PF is the most lucrative government-Kampamba
Chief Government Spokesperson Kampamba Mulenga has described the PF government as the most lucrative in the history of Zambia.
Speaking to Journalists at State House on Monday when cabinet ministers went to offer solidarity to President Edgar Lungu, Ms Mulenga who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister said the PF government is the most lucrative in the history of Zambia.
“There is no other lucrative government that has existed ever in this country or party than the Patriotic Front government. That is why all of us came from our various constituencies to offer solidarity, some of us flew in from elsewhere to be here,” she said.
Ms. Mulenga said the Ministers assembled at State House to reassure President Edgar Lungu that they are standing with him.
She stated that contrary to speculation, cabinet is crumbling and that Ministers are standing firm.
“We are here to show His Excellency that we stand with him and that cabinet is not crumbling. When two new Ministers leave, government moves on,” Ms. Mulenga said.
He added, “No Minister is indispensable. All of us should abide by regulations. We believe in President Lungu, he is the best man for Zambia, unlike the speculations, we are standing by President Lungu and we are going to move this country forward together. For us, its business as usual.
Ms. Mulenga said all the Cabinet Ministers are behind President Lungu contrary to speculations that most of them want to resign.
She explained that no minister is going to resign as they are all in support of the leadership of President Lungu who appointed them into office.
There has been speculation of discontent in cabinet in the aftermath of the resignation of Harry Kalaba who was Foreign Affairs Minister amid allegations of greed among senior government officials.
Recently, PF cadre Maxwell Chungu issued a statement claiming that more than 15 Central Committee Members among them Cabinet Ministers had been meeting NDC officials amid reports of a revolt against President Lungu’s leadership.
UPND refutes social media reports that HH has donated dustbins for Cholera fight
The opposition UPND says its leader Hakainde Hichilema has not donated any dust bins towards the fight against cholera.
Some images showing a dustbin with Mr Hichilema’s image surfaced on social media alleging that the items were donated by the UPND leader to the Ministry of Health for the Cholera fight.
Deputy Press Secretary to the UPND President Brian Mwiinga said the public and media will be informed by Mr. Hichilema’s press office of what material support will be donated towards the cholera outbreak fight.
“Therefore, the public is hereby informed to ignore the circulating social media propaganda depicting to be from Mr Hichilema,” Mr Mwiinga said.
“Currently, the team constituted by the UPND President is making frantic efforts to deliver his donations as earlier on there was a challenge from Ministry of Health officials on accepting his donations,” he said.
Zambians expected an address to the Nation not Pictures of the President
Prince Ndoyi a young politician from the former ruling Party the MMD said Zambians did not expect to see pictures of their President making appointments instead they wanted to hear his voice making sweeping changes especially after the dramatic exist from government by Harry Kalaba.
Ndoyi known for his criticism of HH and the UPND leadership today pointed lamentations towards the Head of State as he noted that what the country expected was not only appointments made quietly but an address to the nation on a number of issues among them corruption allegations levelled against his government by one of his own Ministers who has since resigned.
“Today Monday scores of Zambians were waiting to hear the Presidents’ voice either on radio or TV not to see pictures. To hear him sound the alarm in both sound and picture making sweeping changes not only to cabinet but to the wider overall management of the country. Structural reforms in agriculture and his posture against these things that have taken center stage such as Cholera and the Crying Traders, Labour Matters, Army Worms and Corruption Allegations.
“But fortunately for those appointed, which ever wisdom he used to appoint the same, is a debate for another day. But the President saliently did that behind closed doors, subjecting every Zambian to wait for ZNBC news to hear his voice probably in a less than two minute clip,” he said.
Ndoyi opinionated that the Head of State missed yet another opportunity to talk to the public and make popular decisions that identify with the majority who put him in office.
He said President Lungu is seemingly insulated from reality and that the handlers should not de-link the President from the reason he is Republican President, the party.
“My honest opinion is the President has yet again missed a mouth watering opportunity not only to address the nation but to make popular decisions. A President elected on a popular majority of 50percent + 1 must from time to time identify with the popular majority.
“For me the President has been insulated from reality and his party-PF. My most immediate humble advise to the Presidential handlers is that they must not delink the President from the party which is the reason he is President. He is a politician and much of the reason why our former President Rupiah Banda lost in 2011 is because he lost touch with the party-MMD as according to Dickson Jere. RUPIAH BANDA was made too busy with the presidency and party matters he delegated,” he said.
Ndoyi further advised the President to use the discontent of youths in his party as a yardstick to measure the frustrations of youths in the country.
He said the actions of the PF youths who impounded tracks of Mukula was an indicator of a bigger problem which the President should not shy away from addressing.
Further the former students leader and now political activist appealed to those closest to the President such as the First Lady and the First Family to bridge the communication gap between the President and the general citizenry.
Ndoyi questioned whether it was the Zambian intelligence that was failing President or the beauracracy of state house civil servants
“I wonder sometimes does the President hear us, what mode of communication can someone use surely? First lady Esther Lungu and Tasila Lungu please help us. Who is failing our humble leader, is it the INTELLIGENCE or the walls at STATE HOUSE?
“There is no where to hide, you jump on a taxi or a bus, everyone is complaining. In the hospitals and market places, people have missed their President and they don’t see or hear him directly unless through others. They miss their humble and poor President who lived among us. WHERE IS OUR PRESIDENT?”
If alcohol is what turns the wheels of our economy then we are in trouble-Pastor Choolwe
Gospel Envoys presiding Pastor Choolwe has condemned the move by government to ban Churches in Cholera hit areas from gathering.
Pastor Choolwe was reacting to a statement by Local Government Minister Vincent Mwale who explained that bars cannot be closed entirely because alcohol turns the wheels of the Zambian economy.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Pastor Choolwe accused government of serious double standards in the way it handled the issue.
He said if Churches are to close because of Cholera, bars should also close.
Below is his statement
As if mere logic on churches vs bars closing was not enough I took my morning to read up interrelations between alcohol and development. Many of our fathers have spoken from the spiritual but like Daniel let me also bring in the intellectual.
ALCOHOL IN THE LONG RUN ACTUALLY DAMAGES THE WHEELS OF THE ECONOMY.
I particularly read the International Journal on Alcohol and Drug Research which is highly respected. They did a research on Alcohol and its impact in the development process and their key findings all point to the fact that the two are INVERSELY RELATED.
1. Alcohol has an impact on the health side in that it comes with several alcohol related illnesses hence increasing medical costs overtime
2. Alcohol is seen to be inimical to development. statistics show that abstinence levels from alcohol are higher the more developed a nation is….
3. Alcohol is a driver of surrogate costs such as accidents in homes , damage to property and infrastructure and even accidental loss of life.
4. Alcohol increases the cost of security and enforcement agencies by the sheer need to deploy personnel the most likely crimes drunk people will commit arising from the loss of judgment arising from its consumption . Such maybe as simple ad driving while drunk, trespass to serious loss of property and lives
Summary is that the consumption of alcohol is highest in less developed societies.
Are we so addicted or do we so depend on it for our economy that we would rather see patrons die due to cross contamination in packed bars; some without running water and with below par sanitary facilities?
THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH IS MORE CRITICAL BECAUSE IT TURNS THE WHEELS OF THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE PEOPLE. BARS WILL NEVER DO THIS. AND AT THIS STAGE WE NEEDED THE VOICE OF REASON AND MORAL CONSCIENCE.
Some of us accepted in good faith to work on our sanitary systems first and resume meetings when all is in place. But to leave bars open DAILY is seriously double standards.
I was comforted yesterday when I was told that bars would open on a take away basis and not people gathering but after I heard the minister in the evening, I buried my head between my palms.
For all we know most bars drive the wheels of private economies and not the national economy. Alcohol contributes highest in some economies because of the high duty and taxes imposed on it as a way of discouraging its consumption.
There are better wheels that farmers who can’t trade in markets currently due to cholera drive, there are better wheels that the vendors in the streets, the shops and eating places that were all closed drive.
But we all know that on a normal day these places are better hygiene wise than a typical bar in Zambia. Bars should have been universally shut and opened afterwards.
A drunk person will be very careless with their health no matter how you educate them. Anyway put a curfew in Kanyama but Kanyama alcohol consumers will spread it to all bars daily between 11 hrs and 18hrs.
And who needs to celebrate by taking alcohol when we are practically in mourning?
Where is Ministry of Religion and National Guidance? I thought their mandate includes guidance in such matters? People are mourning. Our hearts are all sad.
Who goes rejoicing in a bar at 11 Hours? Zambian Breweries and all beer manufacturing companies should come out straight and give guidance. One week’s business to ask all bars to clean up like churches are cleaning up will not close your businesses.
Some are claiming that churches don’t pay tax so they should close. What kind of reasoning is that. Does Cholera select whether you are a tax payer or not?
Or are we saying the eating places and shops which were earlier closed don’t pay tax? What about private schools where the salaries of the teachers may not be paid this month (subject to policy)?
And by the way how much do you pay when you bring your dead for us to bury them? Who pays for all the counsel and prayers we daily provide to different citizens of the land? Let us focus on cholera and not none issues. Close the bars
When the economy needed rains to turn its wheels , it is the church which was called to pray so today we are being indirectly told that our role does not turn the wheels of the economy ? This has been a very hard slap in the face of the church.
We are not asking for churches to carelessly meet without taking precautions but for honesty where bars are concerned. Lives in the bars matter just like lives in church.
I am extremely sad.
Church mother bodies saddened by Cholera outbreak
The three Church mother bodies in Zambia say they are saddened expressed at the outbreak of Cholera.
Addressing a media briefing in Lusaka at Kapingila House, in Lusaka, the three Church mother bodies have since expressed sympathy with the families that have lost loved ones to the epidemic.
This is contained in a statement that was presented by Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) President Bishop Alfred Kalembo, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) Board Chairman Bishop Paul Mususu and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) President Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.
The Church leaders have since pledged cooperation with the government that has banned mass gathering of people to prevent further spread of the disease and indicated that they will support the efforts of other stakeholders in the battle against the disease.
They also prayed for God’s peace, comfort, and encouragement during this time of national crisis.
Below is the full statement from the three Church mother bodies.
STATEMENT ON NATIONAL DIALOGUE
1. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this brief Press Release presentation and we wish you all compliments of the season.
2. Since we are still in the Christmas season, on behalf of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops(ZCCB),we avoil ourselves of this opportunity to wish you and through you the nation at large a grace-filled time and God’s abundant blessings in this new year and indeed always.
3. The theme and message of Christmas is presented to us by St. Luke the Evangelist when he quotes the angel who appeared to the shepherds: “/ bring you news of great joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour is born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” St Luke continues, “With the angel there was a great throngof the heavenly hosts praising God in the words, ‘Gloryt o God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those of good will”‘ (Luke 2:10-14). Therefore, joy and peace are the themes of Christmas.
4. The source of the Christian joy, happiness and peace is the fact that we belong to God and participate in God’s life. Therefore, we must respect and reverence each human life and each other as members of God’s household. The greatest gift we Christians can give to the world is the joy and peace proclaimed by the angels. In fact, the birth of Christ marked a
· definitive reconciliation between humanity and God. Therefore, we are called to live as a reconciled people.
5. In the Bible, peace means love, forgiveness, reconciliatio,n good will and good relationships between people. This is the good news meant for people of all races, pigmentation, religions, tribes, political affiliation and ideologies. This is the peace we wish for our nation Zambia. However, there can be no peace without justice at personal as well as at all levels of society.
6. True dialogue means a change of heart, attitude and behavior. It is a project, an on-going process and effort. It is the way of life for us Christians which should be heard in our words, seen in our faces and actions because
it is in our hearts. Lack of peace hurts everyone especially the weak, the elderly, the poor, women and children. It hurts us Christians because we are essentially brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ who identifies himself with the same poor and the suffering.
7. Despite the public pronouncements that Zambia is a peaceful country, the reality on the ground is different due to many acts of injustice, a growing culture of corruption, incidences of violence and utterances out of deep• seated hatred. We therefore earnestly appeal to all our political leaders to stop insulting each other or anyone who does not agree with their political opinion and start genuinely to respect fellow political players as legitimate opponents with their constitutional right to hold their political opinion and to propagate it among the general public. It demands that all political party leaders declare and enforce zero tolerance or political violence and to bring culprits to book by handing them over to law enforcement institutions. It means that all political leaders must give the planned for
‘national dialogue’ a chance to succeed by committing themselves to
dialogue without preconditions with a view to level the playing field. These leaders of political parties must restrain themselves and their members from making inflammatory or irresponsible statements.
8. We also call upon media houses to refrain from sensationalism and polarization of people or political institutions; let them not join the irresponsible people who want to be spoilers of the process and the noble objective of a successful and fruitful national dialogue.
9. Peace cannot come to our country if successful administrations do not take drastic steps to stamp out the endemic corruption among public servants which has reached epidemic proportions against the backdrop of the highest poverty index since the dawn of our political independence in 1964. It is unacceptable that some public service personnel have amassed enormous wealth in dubious or highly questionable ways and within a short time in the service. It is a scandal that year in and year out, the Auditor General’s report reveals hair raising miss-application and miss• appropriation of huge sums of public funds by public officers but few, if any culprits, are punished. For how long shall public anger be restrained given
the high unemployment levels particularly among young adults. Unless most of these young adults whose number increases each year can be quickly absorbed by the labor market, we might be sitting on a latent volcano! That is why national dialogue and reconciliation is critical so that
politicians and other stakeholders can address the situation and assist the current administration to grow the economy to accommodate job seekers.
10. We believe in dialogue because it is essential for holistic national development as there cannot be any meaningful development where there is tension and lack of effective as well as peaceful engagement among various groups in the country. It is for this reason that we support and wish to contribute and make ourselves available for the restoration of peace in the country through dialogue.
11. We are saddened by the recent outbreak of cholera in Lusaka and other parts of the country and the loss of more than 50 persons from this epidemic. Our hearts go to the many families who have lost their loved ones from the disease. We pray for God’s peace, comfort and encouragement during this time of national crisis. We pray for the various teams working on the ground to fight the cholera outbreak so that this may be overcome quickly and life may be restored to normal. We support the efforts of other stakeholders in this battle against cholera and pledge ourselves to collaborate with government in addressing the epidemic.
May God blessour nation Zambia !!
Signed and issued on 8th January 2018
BishopAlfred Kalembo
President of CCZ
Bishop Paul E. Mususu
Chairmanof EFZ
Archbishop Telesphore G. Mpundu
President of ZCCB
Monze Street vendors comply with Government directive to vacate the streets
Street vendors in Monze District in Southern province have complied with a government directive to vacate the Streets to pave way for the cleaning of the town in an effort to prevent any cholera outbreak
And Monze Council Chairperson Mr. Bisha Munsaka says there would no more street vending in Monze even after the cholera outbreak in some parts of the country which prompted the removal of streets vendors as preventive measure is contained.
Monze Street vendors chairperson Mr. Ackim Malasa said in an interview today that all the street vendors were being given trading spaces at Njola-Mwanza, and Hamusonde market.
He said the traders have realised the importance of keeping Monze clean and healthy to prevent not only cholera but other diseases as well.
A check by ZANIS today found all streets devoid of any trading activities and some traders helping the council workers to clean along the main streets of the town.
“As street vendors we support all government efforts to fight cholera and we have complied with government direcrtive to move from the streets so that cleaning of the town can be done to prevent cholera . As am speaking to you we are busy allocating all street vendors trading spaces at Njkola-Mwanza bust station, and Hamusonde main market,” said Mr. Malasa.
And Mr. Munsaka says Street vending has been banned in Monze and urged all traders to conduct their business activities in designated trading places.
He said the council had plans to plans to remove street vendors before the cholera outbreak in the country adding that no street vendors would be allowed back on the streets after the disease is contained.
So far Monze District has not recorded any cholera case.
Kitwe records three confirmed cholera cases
The children who were admitted two days ago aged eight months and one year four months are from Chipata and Buchi Townships, respectively.
He said the only cholera patient who was admitted at Masala Cholera Centre in Ndola has been discharged.
Mr. Nundwe said the discharged patient in Ndola has fully recovered and sent home though he had no fixed abode at the time of admission as he was reportedly sleeping at Masala market where it is suspected he contracted cholera.
He said Ndola has not recorded any new case in the last six days but has intensified the cleaning up of market places and collection of garbage.
The PS added that all local authorities in the province have been engaged to help remove street vendors from the streets to facilitate cleaning.
Meanwhile Mr. Nundwe said sensitization of communities on prevention of cholera has continued while public gatherings are being discouraged as per directive by the ministry of health.
Cabinet Ministers offer solidarity to President Lungu
There have been speculations being peddled by some sections of social media of an impending mass exodus of ministers which, would result in the crumble of government.
Chief Government Spokesperson Kampamba Mulenga told journalists that the meeting was meant to show solidarity to President Lungu and that all the Ministers are in support of what he was doing.
Ms. Mulenga said all the Cabinet Ministers are with President Lungu contrary to speculations that most of them want to resign.
She said no minister is going to resign as they are all in support of the leadership of President Lungu who appointed them into office.
The Chief Government Spokesperson said most of the Ministers were out of town in their constituencies while, others were out of the country.
Ms. Mulenga who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister stated that all the cabinet Ministers believe that President Lungu is the best leader for the nation hence, there is no one who has a reason to resign.
She noted that no one in the cabinet is indispensable as the two former cabinet Ministers have already been replaced to ensure that government continues serving the people better.
Earlier President Edgar Lungu appointed and sworn in Kwacha Member of Parliament Joseph Malanji as Foreign Affairs Minister replacing Harry Kalaba who resigned from his position last week.
The President has also sworn in Nkana MP Alexander Chiteme as the new National Development Planning Minister to take over from Lucky Mulusa who was relieved of his duties a week ago.
President Lungu swore in the two new Ministers at State House today and urged them to serve Zambians with humility and dedication.
The Head of State noted that the appointed Ministers were privileged to be given positions in government despite many people being qualified to serve in such portfolios.
He urged Mr. Malanji and Mr. Chiteme to work with the civil servants and other senior government officials if they are to succeed in their roles.
The President said the people of Zambia expect ministers to implement the manifesto of the Patriotic Front, the party which they voted into power adding that, those who are not willing to work as promised by the party are free to leave.
He said people who disagree with his leadership in government but decide to cling to the party are not being sincere and true to themselves as he is the leader of both the government and the ruling party.
The President noted that the 2021 General Elections will be a walk over if the party in power and its leaders deliver to the expectations of the general citizenry.
And speaking in separate interviews both Mr. Malanji and Chiteme thanked President Lungu for their appointments and pledged to serve the people of Zambia diligently.
Mr. Malanji noted that he was equal to the task stating that he will continue from where his predecessor left from and work with all the officers in the ministry.
Cholera Cases continue to rise
Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya told journalists in Lusaka that the escalating cases of cholera is the reason government has banned all gatherings in cholera epicenters.
Dr. Chilufya stated that Statutory Instrument number 79 has been invoked to ban gatherings such as church services, funeral gatherings, gathering to drink at bars and taverns to ensure there in no further transmission through contact.
The Minister clarified that the ban has only been effected in the affected areas while, in places that are not affected the ministry is only emphasizing on preventive measures.
He stated that in all epicenters, bars and night clubs have been permitted to operate with reduced hours and only selling take away beers to avoid people gathering in one place.
He said the armed forces who are patrolling places have been guided to follow the provisions of the statutory instrument on places where the ban has been placed.
Dr. Chilufya said the curfew which has been imposed on Kanyama Compound in Lusaka is still in effect, as night movements were also contributing to the transmission of cholera.
He also stated that inspectors are on the ground re-inspecting businesses that were closed after being found with germs that cause cholera adding that so far, 6 eating places have been re-inspected and opened.
The Health Minister said churches in places not affected by the disease have been allowed to operate but cautioned that people from cholera epicenters should not go to congregate in such areas as they would be posing a danger to other congregants.
And Local Government Minister Vincent Mwale said bars and night clubs that will not follow the stipulated opening and closing hours will be closed down and risk losing their licenses.
He said government has come up with measures to reduce operating hours for drinking places and allow them to sell take away beers in order to keep the economy running as the owners have bills to pay.
Mr. Mwale said his Ministry and the Zambia National Farmers Union will soon announce to the public the new conducive places where, farm produce and vegetables will be sold following the closure of markets.
He stated that government is doing everything possible to ensure the lives of people are safe as they keep the economy running.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mwale has announced the closure of Lusaka’s Chinika Market which has been operating illegally and stated that a case of cholera was reported from the same market.
I will hit the ground running-Chiteme
Newly appointed National Development and Planning Minister Alexander Chiteme says he will prioritize the implementation of the 7th National Development Plan.
Speaking to Journalists at State House shortly after he was swore in, the Nkana Member of Parliament said the implementation of the 7th NDP will be taken seriously and effectively.
Mr Chiteme has since thanked President Lungu for demonstrating confidence in him by appointing him as Minister of National Development and Planning.
“First of all, I want to thank His Excellency the president Edgar Chagwa Lungu for giving me this opportunity to serve in his cabinet. I want assure the country that we will hit the ground running… my immediate focus is the Census coming up. We will need to up preparations, strengthen and deal with grey areas in the preparation process,” Mr Chiteme said.
He added, “We recently launched the 7th National development plan which has been wildly accepted within and outside the country, we must ensure implementation of these plans are taken seriously.”
Mr Chiteme, an Accountant by profession replaces Lucky Mulusa who was fired by President Lungu two weeks ago.
And new Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Malanji says he is not hitting into a vacuum at the Ministry because President Lungu himself is diplomat number one who has put the country on a very high profile.
Ambassador Malanji said he was equal to the task and will pay back president Lungu by walking the talk.
“This country has a record of very good foreign policy. Not underrating the input from my predecessors, one thing I can mention is that I am equal to the task,” Ambassador Malanji said.
“You can tell by the number of foreign heads of state that have visited our country that our foreign policies are good and definitely I’m not hitting into a Vacuum,” he stated.
Ambassador Malanji, President of the African Golf Union is a Member of Parliament for Kwacha and replaces Harry Kalaba who resigned from cabinet last week.
UPND and HH tour of Cholera centre in Pictures
Zambia CHAN team wins training game
The Zambia national team warmed up on Sunday with a friendly game win over lower league club Circuit City.
A brace from Green Buffaloes’ duo of Friday Samu and Jack Chirwa set to the tone for Zambia win in the training match played at Nkoloma Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Power Dynamos striker Alex Ngonga scored the other goal.
Meanwhile, the team is set to leave for Morocco this week ahead of the 2018 CHAN that kicks off on January 12.
Zambia will face Uganda in their opening Group B match on January 14 in Marrakech.
Cote d’Ivoire and Namibia are the other teams in Group B.
Shutting down bars like churches would have an impact on the economy-Mwale
Minister of Local Government Hon Vincent Mwale has stated that effecting a full ban on bars like had been done to churches from congregating both in the epicentre of the cholera epidemic as well as other areas would have had a negative impact on the economy, hence the decision to allow bars operate between 11 and 19 hrs.
Mr Mwale clarified that they have not banned prayer and that what had been banned was congregating. The Minister has encouraged all citizens to pray from their homes or whichever place they found comfortable as individuals. He stated that the nation needed prayers now more than ever before.
“We need Gods strength, comfort and grace as we fight this epidemic. Every Zambian’s life counts. Together, We can fight Cholera.” said the Minister.
The Minister has also announced that they have allowed controlled selling of vegetables and fruits in order to ensure farmers with hundreds of boxes of ready to sale tomatoes, cabbages and other perishables do not completely loose out due to their produce rotting for lack of markets.
“We have allowed bars in some areas to open from 11hrs to 19hrs, based on a belief that is anchored on keeping the wheels of the economy running while intensifying inspections to ensure hygiene standards are upped or at least maintained. We take cognisance of the fact that manufactures, distributors and retailers all have financial obligations such as rentals and taxes to meet even at a time like this. “Said the Minister.
“We are definitely not in any way going to compromise the health of our Citizens even as we try to ensure their economic safety, ” he added.
And Hon. Mwale has revealed that the decisions would be reviewed after 7 days and if within that period the epidemic spiralled out of control, a complete ban would then be effected.
“Should the epidemic spin out of control, we will definitely impose a complete ban and preserve our Citizens’ precious lives at all costs, ” he said.
“We have intensified inspections to ensure hygiene standards are upped or maintained. In the event that the standards are found to be compromised, we will effect a full ban so as not to compromise the health of our Citizens,” he added
Meanwhile, the Kabwe Municipal Council in Central Province has closed all restaurants and drinking places in 14 cholera prone areas in the district.
This is according to a public notice distributed to concerned proprietors in affected areas and obtained by ZANIS in Kabwe.
The notice, signed by acting Town Clerk, Paul Mukuka, says the move is aimed at protecting the health of the general public and all bars and restaurants in the affected areas are closed with immediate effect.
The notice stresses that there is an outbreak of cholera in Kabwe which has since affected a number of areas, especially low income residential locations.
The notice advises that the disease is caused by poor hygiene conditions and public gatherings which promote its spread.
The cholera prone areas, whose drinking and eating places have been closed, include Katondo, Makululu, Kawama, Kamakuti, C-Gate and Abdu.
Others are Nakoli, Shamabanse, Kamushanga, Makwati and Mukobeko with the rest being Waya, Kaputula and Natuseko compounds.
The Kabwe Municipality will only open individual eating and drinking places upon certification that their premises have improved their sanitation and hygiene conditions suitable for their prescribed services.
Central Province has not been spared by the cholera epidemic which broke out in Lusaka in the month of October, last year and spread to many part of the country.
So far, in Central Province, the disease has spread to Kabwe, Chibombo, Itezhi tezhi, Kapiri, and Mumbwa districts.
However, the disease has been contained in any districts with only Kabwe, Mumbwa and Itezhi tezhi having between one and six cases only under treatment.
The move to contain the spread of the disease is attributed to high preventive measures the provincial epidemic preparedness and control committee has put in place.
The measures include banning of street vending, massive cleaning of trading places and markets, distribution of chlorine to households, mass sensitisation of the epidemic and now closure of eating and drinking places in cholera prone areas in Kabwe district.