persons.

This is provided for if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person or institution has possession of an article, document or record that has a bearing on an investigation and take extracts from, or make copies of any book, document or record that is on or in the premises or in the information system and that has a bearing on an investigation.

The Draft Bill also shows that Authorities will demand the production of, and inspect, relevant licences and registration certificates, inspect any facilities on the premises which are linked or associated with the information system, access and inspect the operation of any computer or equipment forming part of an information system.

And a person who refuses to co-operate with or hinders a cyber-inspector from conducting a lawful search or seizure commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding 100, 000 penalty units or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or to both.

The draft which is expected to be tabled before Parliament for deliberations also indicates that a warrant to enter, search and seize may be issued at any time and shall identify the premises or information system that may be entered and searched and specify which acts may be performed there under by the cyber inspector to whom it is issued.

Authorities will also be allowed to install on the computer or computer system any software program or interconnect any equipment to the computer or computer system, for the purpose of the investigation and access, inspect and check the operation of a computer that the investigating officer has reasonable cause to suspect is or was impacted by a cybersecurity incident.

A Board for the Zambia Cybersecurity Agency will be constituted and will comprise representation from the Zambia Air Force, Zambia Army, Zambia National Service, Zambia Police Service and Zambia Security Intelligence Services.

You can download The Cyber Security and the Cyber Crimes DRAFT Bill 2017

Green Party President Peter Sinkamba insists that neither Section 5 of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act of 2010 nor any other law bars the executive director of the FIC from disseminating the findings of the agency to the public and has warned that if the Patriotic Front members coerce their leaders to fire her and the Board, his party will have no option but petition the Constitutional Court to order a referendum on the issue.

Reacting to the call by senior PF members who have demanded for the removal of Ms. Tshumba and the board for disseminating the 2017 Trends Report on anti-money laundering, terrorism financing and other financial crimes, Mr. Sinkamba said the demand by PF is uncalled for and may prove costly as the country at the moment lacks financial resources to run a referendum.

Speaking to the press in Kitwe this morning, Mr. Sinkamba appealed to President Edgar Lungu not to entertain the demand by senior PF members.

“We have looked at Section 5 of the Financial Intelligence Center Act of 2010, as well as other laws and we have not found any provision that stops FIC from disseminating its findings to the public. So it goes without saying that if the Act does not bar FIC from disseminating its findings, then it is not an offence for center to do so. We have also looked at Article 5 of the Constitution of Zambia which provides that all sovereign power is vested into the people which is exercised through their elected representatives and appointed officials and that if no power is delegated to any elected or appointed official then that power is retained by the people and exercised by the people themselves through the referendum,” he explained.

“Now in this instance, we have PF saying FIC exercised our power wrongly and we are saying they exercised it rightfully. Then per Article 5 of the Constitution, this stalemate can only be resolved through the referendum. If President Lungu agrees with his members and proceeds to terminate the services of Ms. Tshumba and the Board, without following the due process which in this instance is holding a referendum on this question, then we will challenge the President’s decision in the Constitutional Court and petition the Court to order a referendum. This may be costly, and for this reason, we appeal to the President to exercise maximum restraint,” Mr. Sinkamba warned.

Green Party Media Team

 

Zambian born & bred songstress Kiki released the long-awaited music video for her single “Catch Me”. The song is the title track from her debut EP which she released last year in November. All 5 songs on the EP were written by Kiki and produced by Mag44 at Radio Café. The EP features collaborations with fellow local artists James Sakala & Cactus Agony, and serves as an introduction to her sound while she continues to work on a full album.

The ‘Catch me’ music video, directed by Chloe George of Ufulu Films, features a contemporary dance routine choreographed by Namaala Liebenthal of ‘Zoca Dance’, starring dancers Frank Sinyangwe & Diana Caceres. The dancers appear as a figment of Kiki’s imagination, and are a reflection of the lyrics she is writing while sitting in a cafe.

“It’s every director’s dream to be delivered a project that tickles the heart strings and drums up instant ideas. This was ‘Catch Me’ for us. On listening to the song we instantly birthed the concept of a couple expressing a love story through contemporary dance, and fortunately we knew just the people to bring that vision to life. The ‘Catch Me’ video was rewarding to work on from start to finish. Namaala, Frank and Diana did an exceptional job of choreographing and performing the dance sequence, and Kiki’s scenes came together beautifully (despite two near-misses with the passing freight trains)!” – Chloe George, Ufulu Films.

The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has accused the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) of being the architect of political violence through it’s infamous Mapatizya formula.

Lunte Member of Parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya told Journalists at the PF Interactive Forum on Sunday at Chrisma Hotel in Lusaka that the political violance which the UPND started in Mapatizya and then taken to Mufumbwe has now become a culture in Zambia.

In order to remove the culture of violence, Kafwaya explained, there is need for all stakeholders to be engaged in finding the solution.

“We in PF are happy that president Edgar Lungu has taken the first step towards ending the culture of violence in the country by openly condemning it and has directed that the vice need to end at all cost.”

Kafwaya expected the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema will reciprocate the call by president Lungu on the need to end political violence and direct his party to dismantle the structures of violence

He said it is important for leaders in the PF and the UPND to sit down and find a mathematical formula to end the political violence otherwise the future of this country is at stake.”

He regretted that the violence being condemned has seen people not only maimed but also injured hence his enerst call end the culture of violence in the country.

“As Zambian, we need to create the culture of peace and the thing that will make the life ease for the people.

Kafwaya also condemned the culture of political tribalism being nurtured in Zambia today saying the trend has the potential to divide the nation.

“Like the culture of violence, political tribalism is causing the people to shun some political parties they are reduced to being mere spectators.

He said the PF under president Lungu arbor the culture of political tribalism.

He also indicated that President Lungu is like by the people of Zambia because he has demonstrated the kind of leadership the country need.

He said come 2021, president Lungu will win the election based on his performance.

He advised the people resisting the decision of the ruling party to endorse president Lungu to be the party’s preferred candidate for 2021 to begin build their capacity to win an election.

Kafwaya is confident that the people of Zambia will give president Lungu because he has demonstrated his capacity that not only to unit the country but also to develop the country.

And speaking at the same function, PF media director Sunday Chanda told the UPND president Hichilama to listen to the call his members has been making for the national convention so that the leaders can get fresh mandate.

He also denied claims by the UPND leader that the PF has a hand to the call by his members for the UPND leaders to seek fresh mandate from the people.

He said the UPND has constitution which demand that, the party call for regular convention.

According to Chanda, the UPND is in breach of not only the party and the national constitution regarding intra party Democracy.

He expressed shock that Hichilema is not moved by the call for convention to elect new leaders.

He said the silence in UPND over the people that want the convention would soon explode because not everyone one is in UPND is happy with HH way of politics.

He claimed that Masebo after making pronouncement of the convention is under attack along with GBM and Nalumango.

Chanda also condemned the attack on the media house that made their way to the totaling centre in the just ended Chilanga parliamentary by election.

He said there was no need for the UPND cadres to attack the Journalists because they are non partisan

He said the UPND does not care about the safety of Journalists and that is why no one from the top party leadership that condemned the attack on Journalists.

Chanda also denied that lose of UPND in Chilanga was about the bad choice of the candidate and not the competition as claimed by the UPND leader.

He thanks bad leadership of HH that the PF has grabbed Chilanga and will enter in the UPND stronghold.

He claimed that there is no growth in the UPND and the UPND is currently on it’s race to the bottom.

He asked the people on UPND were not born to save HH but to be co-leaders.