Zambia’s Ambassador designate to the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Joseph Chilengi has commended the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for the critical role it is playing in shaping national development through packaging and dissemination of information of overriding public importance.

Ambassador Chilengi who was flanked by Deputy Head of Mission, Bwalya Nondo, said ZNBC has continued to play an important role in national development through provision of reliable and accurate news to citizens both at home and abroad.

He was speaking when a five-member delegation of ZNBC radio producers paid a courtesy on him at the Zambian Chancery in Ankara this morning.

The ZNBC delegation is in Turkey to attend a course entitled: “News Gathering and Radio Production techniques in a digital environment” conducted by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) under the auspices of the Turkish Co-operation and Co-ordination Agency (TIKA).

“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate ZNBC for its innovation to stream live its news on Facebook as it has helped to counter fake news that has littered our cyberspace. Note that citizens, especially those in the diaspora now have access to accurate news on events back home,” Ambassador Chilengi said.

He urged course participants to ensure that the skills that they will acquire are effectively put to good use and contribute to overall programming and broadcasting at the core of which is quality content, which the general public can identify with.

Ambassador Chilengi also encouraged ZNBC staff to take interest in the social and economic aspects of Turkey and package informative and educative information, which can influence decision making in the country and provide a general view for best practices in various areas.

He reminded ZNBC staff that they can contribute to enhancement of relations between Zambia and Turkey through their work as information is a bridge that can bring people of different cultures together.

He assured the course participants that the Zambian Mission in Turkey was committed to playing a continued and sustained role in facilitating training programmes for ZNBC in particular and media in general with relevant institutions in Turkey and countries of extra accreditation.
The Zambia Mission in Turkey covers the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Georgia and Republic of Macedonia as countries of extra accreditation.

Ambassador Chilengi further said capacity building for ZNBC is timely as it comes when the national broadcaster has migrated from analogue to digital broadcasting.

He noted that this new technological dispensation entails that the broadcasting industry should be in tune with modern trends for good and quality broadcasting.

He wished the delegation well and thanked the Government of the Republic of Turkey through TIKA and TRT for sponsoring the training programme.
Ambassador Chilengi also wished the delegation a happy World Press Freedom Day.

He noted that His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia and his administration places great important to freedom of the press and is committed to creating an enabling environment for journalists to do their work freely.

Delegation leader Chabwela Zulu thanked TRT for the warm reception and the rich course content.

Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili has written to the Judicial Complaints Commission asking that Magistrate Simusamba who one handling his case recuses himself.

In a letter dated 30th April, 2018 addressed to the secretary of the Judicial Complaints Commission, Mr. Kambwili wants the Magistrate Simusamba to recuse himself from the matter, due to what he has described as perceived and actual biasness.

Further, his lawyers have also asked the Lusaka High Court to order that his forgery docket be transferred from the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court to the High Court for review

Meanwhile, Economic and Equity Party president Chilufya Tayali has told the Lusaka Magistrate Court that he is not aware that President Edgar Lungu’s political advisor Kaiser Zulu called Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili telling him that he would receive unprecedented levels of prosecution.

This came up during Mr. Tayali’s continued cross examination, in the matter in which Mr Kambwili is charged with three counts of forgery, uttering false documents and presenting false documents to a public officer.

During cross examination by Mr Kambwili’s lawyer Christopher Mundia, Mr. Tayali who is the complaint in the matter admitted knowing Mr. Zulu on a personal level, but expressed ignorance on the alleged threats made by Mr Zulu against the Roan MP.

And when asked to present evidence to substantiate his allegations that Mr. Kambwili used his influence as a minister to win contracts for Mwamona Investments, the company in question, Mr. Tayali said he was incompetent to substantiate his claims.

Mr. Tayali could also not disclose the name of the employee at PACRA to whom Mr. Kambwili’s alleged forged documents in relation to Mwamona Investments were presented.

This was after another of Mr Kambwili’s lawyers Keith Mweemba asked Mr. Tayali to disclose who Mr. Kambwili presented the uttered documents to.

The matter has since been adjourned to 4th May, 2018 for continued trial.

The Lusaka High Court has overturned the conviction of Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) President Njoya Tembo’s wife, Brenda who was sentenced to five years imprisonment for assaulting her 14 year-old niece with a cooking stick.

Brenda was accused beating her nice with a cooking stick after she allegedly used a pressing iron she was not allowed to use.

She however, appealed against her conviction to the High Court.

Delivering judgment, High Court Judge Mwila Chitabo quashed the sentence passed by Magistrate Greenwell Malumani on grounds that there was no legal basis on which such conviction was passed.

Judge Chitabo found that there was dereliction of duty on the part of the prosecution when they failed to present the cooking stick as the instrument used to injure the child.

He said that the prosecution should have called Mr Tembo to give his evidence which should have collaborated with the other state witnesses on how the incident happened.

Judge Chitabo discredited all the five witnesses that testified as their evidence was not collaborated.

He said there were two inferences to be drawn and in the circumstance the prosecution did not prove its case

Minister of National Development Planning Honourable Alexander Chiteme has assured that there is no victimization of Government workers and that the current debt acquired is benefiting the people through infrastructure development and provision of social amenities.

And the Minister said all stakeholders to the political dialogue should confirm their recognition of His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu as the President of Zambia, in order to have a healthy dialogue.

Mr. Chiteme was speaking when he officiated at the 2018 Labour Day Celebrations in Mbala on Tuesday and responded to several concerns raised by Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) Deputy Secretary General Henry Sinkala, who spoke on behalf of the labour movement.
The Minister told government workers to be non-partisan.

“When one joins Government, you sign to the terms and conditions of your employment with the Government. One of those conditions is that the Government can at will transfer you to any other position and place in Zambia,” Mr. Chiteme said. “Government workers should not engage in active politics and should remain non-partisan. When you become partisan you expose yourself and liable to a lot of things including being fired from the civil service.”

He said transfers in Government were not new, and that they were provided for in the laws.

He said anyone, including Ministers, could be transferred from one government position or station to another.

“Recently we had Cabinet reschedules, it’s just like a transfer. If ministers can be transferred, why can’t a government worker be transferred?” the minister said. “I want to make that clear because now it is coming out as if Government is beginning to victimise people by transferring them.”
On Zambia’s debt levels and management, the Minister reassured that the country’s debt was being serviced and sustainable.

He said the Government had borrowed to foster development and improve the wellbeing of the citizens.

“We have seen the developments that have come with that borrowing. There is no country in this world that has developed without borrowing,” Mr. Chiteme told the gathering. “We have borrowed and used the money to build roads, good hospitals, clinics etc. Up-to this day Zambia has never defaulted on any of its debt obligation, meaning that our debt is sustainable, and we are going to work very hard to make sure that our people have social amenities to live a decent life.”

The Minister assured that Government was committed to providing an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and create jobs.
He said the Government was empowering youths with knowledge and skills to be self-employed and employers.

On the trade union’s rejection of the National Health Insurance Bill Act No. 2 of 2018 which President Lungu signed into law on 25 April 2018, Mr. Chiteme said the Government is committed to provide universal health coverage to all.

He dismissed the union’s assertion that only the formal sector would be making monetary contribution to the scheme.

Mr. Chiteme said only greedy people were opposed to the National Health Insurance bill because they wanted their insurance entities to thrive while poor people have no access to good health services.

On the union’s concern about lack of political dialogue among political parties, the Minister assured that President Lungu and his team were open to dialogue.

“My President His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu has extended an olive branch to everyone that was so cynical enough to come to the dialogue table and discuss issues of national importance. But people have refused to recognise him as President of the Republic; people have gone into Parliament to try and impeach my President, they have gone to the international community to disgrace and discredit the Government of the Republic of Zambia which is led by the Patriotic Front,” Mr. Chiteme said.

“When you are talking about issues of dialogue don’t only speak to the Government, speak also to other players that are party to that political dialogue. Bwana trade unionist, go and tell the other players that ‘the President of the Republic of Zambia is Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the dialogue that we need will have to begin with your confirmation that he is the duly elected and sworn in Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and President of this Republic’.”

IT’S unfair that society wants to judge women differently from men, complains UPND Chilanga by-election candidate Charmaine Musonda.

And Musonda says she met Keith Mukata, her boyfriend who is in prison for murder, when he was single and that she has wrecked no one’s home. The UPND has adopted Musonda as its candidate in the June 5 parliamentary by-election following the jailing of Mukata, who held the seat.

She was jointly charged with Mukata for the murder of the latter’s security guard at his law firm but the court found her not guilty and acquitted her accordingly.

Mukata was, however, sentenced to death but he has appealed both the conviction and sentencing. Following her adoption, several people, including UPND followers, have cast aspersions on her persona and criticised the opposition party for the decision, calling her “a home wrecker”.

Others have said the murder case in which she was embroiled was too fresh and suggested that she takes leave from the limelight. But Musonda has told The Mast that the “Mukata’s concubine” tag had not affected her because society would always talk even about things they did not understand. She said when she met Mukata, she knew he was not married and wondered why society was judging her now that she was vying for public office of member of parliament.

Musonda said it was not the first time she was vying for public office, having stood as council chairperson for Chilanga in 2016.

“The concubine issue really doesn’t affect me; society will always talk about things they don’t even know. I have grown up knowing that no matter what you do in life, good or bad, people will always talk. Everybody makes mistakes and we learn from these mistakes. I am a young woman, I am not married and yes -different men will come and approach and ask for a hand in marriage; I am an adult and I don’t think in this situation we should focus on who I have or not haven’t slept with,” Musonda said.

She wondered why society was judging her when people of Chilanga had chosen her as the best person to represent them. Musonda vowed not to be distracted by those throwing scorn at her now that she had chosen to offer herself for leadership of the people of Chilanga.

She urged the people to focus on her positives than mudslinging “just because I’m a woman”.

“It’s unfair that society wants to judge women differently from men; men do these things every day but no one scandalises them even when they are in positions of leadership. I don’t see why this [concubine tag] should take away from me, especially when the people of Chilanga have decided I am the best candidate. The people of Chilanga have known me from the time I was a child and if they feel I am a good candidate for them, why should society come out and judge me without…let them focus on my positives, let them focus on the fact that yes things happened and my relationship came out in the papers. So many people have these relationships and for them, they will look like saints today because theirs is not in public domain,” Musonda said. “Mine is in the public domain and I do not want that to take away from me and my capacity to deliver in Chilanga. I am a child and product of Chilanga, our roots in Chilanga are very strong. With or without the politics, I am a person the people have been coming to in different situations for my hand and that is why even my standing [in the by-election] is not something I personally came out that I am going for the second time to try but it’s the people of Chilanga who came out to say let us try again.”

She said in 2016, she attempted to contest elections as council chairperson for Chilanga and actually came out first in primaries but the party did not adopt her.

Musonda said she was a loyal member of her party.

“This time around, I went through the primaries and came out tops with a vey big margin between me and the rest of the aspiring candidates, whom I respect very much, and I will work with as a united front to deliver the seat of Chilanga. And this time around, my party and party president, whom I love very dearly, have given me this opportunity regardless of what’s in the public domain. I want to thank my party and I am very humbled that they have all rallied behind me,” Musonda said. “They all have confidence in me that I will deliver and will not be shaken. I am the child of the most high and God has allowed me to come this far and He will deliver, He will deliver the same way he delivered me from the situation I had found myself in (murder case); I was acquitted.”

Musonda said with all that was being said about her candidature, Chilanga residents had not been affected because they knew her from childhood.

She complained about today’s smear politics that drove people from real issues affecting the country.

“Unfortunately, the politics of today is more about character assassination. I would like to see that we refrain from character assassination and tell the people what we are going to do for them. Let’s not focus on calling each other names as it’s not going to develop our nation,” Musonda advised.

She further said she had not betrayed Mukata by contesting the Chilanga seat where he was member of parliament because it was declared vacant.

“Prison is not a good place to be; you are closed up and the only information you have about what is going on in the outside world is what the few people who come to visit you tell you. It is, I must say, a very difficult time for him and people are going to feed him with all sorts of stories, including the fact that I have betrayed him. I honestly do not think that it’s a betrayal, I stayed in prison for ten months. Because I am principled and I am loyal, the Chilanga seat was declared vacant, it has nothing to do with the fact that I once had an affair with him, this seat was not personal-to-holder and was open to anyone who wanted to vie for office regardless of whether it’s Keith’s brother, it’s his sister or former girlfriend. This has nothing to do with betrayal of the relationship I had with him, this [politics] is something he met me doing. I worked with him very well in 2016 and we delivered the seat of Chilanga, so there should be no bitterness because this is not something I am taking from anyone,” said Musonda.

“When I met Keith, it was in the political arena. He found me in the UPND. He found me as a member of the party and that’s the time I was vying for office of MP but when we had heard he had defected, we knew he had the capacity, bigger than mine, had a better portfolio and he deserved the adoption. My wrecking of his home is neither here nor there. I met Keith when he was not married. I knew he had been divorced. I was not at that time having an affair with a married man, it’s now that I was acquitted and he remained that suddenly I am the one that wrecked his home. When I met Keith, I knew he was not married and I was not breaking any home.

Source : The Mast

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has commended the media fraternity for its resilience in promoting rights and freedoms as it celebrates the Silver Anniversary of World Press Freedom day today.

HRC Spokesperson, Mweelwa Muleya said despite the difficult working environments Journalists endure daily, they have demonstrated unwavering resilience in promoting and defending human rights and freedoms.

Today’s World Press Freedom Day marks 25 years of commemorating the day since it was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day is being commemorated under the global theme “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law.”

Mr. Muleya said the theme is a clarion call to the media fraternity to remain vigilant in exposing abuse of power by either public or private individuals and institutions that cause injustice, violate human rights and the rule of law.

He stated that the theme is also a reminder to those who wield power to exercise it within the confines of the rule of law, and refrain from violating human rights such as suppressing press freedom.

Mr. Muleya also reminded the media to realise that they wield significant power which should be exercised with utmost responsibility to avoid violating human rights and the reputation of individuals.

He said Journalists are human rights defenders and should therefore remain steadfast to effectively play their role of the Fourth Estate of Government by defending the underprivileged against the all-powerful in society that may abuse their power.

Mr. Muleya added that the World Press Freedom Day Celebration is a landmark achievement of the gallant African Journalists who assembled in Windhoek, in Namibia and hammered out the Windhoek Declaration in 1991 aimed at promoting and protecting media pluralism and independence.

He said the Silver Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day is worthy celebrating because a lot has been achieved in the last 25 years in a number of countries, including Zambia, in fostering press freedom and human rights and freedoms in general.

Mr. Muleya He noted that Zambia today boasts of a number of media institutions either owned or operated by individuals, faith-based organisations, communities or other interest groups other than government.

He stressed that the introduction and implementation of a liberalised media policy in Zambia has greatly contributed to the realisation of media pluralism and independence as desired by the Journalists who expressed themselves through the Windhoek Declaration which has rocketed into worldwide influence on press freedom.

Mr. Muleya said the commission is alive to the fact that most Journalists, especially those dedicated to pursuing and reporting the truth, are still working under extremely difficult and risky environments.