The Association of Vendors, Traders and Marketeers of Zambia (AVTMZ) and Auto Phones Factory Limited have signed a trade agreement aimed at supplying goods to vendors through a vending machine .

AVTMZ president, Fredrick Tembo says the development will reduce on travelling expenditure which the vendors incurred when purchasing their products for re-sale.

ZANIS reports that during the signing ceremony in Kitwe on Tuesday night, AVTMZ president, Fredrick Tembo said the agreement will enable his members get various products at cheaper prices than travelling to other places to access the goods.

He added that the agreement will also help to reduce on the number of vendors that have engulfed many cities across the country thereby bringing sanity.

He urged his member to welcome the move as emphasizing that it is meant to benefit them.

Meanwhile, Kitwe District Commissioner, Binwell Mpundu expressed delight with the move which he said is timely as the country is slowly switching to a smart way of doing things.

The District Commissioner said the general public is happy with the decision of relocating street vendors from the Central Business District (CBD) adding that people have always wanted to be associated with a smart way of doing business.

He added that the vending machines will play a significant role of bringing sanity to many CBDs across the country as it will replace the old way of vending that was disorderly done.

And Auto Phones operations Manager, Lawrence Nyirenda said the vending machine will be operating 24/7 and can only consume about a kilowatt per day adding that the machines will be dis[played all over the night.

He stated that the machine will make selling of various goods easy and many people will afford as the products will be sold cheaply compared to what they pay to other suppliers.

Mr. Nyirenda said as regards to food items, the general public is assured of sanity as the machine will be 100percent sealed.

ECZ Public Relations Officer Raphael Phiri says Ms Isaac’s contract will come to an end tomorrow, Thursday 31st August, 2017, but that her official last working day was today Wednesday, 30th August, 2017.

Mr Phiri says Ms Isaac opted not to renew her contract after serving the Commission for 17 years.

Ms Isaac joined the Commission as a public relations officer before being elevated to Deputy Director Elections and Voter Education.

Director of Electoral Operations, Chomba Chella has since been appointed to act as Chief Electoral Officer.

News24 reports that Mr Hichelema arrived in Cape Town this afternoon where he is set to be hosted by Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane.

Mr Maimane’s chief of staff, Geordin Hill-Lewis says Mr Hichilema is in South Africa to celebrate his release with the DA.

Mr Hill-Lewis says Mr Hichilema would be attending and addressing the DA’s caucus meeting on Thursday morning, ahead of the sitting in Parliament.

He is also set to attend the DA’s federal executive meeting on Friday.

The United Party for National Development is part of a network of opposition parties in the region, organised under the Southern African Partnership for Democratic Change, of which Maimane is the chairperson.

The network is meant to give opposition parties a voice in the region, and it was also used in this instance to effect pressure on governing parties to respect human rights.

Over 500 Congolese asylum-seekers have fled into Zambia within a day, the biggest single entry of new arrivals in three years.

The 500 Congolese asylum-seekers were received on Wednesday 30 August 2017 through Chiengi, Kamponge and other border entry points in the north. The new arrivals are in addition to a sporadic and continuous stream that has characterised refugee inflows from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into Zambia over the past three years.

UNHCR Representative to Zambia, Ms Pierrine Aylara, confirmed the arrival of the over 500 arrivals, and believe that more are being hosted by local community and the agency, working with local authorities, is conducting a head-count to ascertain exact figures as the new arrivals are entering through different border entry points with some un-manned.

Working with the Government of Zambia through the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and, specifically, the District Joint Operations Committee (DJOC), as well as the Zambia Red Cross Society, UNHCR is providing basic humanitarian assistance to the new arrivals and who are currently relocated to Meheba Refugee Settlement in North Western Zambia.

“We have continuously been receiving a steady inflow of new arrivals from the DRC for some time now. UNHCR together with the host Government and the Zambia Red Cross Society, are doing everything possible in our limited capacity to protect and assist the new arrivals pending durable solutions. The limited resources available makes it challenging for us to effectively respond to the silent emergency. We call upon our generous donors to assist with additional funds to enable us address the basic humanitarian needs of new arrivals” said Ms Aylara.

From 1st January to 31st August 2017, over 3, 000 asylum-seekers from the DRC have been received in Zambia cumulatively, with August alone accounting for about a 1,000. In 2016, some 2, 893 Congolese asylum-seekers were recorded. Kaputa, Mpulungu, Nsumbu, in Northern Zambia, Kipushi, Kakoma, in Norther Western Province and Kasumbalesa, on the Copperbelt, have been the entry points.

As of 31 July 2017, the total population of Congolese in Zambia (asylum-seekers and refugees) was 25, 063.

Zambia currently hosts some 58,000 refugees and others of concern, mostly from Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Uganda. The vast majority reside in two refugee settlements – Mayukwayuka in Western Province and Meheba in North Western Province, while others live in urban areas or are self-settled in various locations.

The Ndola City Council is saddened by the fire which has engulfed almost the entire Kapalala Market in Masala.

Addressing the media today, Ndola City Council Town Clerk Wisdom Bwalya who was at the scene with His Worship the Mayor Mr. Amon Chisenga said it was unfortunate because hundreds of traders had lost their livelihoods.

“It pains us deeply to announce that almost the entire Kapalala market in Masala, Ndola has been gutted by a fire that swept through the trading place in the early hour of today,” Mr Bwalya said.

“The fire which is reported to have started around 01:00hrs was quenched by alert fire fighters with the help of local residents. I was at the scene from around 01:00hrs.”

He noted that hundres of traders have been affected by the inferno and many livelihoods curtailed.

He said the total cost of damaged goods and merchandise is yet to be ascertained and relevant authorities are on the ground to ascertain the cause.
“Relevant authorities are on the ground carrying out the necessary investigations to establish the exact cause of the inferno and updates will be given to the media and through media to the public,” Mr Bwalya said.

“Our hearts are with the hundreds of marketeers who have lost their livelihoods.”

Mr Bwalya has commended the efforts of the residents and fire fighters in trying to quench the fierce inferno and ensuring that no life was lost.

This is contained in a statement by Ndola council Public relations manager Tilyenji mwanza.

Meanwhile, Kabushi member of parliament Bowman Lusambo who is also Copperbelt Minister described the incident as saddening.

Mr Lusambo said the market was a place for thousands of people who depended on trading for the livelihoods.

“It is with a deep sense of concern that I announce that almost the entire Masala Kapalala Market in Masala Township. Skyways Ward in Kabushi Constituency has burnt to ashes destroying merchandise belonging to hundreds of Marketeers who depend on this market for their livelihoods,” Mr. Lusambo.

“Information gathered so far indicate that the fire started around 01:00 Hours. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified and the fire has since been put out by a brave team of fire fighters with the help of the local people. I would have visited the scene this morning but I am away in Lusaka attending to Cabinet duties but I wish to assure my people that I will visit the scene later today and empathise with the victims of this devastation,” Mr Lusambo wrote on his Facebook page.

Skilled Volunteers from SAP CSR EMEA successfully trained more than 350 local teachers over the weekend as part of the Train-the-Trainer sessions organized by SAP and Africa Code Week partners at Lusaka International Community School (LICS). Participants learnt coding with Scratch, a free programming language designed by the MIT Media Lab to teach coding to the young generation in a fun and interactive way. Everyone received 90 minutes of training, a USB with course notes and Scratch pre-loaded, together with a training certificate upon course completion.

Spearheaded by SAP in 2015 with over half-a-million young Africans introduced to coding so far, Africa Code Week officially returns to the continent from 18-25 October with a goal to empower another 500,000 across 35 countries. Actively supported by UNESCO YouthMobile, the Cape Town Science Centre, the Galway Education Centre, Google, 15 African governments and over 100 public and private partners, the award-winning initiative is on a mission to bridge the digital skills gap across the African continent by empowering its future workforce with coding skills. While 8-17 year olds learn how to program their own animations, quizzes and games using Scratch, older learners (18-24) get introduced to web technologies (HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and SQL) and architecture.

“There is no transformation of education through ICT without proper training of teachers first; hence the importance of the Train-the-Trainer sessions organized every year in most participating countries,” says Claire Gillissen-Duval, Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP and Africa Code Week Global Lead. “This is where the transfer of skills and knowledge takes place as SAP skilled volunteers equip teachers with the teaching materials they need to make coding a daily reality in the classroom,” Gillissen-Duval continues. Last year more than 5,600 adults were trained as part of the 25+ Train-the-Trainer sessions organized all over the continent.

“Throughout the weekend, Zambian teachers showcased sheer determination and commitment in supporting our efforts to bridge the digital divide and empower younger generations with job-relevant coding skills,” Gillissen-Duval adds. LICS teachers don’t just teach coding to their students already, but they are also actively engaged in an outreach program that allowed 22 teachers from other schools (Good Shepard Community School, Kalingalinga Community School, City of Hope School and Ngómbe Community School) to participate in the Africa Code Week training. More Zambian teachers eager to engage their pupils in Africa Code Week 2017 flew from all corners of the country (sometimes as far as Solwezi) to attend the training at LICS and share best-practices with fellow teachers and SAP Master Instructors. They are now getting ready to introduce coding to their own pupils and students during Africa Code Week Zambia – taking place from 9 to 15 October 2017, which is 10 days earlier than most countries in order to accommodate the local school calendar.

According to Charles Mwanza, CEO of Hackers Guild and Africa Code Week implementing partner in Zambia, “Africa Code Week is teaching more than coding: it is encouraging young people to ‘think like coders’, for more and more coders will be needed to overcome society’s most pressing, increasingly complex challenges. Africa Code Week is a fantastic opportunity for Zambia’s youth to learn the skills they need to thrive in the global knowledge economy,” he concludes.