Government has partnered with the church to alleviate difficulties affecting young people in the country, Central Province Minister Sydney Mushanga has disclosed.

Mr. Mushanga said it was saddening to see youths engaging themselves in illegal activities such as corruption, drug abuse and early marriages due to economic challenges they face.

He said government and the church have potential to lead the country to greater heights of development and youth empowerment programmes.

The Province Minister said this through the Assistant Secretary, Mwape Kasanda during the official opening of the 2018 National Youth General Conference organized by Word of Faith Soul Wining Ministries, under the theme ‘crossing over to the other side’.

He said implementing and supporting programmes which are aimed at empowering youths through the word of God is a sure way of addressing some of the challenges affecting youths in the country.

Mr. Mushanga added that such programmes create a suitable platform for youths to be socially enlightened as they mingle with their God fearing friends.

He has since assured Zambians that government will always support any organization that is undertaking developmental projects aimed at benefiting the community.

Mr. Mushanga further urged youths to take advantage of the conference to learn and be equipped with knowledge in order to become relevant to the country’s development agenda.

And Word of Faith Soul Wining Ministries National Youth Secretary Reuben Mwale said the conference was held annually to train and build youths morally through the word of God.

Pastor Mwale noted that the number of youths getting involved in doing wrong things such as drug abuse and early marriages has increased in the country.

He added that through such conferences, youths are empowered with various activities to ensure that education becomes a priority in their lives as opposed to involving themselves in vices.

Pastor Mwale has since pledged continued partnership with government to ensure that the dream of attaining a smart and prosperous Zambia is achieved.

The Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company says water supply has been suspended in the town of Chirundu as a result of high turbidity levels on Zambezi River which is our source of water.

Company Marketing and Public Relations Manager Patson Phiri said the high turbidity levels have rendered treatment virtually impossible and all efforts have been made but the water quality remains compromised.

Mr. Phiri said the required levels for the company to supply water from a recommended stand point is less than 5ntus but they have been registering over 40 to 50ntus in terms of purity.

He said in the last 24 hours, the company has observed that the main production unit is discharging water with dark colour that is not recommended for human consumption.

Mr. Phiri said it is also not practical from the company’s perspective that insists on total quality as their policy to supply water of compromised quality.

He said the company has a duty to protect the lives of the people and having analyzed these developments, it has become necessary to suspend supply until the quality of water on the Zambezi River improves.

Mr. Phiri said the company is monitoring this situation and supply will be restored as soon as the levels of turbidity improve.

He added that in the meantime, the company has deployed chemists, to Chirundu to continue testing and giving them updates on levels of water quality while another team has been deployed to modify sedimentation system in an effort to find a lasting solution to the problem of turbidity on the river.

Mr. Phiri emphasised that nothing can be done about the high levels of turbidity other than waiting until the quality of water on the river improves.

He said it is suspected that the turbidity levels have arisen from the tributaries of Zambezi River which are collecting dirty into the River thereby compromising turbidity levels.

Mr. Phiri said the company does not expect the situation to continue for a long time but emphasised that the smaller production unit remains active where customers are receiving water.

He has urged the residents to share the commodity with the vast portion of the residents who are not receiving supply.

The trucks surrounded the company’s brewery in Mungwi Road earlier this week in what has become a regular re-occurring problem despite on-going dialogue with the authorities to find a solution.

The trucks – often parked two-abreast along both sides of the road – endanger the innocent, lives and property of road users, the general public, companies located in the industrial area and Zambian Breweries employees, and threaten the safety of the plant, the company has warned.

Zambian Breweries Country Director Jose Moran said some fuel trucks have been in the area for more than two weeks, with lack of ablution blocks for drivers adding an additional health risk as drivers set up makeshift camps, lighting cooking fires near the flammable fuel and using the roadside as a toilet.

Mr. Moran expressed concern over the matter as some trucks parked less than five metres away from the company’s boundary wall.

“We are appealing to relevant stakeholders to intervene as the fleet is too close to our premises and if the situation prolongs, we will have to consider suspending operations in order to ensure the safety of our employees, as we have done before,” he said.

Mr. Moran added that the trucks are also clogging traffic, posing a threat to pedestrians, public service vehicles and all those using Mungwi and Buyantanshi Roads.

He said this week’s chaos is a repeat of similar situations that have occurred periodically in the last three years, during which time the company appealed to Government and relevant stakeholders for a lasting solution addressing the unsafe parking of fuel trucks in the area.

And Zambian Breweries Corporate Affairs Director Ezekiel Sekele confirmed that an engagement process is on-going to address the issue between the company and stakeholders including Lusaka City Council, the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Zambia Police and the area Member of Parliament.

According to The Petroleum Act chapter 435 of the Laws of Zambia, dangerous petroleum should be stored in a secure building large enough to ensure a clear space of 1,524 metres in width around the shed or sheds.

A clear space of at least 91 meters in width must be left between storage sheds on the same plot.

Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom His Excellency Mr. Muyeba Chikonde has been bestowed with the Freedom of the City of London, becoming an honorary citizen of the City. He has been honoured for his contribution to Diplomacy.

Freedom of the City is the highest honour that the City of London can bestow. It is given to individuals who have made a significant impact in their field. This includes Politicians, Diplomats, the Clergy, Actors, Sportsmen and Musicians, among others.

The presentation ceremony took place in the Chamberlain’s Court of the historical Guildhall building. In attendance was the Remembrancer of the City of London, Paul Double, whose traditional role dates as far back as 1571 of being the channel of communications between the Lord Mayor and the City of London, on the one hand and the Sovereign, royal household and Parliament on the other.

The award is also a demonstration of the existing good relations between Zambia and the United Kingdom. Since his appointment, High Commissioner Chikonde has facilitated several high profile visits, among them by the Lord Mayors of the City of London to strengthen business ties between Zambia and the UK.

In February 2016, The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Jeffrey Mountevans, led a business delegation to Zambia in order to strengthen bilateral trade between the two countries.

And in February 2017, The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Dr. Andrew Parmley visited Zambia. The Lord Mayor’s visit marked the start of a new collaborative campaign by the UK’s financial and professional services sector to build relations with international partners as part of a Commonwealth expansion programme.

Zambia and the UK have both benefitted from strong relationships bilaterally, which have deepened in recent years.

High Commissioner Chikonde joins world leaders including; Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Late Princess Diana, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, The Queen, Actor, Morgan Freeman, Florence Nightingale, General Eisenhower and former American President Theodore Roosevelt and High Commissioner Anderson Chibwa among others.

The Freedom of the City of London is an honour conferred by London City Corporation upon a valued member of the community, a visiting celebrity or dignitary. The City invites individuals who have made a significant impact in their field to take up the Freedom to acknowledge their particular contribution. The Freedom of the City of London dates back to 1237 where beneficiaries were able to undertake trade in the city.

Though, some of the traditional privileges associated with the Freedom, such as driving sheep over London Bridge, are not commonly practiced presently, the Freedom has maintained many other privileges in addition to providing the receiver a link with the historic City of London and one of its antique traditions.

Issued by: Abigail Chaponda (Mrs.)
First Secretary | Press and Public Relations
Zambia High Commission in the United Kingdom.