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The Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) in Central Province says the International Women’s Day (IWD) should serve to remind world governments of the desire for a society where women fully participate and benefit from social, cultural, economic and political development of countries.
NGOCC Provincial Chairperson, Rabecca Mseteka, said despite countries commemorating the IWD over the years, women globally continue to face numerous challenges in the 12 critical areas enshrined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995.
Mrs. Mseteka noted that issues of poverty, education, health, violence, economy, decision making, human rights, media, environment and the girl child among others remain alive today.
She said despite the fact that women constitute about 51 per cent of the population in Zambia, they continue to face challenges to fully participate and benefit from various local and national development processes and programmes.
She said the country is faced with the challenge of ending violence against women, reducing maternal mortality and realising sexual and reproductive health rights.
She added that participation in leadership and decision making at all levels also remains a challenge in Zambia.
Mrs. Mseteka observes that women generally have inadequate economic, social and political power culminating into their inadequate participation and failure to benefit from national development.
She indicated that the country’s rural population constitutes the majority of people living in poverty at 76 per cent and many of them are women.
The NGOCC Chairperson said poverty has been found to be a major contributor to the high prevalence of child marriages in the country at 31 per cent adding that it is much higher in rural than urban areas and mainly affects girls than boys.
Mrs Mseteka also cited lobola and polygamous marriage to be among the major drivers of child marriages that affects the advancement of girls and eventually women because it limits their rate of progress in life.
She urged the government to demonstrate strong, determined leadership and commitment to advance women’s rights.
Mrs. Mseteka also wants government to reach the most marginalized women and girls by tackling stark and rising inequalities and multiple forms of discrimination.
She further urged the government to strengthen accountability for gender equality and supporting national gender mechanisms and women’s movements to exert influence in policy decisions.
Women in Katete district have called on government to take action against sexual abuse being perpetuated by people in high ranking positions.
Women’s Day Organising Committee Chairperson Victoria Phiri said the sexual abuse come as a result of the vulnerability of women which government needed to address by empowering the women more.
Ms. Phiri said this during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day celebrations held under the theme, Time is now, rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.
“There are various issues that are affecting women in the Zambian society and to be specific Katete district. The most challenging issue are that of molestation of women by officials in higher positions both in rural and urban areas, women are usually disadvantaged in social life due to their biological make up,” she said.
In response to this, Katete District Commissioner Joseph Makukula encouraged the women to report any form of molestation to the relevant authorities.
Mr. Makukula said most women did not come out in the open to report the molestations and any perpetuated gender inequalities that took place in society.
“The major challenge that government is facing right now is that the women have not come out in the open to expose all these challenges that u are facing, the kind of violence that is happening in our homes and communities, all these challenges you just seat on them and say all is well and yet we know that there are a lot of problems,” he said.
Mr. Makukula further warned anybody who will be found perpetrating sexual harassment against women and any act of gender inequality, to face the law.
He further urged women in the district to take necessary prudent risks in order to improve their lives.
Mr. Makukula said government has put up adequate policies that encouraged the potential that women have in contributing to the status of the nation.
He said the policies, however cannot be materialised if women do not push themselves and take necessary steps and risks to improve their lives and that of the nation.
Youths who converged in Lusaka for a two day forum
Before I get down to my own view on why politicians keep our youth in abject scarcity, allow me to steal the words of a PF Die-hard Maxwell Chongo. My good brother complained bitterly, insinuating that our youth are living in abject poverty including himself. He alleged that even those in the PF are complaining and feeling the economic stress. It was as if he was reading my mind when drafting his submission.
What is disappointing in his rantings however is the sense of entitlement the PF members seem to have regarding awarding of contracts. In his comment, he surprisingly challenges the minister of housing to work with the National Youth Executive Committee of the Patriotic Front when implementing construction projects. His whinge partly explains why we have a challenge with young people in this country. We seem to be so happy with waiting for those with the instruments of power to give us the things we desire. We can’t think of how we can make it in life on our own. Maxwell cried bitterly that most contracts are given to the Chinese forgetting the PF youths who campaigned strongly for president Lungu. .
The sad news for Max and his friends is that the PF won’t give them true and sustainable empowerment. It is in the DNA of politicians in Africa to identify talents in young people and use it for their own gain. The PF leadership will ensure that Max and friends remains in the state of poverty unless they decide to learn something from Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo. This is the only way the PF can remain in control of their youths such as Maxwell. The fear from the PF is that if the youths are given proper empowerment then the party won’t have heavies to use in 2021.
In Zambia today, we have a lot of young people who have constantly remained subjects and have failed to graduate to the level of being citizens.
The difference between the two is that a subject acts according to what they are instructed by their pay master, it does not matter whether the action is legal or illegal. A subject never asks questions WHY, they just act.
A citizen on the other hand makes an informed decision. Citizens are empowered with knowledge and material things also. A citizen won’t do something because they are being given a K50, NOT AT ALL. Every decision a citizen makes is a conscious decision based on principle. Until we get to a time when we usher into government the kind of leadership that will believe in creating a conducive environment for the young people to thrive in business and careers, our youth will continue lurching in poverty.
The current PF leadership does not have the capacity and political will to ensure that the young people in this country are lifted off the poverty data line. It seems as though the PF carried over from where the MMD left in terms of subjecting our people to poverty and yet hoard wealth for themselves and their families.
As I conclude, I wish to remind us that until now over 60% of our people live below the poverty line with circa 42% classified as being extremely poor. This figure represents just about half of our population. Due to poor health care coupled with high poverty level, life expectancy in Zambia stands at only 37 years making our country the fourth-lowest in the world.
It is therefore important that moving forward we find a lasting solution to the many challenges our young men and women like Maxwell Chongu and others are faced with. Next week we shall look at some of the workable solutions the future government can implement in order to reduce poverty in our great nation. We need to lift our young generation from entirely depending on government and begin creating wealth at personal and community level.
Lastly I wish to thank our women for being such great inspiration in our lives. To the youth, I urge you to stand up, be counted and be the change you want to see. Dare to ‘Believe Again’.
Chanda Chimba III, the producer of the infamous television documentary, dubbed “Stand up Zambia”
Veteran Journalist Chanda Chimba III has died after a long battle with prostrate cancer.
He died on Friday morning at Fairview Hospital in Lusaka where he was admitted.
In the run up to the 2011 general election, Mr Chimba produced controversial documentaries dubbed Stand up for Zambia which were highly critical of then opposition leader late President Michael Sata and organizations seen to have been pro PF. He was later arrested, charged and sentenced to two years in prison for producing the controversial Stand up for Zambia series on ZNBC.
Mr. Chimba was also fined 500 Kwacha each in default 6 months for count 3 and 4 in which he had been convicted for not registering his business and failure to register his publication at the National Archives. He was also convicted for disposing off property reasonably suspected to have been obtained from unlawful sources.
In his mitigation, Mr. Chimba asked the court to exercise maximum leniency as he was the 1st offender and was remorseful for his involvement in the saga.
At the time, he asked the court to take into consideration that he had a very serious illness which was stage 4 prostate cancer that was in its highest level entailing that he has to go to the Cancer Diseases Hospital for medication.
Mr. Chimba through his lawyer further asked the court to take into account that he was a family man, married with 5 children, two are in university while the other three were in primary school. He also told the court that he was also a breadwinner taking care of his ailing mother.
However, Ndola Principal Resident Magistrate Obbyster Musukwa said he took note of his mitigation for the court to consider his illness but that Mr. Chimba failed to present his medical report before the court.
In April last year, Republican President Edgar Lungu announced that he would consider exercising his prerogative of mercy and pardon Chanda Chimba, in accordance with section 1118 which deals with the release of terminally ill patients.
Upon release, Mr Chimba thanked President Edgar Lungu for pardoning him and said that he spent most of his time at the cancer diseases Hospital.
Mr Chimba further urged Zambians to avoid crime as the conditions in Prison were not good. Mr. Chimba also wished President Lungu well as he governed the country.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Hon. Dora Siliya, MP
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya has lashed-out at Kapiri Mposhi UPND Member of Parliament (MP) Stanley Kakubo for shunning the celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day in his constituency.
Ms. Siliya who officiated at the event in Kapiri Mposhi yesterday, stressed that as a representative of the people in the area had missed a great opportunity to obtain the various challenges that the people in his constituency are faced with.
ZANIS reports that Ms. Siliya said as Chief Government Spokesperson, she expected the area MP to take advantage of her presence in his constituency to inform government of the various challenges his people are encountering.
“I’m disappointed that the area MP is nowhere to be seen at this important function where women have gathered to celebrate their successes but also to inform government on the challenges they are facing because as chief government spokesperson I do a lot of listening because that is the only way that we can work on challenges that our people are facing,” Ms. Siliya said.
She said it is sad that the MP who is the direct link between the people in his constituency and government had resolved to stay away from such an important public function.
Meanwhile, Ms. Siliya has assured people in the country that the ruling PF will not depart from its development pattern that has continued to uplift the lives people.
The law maker said delivering infrastructure development such as roads, schools and hospitals is critical as this opened opportunities for development to take place in the country.
“This government will continue on this infrastructure development path because without roads which investor will come and invest in rural areas?” Ms. Siliya said.
Ms. Siliya stated that the PF government will strive to deliver development in the country for all the people to benefit regardless of their political affiliation.
And Kapiri Mposhi Distrcit Commissioner Peter Mwiinde has commended government for resolving to revamp the Kapiri Glass Factory in the area.
Mr. Mwiinde said the revamping of the glass manufacturing company will create employment for the people in the area once operational.
The Zambia bound Bus that was involved in the Accident
Roads have been part of human history much before the wheel was invented. From the dirt paths to stone paved roads to the asphalt and tar roads of modern times, roads have always played an important role in the growth of civilization. With the invention of wheel around 7,000 years ago, the stone paved roads were made to overcome the limitations of dirt paths. During the last 10 years, in Zambia, billions of dollars have been spent on road construction, sadly increasing the number of road accidents, injuries and deaths. The statistics are disturbing, for example in 2016 over 2200 was killed in road accidents, compared to 1300 road deaths in 2010.
Government has set the quantitative target for road safety, a 50 percent reduction in the number of road deaths and injuries by the year 2020. To monitor this target, we need timely and accurate road accident records which are only provided by the police. These records are vital to developing road safety policies, conducting awareness campaigns and enforcement activities.
Police accident records have in principle three concerns:
civil law consequences
criminal law consequences
road safety policy
Police records do not include what is not reported to them or what they do not encounter while on surveillance. From the civil law point of view, this is not a problem unless the parties concerned request this information. But for investigation and prosecution in the case of serious accidents resulting in serious injuries or death, accurate records are essential.
As for road safety policy, the failure to keep accurate records can be a problem. Road traffic policy and its implementation need a reliable picture of the total number of accidents.
The general aim of road accident records is to provide the various stages of road safety policy such as development, formulation, implementation, evaluation, etc at national, provincial and local level with systematic information about road accidents, their location, their consequences and their causes. To support road safety policy, records must meet its information needs. These needs include those of research that lies at the heart of policy. Accident information must be available for the research necessary to support policy and signal new directions; this imposes requirements on the quantity and quality of information. There must be enough road accident information available to make it possible to conduct well-researched analyses to support policy processes at national and local level.
Road accidents are recorded on the basis of forms completed by police officers. But police road accidents records are not complete, it impossible for the police to be called out to each and every road accident in the country. So far studies show that:
– only 24% of road accidents involving injury are recorded, and the level of recording falls as the accidents become less serious;
– it can be concluded that 48% of accidents involving injury where the police are present are not recorded;
– it can be concluded that 60% of accidents involving admission to hospital are recorded; however, there is an ongoing decline in the proportion of these accidents being recorded;
– only 16% of accidents whose victims are treated in the out-patients wards are recorded;
– only 11 % of accidents whose victims are treated by a private doctor are recorded;
– for the largest group of accidents, vehicle damage only, the level of recording is estimated at 20%;
– the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the current injury and death statistics provided by the police are under reported by 300%
Therefore, we can conclude that the current provision of information is made vulnerable by our dependence on the police and that more information should be obtained from the hospital recording systems. Insufficient and inadequate information can make us set wrong priorities and embark on wrong policy directions. The police should be encouraged to make available road accidents records to any concerned stakeholders (researchers, insurance companies, institutions such as the Zambia Road Safety Trust) as efficiently and effectively as possible.
By Daniel Mwamba
Author is chairman for the Zambia Road Safety Trust
A thirteen year old grade eight pupil of Bbondo village in Gwembe district has been defiled and impregnated by her stepfather.
Police sources confirmed this to ZANIS in Gwembe but declined to give further details referring queries to higher authorities.
It is not clear what action police has taken to bring the culprit to book.In an interview with ZANIS, the girl whose identity has been withheld revealed she was first defiled by the step father when he was asked by the mother to escort her to hospital when she was unwell.
She said on their way back from the hospital, the step father told her that the only cure for her illness was if he had sexual intercourse with her.
And Mwiinga Hamulumbe, grandfather to the girl said he noticed that the victim was pregnant after noticing some strange behaviour.
“I was forced to ask the mother to the girl what was wrong with her because she had started behaving in a strange way, “narrated Mr. Hamulumbe.
Mr. Hamulumbe said he personally interrogated the teenager until she confessed being pregnant and revealed the step father was the one responsible.
He then reported the matter to police and social welfare who later took the girl to the hospital where it was confirmed she was three months pregnant.
A decision was then taken to terminate the pregnancy at the hospital due to health complications the girl started having which eventually led to her dropping out of school.
And District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Benson Zemba said the girl has been put on the ‘keep girls in school (KGS)’ program, a government’s initiative to educate girls by providing scholarships.
He revealed that the district administration has also contributed money for her groceries and upkeep at Munyumbwe boarding school so she could fully concentrate on her education.
Mr. Zemba underscored the importance of educating the girl children so that they become independent in the near future.
A collage of images from James Brown’s 1970 visit to Zambia, posted on Facebook by the U.S. embassy in Lusaka. In the photo on the right, Brown is with then Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda.Source U.S. Embassy
Mwizenge Tembo had just returned to his boarding school in Zambia’s remote provincial capital of Chipata after the Christmas holiday when one of his friends entered the dorm and showed him dance moves that would influence his life.
It was December 1970 and American singer James Brown had just visited Zambia, where he performed two concerts. Tembo’s friend, who had been one of the 20,000 fans packed into Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium in the city of Ndola, described the spectacle to his pals. Brown, the friend said, had arrived on the stage like a bouncing Ping-Pong ball as police held back a hysterical crowd. Then, imitating Brown, Tembo’s friend spun around the dorm floor like an ice skater, shuffled his feet, gestured with his left hand toward his crotch and dropped to the floor in a split.
Tembo, 17, had never seen Brown, but in that moment he was hooked. And unknown to him at the time, so was most of Zambia’s youth. But the Godfather of Soul, as Brown was known, wasn’t just a cultural phenomenon in the southern African nation. He was central to a largely forgotten but tumultuous chapter in U.S.-Zambia relations that saw the two countries pull apart — their leaders snubbing each other — before rebuilding bridges that rested on a musical bond.
In October 1970, Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first post-independence president, was scheduled to meet with U.S. President Richard Nixon in Washington alongside other African leaders, but the White House postponed the meeting. Slighted, Kaunda refused to meet Nixon at the reassigned time. But two months later, Kaunda, a longtime supporter of the American civil rights movement, made sure to pose with Brown during the singer’s tour of the country.
Brown’s visit “surely helped Kaunda’s reputation with young Black Zambians,” says Andrew DeRoche, a historian at the University of Colorado Boulder and author of the 2016 book Kenneth Kaunda, the United States and Southern Africa. It also highlighted the deep connection Zambian youth like Tembo felt with African-American music icons of the time. “James Brown was seen as the hero who was transcending the dominant white narrative, because of his success everywhere,” says Tembo, now a professor of sociology at Bridgewater College in Virginia, where he teaches African culture and anthropology.
As one of the first African nations to gain independence from its colonial rulers, in 1964, Zambia enjoyed a special place for African-American political and cultural leaders, also because of its central role in the struggle for freedom in southern Africa, says DeRoche. In 1960, Kaunda — then a freedom fighter — had visited Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta. A year later, President John F. Kennedy invited Kaunda to talks in the White House, signaling his administration’s recognition of the Zambian leader’s growing profile. Civil rights leaders like Coretta King and Congressman Andrew Young counted Kaunda as an ally.
“As an advocate for nonviolence who had direct contact with Martin Luther King, Kaunda had major credibility with African-Americans such as Young and Coretta King,” says DeRoche.
American pop culture was already big in Zambia, says Tembo. But for a Black African nation grappling with its post-independence identity, Brown’s visit was special. “Some of my friends who had money got ‘James Brown’ suits stitched,” he recalls. “James Brown was playing like 50 percent of the time on the radio six months after he left. ‘Sex Machine,’ ‘Say it Loud’ … all those songs.”
None of those cultural connections appeared to benefit bilateral relations between the two countries — at first. The Nixon administration ignored southern Africa. During a December 1973 meeting with the leader of Portugal, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger “admitted that he did not know if Zambia had a border with Angola,” says DeRoche.
But the U.S. State Department had noticed the bond that Brown and others had forged with Zambia, and in 1973 it convinced Duke Ellington to visit Zambia as part of an African trip. The department “last week concluded [a] contract to pick up Duke Ellington and orchestra” after a fall tour to Europe, for a brief visit to East Africa, says a July 4, 1973, State Department cable, released by WikiLeaks in 2014. The American ambassador to Zambia, Jean Wilkowski, who was the first woman ambassador the U.S. had sent to Africa, was instrumental in organizing the event. The U.S. administration possibly found the milder Ellington a preferable candidate to the “wild Brown” for its soft diplomacy mission in Zambia, says DeRoche. And the plan to woo back Zambia and Kaunda worked.
The Ellington visit “was a very successful event in the view of Wilkowski,” says DeRoche, “and was also enjoyed very much by Kaunda.” Two years later, Coretta King and Congressman Young inaugurated the American Cultural Center in Lusaka. That same year President Gerald Ford hosted Kaunda at the White House, bookending a chapter that began with the perceived snub of 1970.
But Brown’s influence on U.S.–Zambia relations was far from over. In 2014, the U.S. embassy in Lusaka posted images from that historic 1970 visit on its Facebook page, acknowledging its significance. Tembo didn’t need a Facebook reminder, though. Stacked under the Zambian-American professor’s desk are dozens of the LPs and CDs of Brown’s music that he has collected over the past 48 years. That relationship isn’t about to end.
Milenge District Commissioner Kunda Chibilo has called on women activists to extend their programs to rural areas.
Mr. Chibilo told ZANIS in an interview that women in the district lack mentorship and need empowerment adding that extending programs to rural areas will offer an opportunity for them to learn.
He observes that most activists are concentrated in urban areas, a situation he said has left rural women lagging behind.
He said there is need to bridge the gap between rural and urban women through the empowerment rural women with various skills.
Mr. Chibilo said time is now for the transformation of women’s lives regardless of their geographical location.
He said rural women need more mentorship for them to realise their worthy, know their rights and improve their livelihood.
He added that the district office in Milenge is open to collaborations with various entities in order to empower women in the area.
Meanwhile, Lukulu and Mitete Districts in Western Province today joined the rest of the world in commemorating this year’s international women’s day which is being celebrated under the theme, “Time is now; Rural and Urban activists transforming women’s lives”.
The event was being jointly celebrated by the two districts at St Columbus Catholic Secondary School hall today and was officiated by Lukulu District Administrative Officer Pius Mishengo.
The districts recognized women who are holding influential positions both in government and private sectors as they continue to transform lives of the people in their respective communities in connection with the theme.
Mitete District Veterinary Officer who is also acting in the same capacity for Mitete District Mayern Mwale urged women who are livestock farmers to work hard for both small scale and conservation farming purposes.
Dr. Mwale said in an interview with ZANIS today, that women should spearhead the livestock sector noting that they are able to keep livestock just like their male counterparts.
She added that there is need for women to rise above the challenge and be influential in their communities by being involved in integrated farming.
And Mitete District Education Board Secretary Resource Center Coordinator Mwangana Kapaku pointed out that women are instrumental in the communities as they are present in everyone’s life from an early stage in life.
Mrs. Kapapu who rose from being a senior teacher to being a district coordinator, the position she has been holding for four years now, expressed confidence that she has being influential to women teachers in her district.
Earlier, Lukulu District Council Chairperson Namangolwa Sheba commended men who turned for the event in supporting the women stating that it clearly shows that women and men are partners in national development.
Ms. Sheba urged women to be working together and support each other in order for them to be vital and transform the society.
Mr Hichilema and Mr Bwalya in a meeting with the Commonwealth delegation
Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has told visiting Commonwealth envoy to Zambia Prof. Ibrahim Gambari that the dialogue process has over delayed.
In a meeting with Prof. Gambari and the Commonwealth delegation alongside party Vice President Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and other senior UPND officials, Mr Hichilema reaffirmed the party’s ongoing commitment to the dialogue process.
The UPND leader stressed that the dialogue process has over delayed thereby creating anxiety among Zambians.
“We look forward to sitting at the dialogue table and are hopeful that this process will help ease the unnecessary and unproductive political tension in the country. A new dawn is on the horizon, Mr Hichilema said.
And Professor Gambari noted that there has been enough talking and no corresponding action.
He stressed that now is the time for action.
Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu has reiterated his commitment towards political dialogue with various stakeholders in the country.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda says the head of state is looking forward to stakeholders agreeing on several issues.
He has told journalists at State House that a steering committee that will include people from divergent backgrounds will be put in place to spearhead the dialogue process.
Mr. Chanda disclosed this after Commonwealth Special envoy Ibrahim Gambari paid a courtesy call on President Lungu this afternoon at State House.
Meanwhile Professor Gambari told Journalist that stakeholders will seek to find common grounds on issues relating to the electoral laws and Constitutional reforms among others.
Mr Hichilema and Mr Bwalya and Prof. Gambari addressing after the end of the meetingMr Hichilema and Mr Bwalya shaking hands with Prof. Gambari after the end of the meetingThe UPND team and the Commonwealth delegation during the meeting
Over 1000 Kitwe based ex-miners that were promised farm plots by government in Lufwanyama are set to receive their offer letters this month, association for ex-miners President Taulu Chewe has announced.
Speaking to ZANIS after addressing hundreds of ex-miners in Kitwe, Mr. Chewe said the process of printing offer letters has already started and will be presented to the ex-miners by President Edgar Lungu within this month.
He urged the miners to remain patient as the process is being concluded adding that, they will soon be able to receive the letters and begin their farming activities.
Mr. Taulu urged the ex-miners to make use of the farm plots to grow food for their families and contribute to the national food security by engaging in extensive commercial agriculture activities.
He further commended President Edgar Lungu for empowering the ex-miners with land that will help them generate an income for their livelihood after losing their formal employment.
Last year Government promised to offer 5 hectares farms and residential plots to ex-miners that were retrenched in the mines two years ago.
But some miners have complained that they have waited for too long for the offer letters and were now losing hope that they will ever receive the letters and be shown the pieces of land.
One of the ex-miners, Martin Bwalya, appealed to government to speed up the process so that the ex-miners can settle and start cultivating.
Mr. Bwalya further complained that it is becoming costly for the ex-miners to be represented by the Ex-Miners Association because they were made to pay something towards membership to the association which he said is unsustainable since they were not earning any income.
Before I get down to my own view on why politicians keep our youth in abject scarcity, allow me to steal the words of a PF Die-hard Maxwell Chongo. My good brother complained bitterly, insinuating that our youth are living in abject poverty including himself. He alleged that even those in the PF are complaining and feeling the economic stress. It was as if he was reading my mind when drafting his submission.
What is disappointing in his rantings however is the sense of entitlement the PF members seem to have regarding awarding of contracts. In his comment, he surprisingly challenges the minister of housing to work with the National Youth Executive Committee of the Patriotic Front when implementing construction projects. His whinge partly explains why we have a challenge with young people in this country. We seem to be so happy with waiting for those with the instruments of power to give us the things we desire. We can’t think of how we can make it in life on our own. Maxwell cried bitterly that most contracts are given to the Chinese forgetting the PF youths who campaigned strongly for president Lungu. .
The sad news for Max and his friends is that the PF won’t give them true and sustainable empowerment. It is in the DNA of politicians in Africa to identify talents in young people and use it for their own gain. The PF leadership will ensure that Max and friends remains in the state of poverty unless they decide to learn something from Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo. This is the only way the PF can remain in control of their youths such as Maxwell. The fear from the PF is that if the youths are given proper empowerment then the party won’t have heavies to use in 2021.
In Zambia today, we have a lot of young people who have constantly remained subjects and have failed to graduate to the level of being citizens.
The difference between the two is that a subject acts according to what they are instructed by their pay master, it does not matter whether the action is legal or illegal. A subject never asks questions WHY, they just act.
A citizen on the other hand makes an informed decision. Citizens are empowered with knowledge and material things also. A citizen won’t do something because they are being given a K50, NOT AT ALL. Every decision a citizen makes is a conscious decision based on principle. Until we get to a time when we usher into government the kind of leadership that will believe in creating a conducive environment for the young people to thrive in business and careers, our youth will continue lurching in poverty.
The current PF leadership does not have the capacity and political will to ensure that the young people in this country are lifted off the poverty data line. It seems as though the PF carried over from where the MMD left in terms of subjecting our people to poverty and yet hoard wealth for themselves and their families.
As I conclude, I wish to remind us that until now over 60% of our people live below the poverty line with circa 42% classified as being extremely poor. This figure represents just about half of our population. Due to poor health care coupled with high poverty level, life expectancy in Zambia stands at only 37 years making our country the fourth-lowest in the world.
It is therefore important that moving forward we find a lasting solution to the many challenges our young men and women like Maxwell Chongu and others are faced with. Next week we shall look at some of the workable solutions the future government can implement in order to reduce poverty in our great nation. We need to lift our young generation from entirely depending on government and begin creating wealth at personal and community level.
Lastly I wish to thank our women for being such great inspiration in our lives. To the youth, I urge you to stand up, be counted and be the change you want to see. Dare to ‘Believe Again’.
Vice President Inonge Wina confers with Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo during the international women’s day commemoration on at the freedom statue
Zambia today joined the rest of the globe in commemorating International Women’s Day with a commitment by government to domesticate international protocols regarding girls and women in the country.
Hundreds of Women from various organisations and government institutions in Lusaka marched from the Civic Centre to the Freedom statue in commemoration of their day which falls on this day annually.
The International Women’s Day which in Zambia is mostly commemorated to reflect on the accomplishments of women towards attaining gender equality and equity has this year been celebrated under the theme, “ Time is now: Rural and Urban activists transforming women’s lives.”
Vice President Inonge Wina, who is Zambia’s first woman Vice President, graced the occasion with government’s pronouncements on how her administration is working to better the lives of women both in rural and urban areas of the country.
Mrs. Wina said her government will ensure that all international protocols regarding women and girls are domesticated in order to promote and uplift the lives of women in the country.
The Vice President said government will continue to promote women participation in the governance of the country and the growth of the economy.
She however, called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in ending all forms of discrimination and abuse of women and girls in the country.
She said stakeholders should work with President Edgar Lungu who is the African Union Champion of the campaign against child marriages and ‘He for She’ campaign to ensure women and girls are protected from any form of gender based violence.
And United Nations Resident Coordinator Janet Rogan urged Zambian women to break the silence and report crimes of gender based violence to the law enforcement agencies for prosecution.
Ms. Rogan said a woman with the courage to break the silence is also a woman who has a vision that her life should and can be different.
She said women should no longer accept to be abused and deprived of their rights hence, the need to desist from protecting perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Non-Governmental Organizing Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Chairperson Sarah Longwe called on all Zambians to transform activism into action of the call for gender equality is to be attained.
Ms. Longwe observed that despite the commemorations of the international women’s day, gender inequality still exist in the country hence, the need for the country to do more.
She said women both in rural and urban areas still face many challenges among them, poverty, GBV and high maternal mortality rates.
Meanwhile, Government says there is need to take urgent action to ensure adequate standards of living, violence free lives, and harmful practices for women in rural areas.
In a speech read on her behalf by Mambwe District Education Board Secretary Theressa Ngoma, Mambwe District Commissioner Caroline Mwanza observed that a lot needs to be done to ensure women in rural areas have access to land and productive assets, food security and nutrition, decent work, education and health including their sexual and reproductive health rights.
ZANIS reports that the Acting District Commissioner said this during the commemoration of this year’s International women’s day running under the theme; Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives, held at the Mambwe Boma Arena today.
Ms. Ngoma pointed out women have continued to till lands and plants to feed the nation, ensure food security for their communities and build climate resilience for sustainable food security.
She however, expressed sadness that due to deep rooted gender inequalities and discrimination, women in rural areas fare worse than their counterparts in urban areas.
Ms. Ngoma thus highlighted that it is because of such inequalities that government enacted the gender equity and equality Act which seeks to promote women’s economic empowerment by improving women’s access to land, credit, seeds, fertilizers and market information in rural areas among others.
The Acting District Commissioner in this vain called on all well – meaning Zambians to join activists and consolidate government’s efforts in seizing the moment and transforming women’s lives.
She noted that women in rural areas represent an enormous potential and hence, must not be left behind in claiming their rights and improving their livelihoods and well-being.
Vice President Inonge Wina is welcomed by Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo on arrival at the freedom statue for the international women’s day commemorationVice President Inonge Wina is welcomed by 1st Deputy speaker of National Assembly Catherine Namugala on arrival at the freedom statue for the international women’s day commemoration .looking on (center) is Lusaka Province Minister Bowman LusamboVice President Inonge Wina is welcomed by Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Patrick Mvunga on arrival at the freedom statue for the international women’s day commemoration .looking on (center) is Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo
The Ministry of Justice yesterday held a meeting on the Draft Report of the working Group on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which is aimed at rising various issues that affect the nation.
Speaking during the event Attorney General Likando Kalaluka, said the importance of the event is to engage stakeholders such as the Human Rights Defenders, Academic Institutions, Research Institute, Regional Organization and Civil Society representatives on the importance of the draft report so that they may also give out their views.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission Head of Research and Planning Foster Hamuyube has questioned government on its position concerning some of the recommendations in the draft report of the Universal Periodic Review.
Mr. Hamuyube said that some of the recommendations that were once accepted by the state in the year 2008, have now been rejected, prompting to question government on its position.
He added that it is important to note that not all recommendations in the act must be accepted as there is need to consider some important recommendations in the draft report which have an impact on the nation.
However, stakeholders expressed contentment with the Ministry on its consideration in engaging them in the draft report review.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Likando Kalaluka announced that all the comments and suggestions made by stakeholders will be looked into as the Ministry will be presenting the draft report in Geneva next week.
The Universal Periodic Review(UPR) is an exclusive manner which involves a review of the human rights recorded which, provides an opportunity for each state to declare what action they have taken to improve the human rights situation in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Hon. Dora Siliya, MP
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Dora Siliya, has called on women to do something extraordinary to transform their lives.
Ms Siliya says time has come for women in the country to take centre stage in developing their families and contribute to national development.
The Minister was speaking today in Kapiri Mposhi where she joined thousands of women to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day.
She said the very fact Zambia has a female Vice President, and many women in high government positions means that women have fought and won their political battle and it was time to fight for economic independence.
Ms Siliya said the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day challenges women to be activists towards development by doing something extraordinary to transform lives starting from their homes.
“Activism begins in the family, Church through to government and it’s time for women to take leadership at various levels and ensure transformation takes place at all levels,” she said.
She reminded the audience that government has set targets to be achieved through the Vision 2030 which aims to see Zambia be a middle income country by then, adding that this vision can’t be achieved without full participation of women.
She emphasized that the Equity and Quality act empowers women so that they are not left behind in all sectors of economic development.
And International Women’s Day organising committee chairperson, Faith Mbaza, thanked President Edgar Lungu for appointing women in high ranking government positions including that of the Vice President, Finance Minister and Information Minister among many others.
Mrs Mbaza said the appointment of women in such high positions was indicative of President Lungu’s recognition of the important role women play in national development.
She revealed that during the week preceding to the International Women’s day, women in the district embarked on various activities including cleaning of then district hospital, police cells and government offices.
Mrs Mbaza said women in the district are working very hard to ensure that cases if Gender Based Violence is eradicate.
She called on Ms Siliya to facilitate installation of a community radio station to help women and stakeholders spread issues affecting women to far flung areas.
This year’s international Women’s Day is commemorated under the theme: Time is now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives.
Meanwhile, Women in Luwingu district in Northern Province have joined their fellow women across the country to commemorate international women’s celebration.
The women organizing committee chairperson Cleopatra Mwenya appealed to government to consider promoting women in senior government position at both district and provincial level.
Ms. Mwenya observed that most of positions at provincial and district levels are manned by men a situation she described as sad.
She said time to transform women lives in now as stated in this year’s theme which state that time is now rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.
And Luwingu District Commissioner Patrick Chanda has appealed to women to refrain from vices that undermines women integrity such beer drinking and other vices.
Mr. Chanda said government is committed to uplift the lives of women by promoting them in senior government positions citing the appointment of Zambia’s first female Vice President Inonge Wina.
He further pointed out the promotion of Margret Mwanakatawe as Finance Minister to man the finances of the country.
Mr. Chanda appealed to women to desist from marrying off their girl child at a tender age but allow their child to attain the much needed education.
