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Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) Chapter President Reuben Lifuka has commended Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) for commissioning a study that challenges organizations to think creatively and strategically in fostering contributions towards an effective fight against corruption.
Corruption in Zambia has been a thorny issue for some time and many stakeholders are cleaving to see a corrupt free country.
Speaking during a seminar at Intercontinental Hotel, Lifuka said the study will expedite the fight against corruption, adding that the move by Open Society Initiative from Southern Africa (OSISA) will also reduce the impact of corruption on democratic development in Zambia.
And Lifuka noted that corruption erodes people’s sense of equity and belief in justice as it undermines the trust people in Government, adding that Corruption only sustains poverty and inequality.
“I want to commend Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) for commissioning a study that challenges organizations to think creatively and strategically in fostering contributions towards an effective fight against corruption” Lifuka said
Lusaka Mayor His Worship Wilson KalumbaLusaka Mayor Wilson Kalumba has implored data service providers in Zambia to support the small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector as it is the engine of Zambia’s economic growth.
Speaking during the launch of Vodacom Zambia’s Enterprise at Lusaka’s Society House on Thursday, Mayor Kalumba said data services companies should consider providing free space and Internet to young innovators to encourage them to work harder.
And Mayor Kalumba disclosed that through the Lusaka City Council (LCC) his office will offer free office space and Internet at Civic Centre stating farther that Government has prioritized Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by coming up with the National ICT Policy, establishment of Secretariat for ICT and transforming the former Zamtel College into Zambia ICT College.
The Lusaka City Mayor underscored that part of the data service providers’ should be in lowering charges noting that data usage in Zambia was still low granting the recent remarkable progress.
“I was to implored data service providers in Zambia to support the small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector as it is the engine of Zambia’s economic growth” His worship kalumba said
The FAZ disciplinary committee has summoned Nkana to appear before them next week following attacks in the media on Football House.
Nkana slammed FAZ for delaying its ruling over striker Walter Bwalya’s player status following his illegal move from DR Congo club Lubumbashi Sports to Forest Rangers over three seasons ago.
Nkana also alleged that FAZ was stalling the case because some unnamed FAZ officials had an interest in Bwalya and were middlemen in move abroad for the player worth over US$400,000.
“FAZ has summoned Nkana Football Club to a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Wednesday July 26, 2017 at Football House,” FAZ spokesperson Desmond Katongo said.
“Nkana has been summoned in connection with several media attacks on FAZ.”
FAZ suspended Bwalya from all competitive obligations after it was disclosed that he moved to Zambia club Forest Rangers without an International Transfer Certificate.
The striker initially joined Nkana on loan in July,2016 from Forest before making his stay permanent in the 2017 season.
Bwalya,who has four league goals so far this season, won the 2016 Golden Boot after scoring 24 goals.
Police in Chiengi district of Luapula Province have arrested a 22 year old man for selling his own daughter.
Abel Kaputa of Kazembe Village in Chief Puta’s Chiefdom has been arrested for allegedly selling his three year old daughter at K5,000 to a named 35 year old local businessman.
Disclosing the matter to ZANIS in Mansa Luapula Province Police Commissioner Hudson Namachila described the incidence as unfortunate.
Mr. Namachila said the incident happened on July 10, 2017.
He says the matter came to light when the named businessman whose names has been withheld reported to Police.
He said the suspect has since been arrested and charged with human trafficking contrary to Section 3 (1) of the Anti- Human Trafficking Act number 11 of 2008 Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
The Luapula Province Police Commissioner says Kaputa will appear in Nchelenge Magistrate court on Monday July 24, 2017.
Mr. Namachila has since warned the public that the police in the province will not relent in arresting anyone going against the law.
Pick N Pay workers staging a go-slow
A work stoppage to demand for better pay has forced Pick N’ Pay to shut its stores countrywide.
The workers protested Friday morning and demanded that management revises their salaries upwards and improves their overall working conditions.
The workers have vowed not to resume work until their demands are met.
A check at Woodlands Mall found workers outside chanting slogans denouncing management.
At Lusaka’s Levy Mall branch, the workers used branches to block the deliveries gate near Kabelenga road where they camped.
The situation was the same at Ibex Hill, PHI and Kabulonga outlets in Lusaka and other towns across the country.
In Ndola, the chain store’s outlets at Zmart Mall and Kansenshi were closed.
One of the workers who spoke on condition of anonymity complained that she has worked for six years as a part time worker without getting confirmed.
She said she is paid K600 and works up to 21:00 Hours and does not receive transport allowance.
“I have been mugged three times because I have to walk in the dark to catch a bus,” she complained.
Management sources have revealed that the workers have been offered K50 salary increment while the workers are demanding for minimum K600.
Meanwhile, outspoken EPP leader Chilufya Tayali has strongly condemned Labour Minister Joyce Nonde accusing her of failing to address grievances of the workers.
“This Minister just shocked me, this morning when she told workers that, they should go back to work, otherwise Pick n Pay will fire them and they should not complain, adding that, there are so many people looking for employment,” Mr Tayali said.
“Basically, she told them off that, because jobs are difficult to finds, Zambians should be exploited and not complain otherwise they would be fired for others who are ready to be exploited and abused – what a minister.”
Mr Tayali added, “Joyce Nonde forgot that, she burnt Tax-payers’ fuel to go to Pick n Pay woodlands only to intimidate workers, who pay her through their taxes, instead of speaking for them. What kind of minister is this one?”
“Remember this is the same minister who ordered the police to arrest a whistle-blower at Horse Shoe Restaurant, today she is at it again telling off workers at Pick n Pay. How long are we going to pay, heftily, ministers who are useless to us, because they are not serving us?”
He said President Edgar Lungu must fire this minister because saying the PF was not voted into power to create jobs for people like Joyce Nonde who are doing nothing to deserve their good life at our expense.
Mr Tayali said workers at Pick N Pay are justified in their demands and this Government must protect them.
Pick N Pay Woodlands store staging a go-slowPick N Pay Woodlands store closedPick N Pay store closed
South Africa says it committed to increasing trade and addressing the trade imbalance with Zambia.
Zambia is one of SA’s top five trade partners in the Southern African Development Community region.
This was according to South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, ahead of a two-day Outward Trade and Investment Mission to Lusaka, Zambia, from 24-25 July.
Twenty South African companies funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will participate in the mission.
Mr. Davies said the mission would assist the department with contributing towards South African’s objectives of regional integration by strengthening economic relations between the two countries.
The mission also aims to advance the commitments made in December last year by the Heads of State of both countries during the state visit to South Africa by Zambia President Edgar Lungu, where both countries agreed to deepen bilateral trade and investment relations.
Zambia is one of South Africa’s top five trade partners in the Southern African Development Community region with total bilateral trade amounting to R33 billion in 2016.
“Platforms of this nature afford us the opportunity to not only consolidate political ties, but also to create the much-needed value-chains, skills and technology transfer and employment generation required to give effect to our economic ambitions, both in South Africa and Zambia,” said Mr. Davies.
According to Mr. Davies, the mission would further enable South African companies to interact with leading private sector entities from agro-processing, agribusiness, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, energy, services, tourism infrastructure development and mining and capital equipment.
“The mission will also present an ideal platform for South African companies who would like to export value-added products, and services, as well as companies which are looking for joint-venture partnerships in Zambia.”
The mission will be addressed by the South African High Commissioner to Zambia, Sikose Mji and the Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba, amongst others.
The programme for the mission will be comprised of a trade and investment seminar, business-to-business meetings, round-table discussions and sector-specific site visits.
CAFCAF has expanded the AFCON from 16 to 24 teams and switched tournament dates to mid-year.
And CAF has also changed the calendar dates for its continental club competitions.
The bi-annual tournament has been contested for by 16 teams since 1996.
CAF made the decision during its 1st CAF African Football Symposium held from July 18 -19
in Morocco to add eight more teams.
The tournament will now also be held during the European off season June and July.
This is in order to avoid the club versus country rows that have existed when the tournament was held in the middle of the European Season in January.
Meanwhile,CAF also confirmed that CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup dates will adopt the European format and run from August to May.
However,CAF has not stated when this will come into effect.
The decision means Zambian representatives face challenging times ahead and will have no break over two seasons as the FAZ Super Division runs over a calendar year.
Zambia has withdrawn as hosts of the 2019 U23 AFCON.
FAZ says the decision to pull out as hosts was due to economic reasons.
“FAZ decided to withdraw from hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations edition after thorough consultations with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development,” FAZ spokesperson Desmond Katongo said.
“After these consultations with the Government, it has been concluded that the country is not in a position to host the tournament due to the current economic climate.
“FAZ would like to take this opportunity to thank CAF for having shown confidence in the Association and the country at large to host a tournament of this magnitude.”
The withdrawal comes after the successful hosting of the U20 AFCON that Zambia won.
The U23 AFCON is entering its third edition and acts as Africa’s Olympic Football Tournament qualifier.
Meanwhile,CAF has opened bids for an alternative host.
“Zambia formally withdrew from the hosting of the 2019 edition. The committee called for the opening of bids for the selection of a new host country,” CAF said in an official communique.
Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington has died aged 41, LA County Coroner says.
The coroner said Bennington apparently hanged himself. His body was found at a private home in the county at 09:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday.
Bennington was said to be close to Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell, who took his own life in May.
Formed in 1996, Linkin Park have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy Awards.
The band had a string of hits including Faint, In The End and Crawling, and collaborated with the rapper Jay-Z.
The album Meteora topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2003 and is regarded as one of the biggest indie rock records of all time.
The band had been due to begin a tour next week.
For a generation growing up in the early 2000s, it would have been hard not to find someone who didn’t own a copy of the band’s debut album Hybrid Theory.
It’s sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and remains one of the biggest selling albums released since the start of the millennium.
Linkin Park’s successful trick was to fuse elements of metal and rock with rap and hip-hop to shape the nu-metal genre on songs such as Crawling, In The End and Numb.
Arguably their biggest asset was Chester’s powerhouse voice. He had a huge, raspy vocal which suited their stadium-filling, singalong anthems.
Whilst his vocal persona could be described as angry and harsh, in person he was warm, articulate and funny.
The band’s most recent album, One More Light, saw a different direction as they worked with prolific pop songwriters Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter – and collaborated with UK grime artist Stormzy.
He leaves a wife, and six children from two marriages.
The singer is said to have struggled for years with alcohol and drug abuse, and has talked in the past about contemplating suicide as a result of being a victim of abuse as a child.
Who was Chester Bennington?
Born March 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona, son of a police officer
Performed with Phoenix post-grunge band Grey Daze 1993-98
Joined Linkin Park in 1998; Hybrid Theory was released two years later
Fronted the Stone Temple Pilots between 2013 and 2015
Also performed with supergroups Dead by Sunrise and Kings of Chaos
Band member Mike Shinoda confirmed the news of Bennington’s death on Twitter: “Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true. An official statement will come out as soon as we have one.”
Tributes to Bennington flooded in soon after news of his death.
The band Imagine Dragons tweeted: “no words, so heartbroken. RIP Chester Bennington.”
Grime artist Stormzy, who collaborated with Linkin Park earlier this year, tweeted: “Bruv I can’t lie I’m so upset serious.”
President Edgar Lungu Return From Swaziland State visitPresident Edgar Lungu Return From Swaziland State visitPresident Edgar Lungu Return From Swaziland State visitPresident Edgar Lungu Return From Swaziland State visit Army Commander BriefsPresident Edgar Lungu Return From Swaziland State visit
TBwoy and T-Sean have continued to build on the release of their much anticipated collaborative album to be released this year. They released their latest single ‘Denya‘ (which means dance in Chewa). The song features Chef187 and was produced by Shom C and T-Sean.
The video was directed by Qbick and Lawdak of NXT Solutionz.
Sun FM, A premium radio station based in Ndola has partnered with other media houses to unveil the first ever Kwacha Music Awards to honor Zambian Musicians.
The award show is scheduled to take place on the 30th of September, 2017 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
Full list of nominees:
SONG OF THE YEAR
408 Empire – Chilepule Baby
Tiye P Ft. Kekero – Unajaila
TBwoy Ft. Chef 187 – I Miss You
Chef 187 Ft. Daev – Ma Years
Jae Cash Ft. Kekero – Akamutima
BEST NEW COMER (Male)
Daev
Drifta Trek
Neo
T-Low
BEST NEW COMER (Female)
Bom$hell
Wacheda
Esther Chungu
Chilu
Tanny
BEST SOUND PRODUCTION
Kekero
T-Sean
Mr. Starsh
KB (K-Army)
Mag44
Ben Blazer
BEST DANCE HALL SONG
Dj Cosmo – Pro Twerker
Petersen – Kalukobo
408 Empire – Chilepule Baby
Willz Ft. Jedi – Theresa
Jay Rox – One and Only
BEST HIP-HOP SONG
Slapdee – Vagwada
Chef 187 Ft. Mumba Yachi & Dope G – Mundowendowe
Drifta Trek Ft. Chef 187 – Ma Dance Yanasalako
Church – Zaninge
Tiye-P Ft. Dope-G – Ndefisosika Apa
BEST R&B SONG
T-Bwoy Ft. Chef 187 – I Miss You
Roberto – Into You
F Jay – Nilekelele
Neo – Thanks To Your Ex
Coziem Ft. Chef 187 – Twikalafye Umukumo
Kantu x Wezi Bomb$hell – Anajaila (Cover)
Chef 187 Ft. Daev – Ma Years
Chef 187 Ft. Mumba Yachi & Dope G – Mundowendowe
Afunika Ft. Slapdee – Umwaume Wakulela
Tiye P Ft. Kekero – Unajaila
BEST DUO/GROUP
408 Empire
Urban Hype
Davaos
HD Empire
Higher Calling
BEST BAND
Amayenge Asoza
Uncle Rex and the Band
Air Power Band
Mutende Cultural Assemble
Barotse Band
BEST CHOIR GROUP
Mount Senai
Busokololo
Great Chronicles
Northmead Mega Choir
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Chef 187 – Amnesia
Slapdee – Bw2
Jae Cash – Giovani
Dope G – Flowers
TBwoy – Dweet
Tiye P – RED
GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Ephraim – Teti Ntwishike
Rueben – Naileta
Abel Chungu Musuka – Love Unleashed (Deluxe)
Ausward – Jehovah El Shadai
Chileshe Bwalya – Talitha Cumi (Deluxe)
Esther Chungu – Mubanga
BEST MALE ARTIST
Chef 187
Slapdee
T-Sean
Macky2
Ephraim
Afunika
BEST FEMALE ARTIST
Wezi
Kantu
Cleo Ice Queen
Chileshe Bwalya
Mampi
Salma Sky
HUMANITARIAN AWARD
B’Flow
PilAto
Macky2
Petersen
Maiko Zulu
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Roberto
B’Flow
JK
Pompi
Mampi
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
JK
Danny Kaya
Maureen Lupo Lilanda
Lady MC
Errol Hickey
They did it again! The four that were not on suspension walked out of Parliament on 11th July 2017 during one of the most consequential debates in the House for the last 20 years or so. I am left scratching my head wondering what role the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Members of Parliament imagine themselves as having in the Zambian Legislature.
Even though we all knew that the results of the Parliamentary vote was a foregone conclusion, why would the UPND MPs who claim to be representing their voters pass up the opportunity to argue vociferously against the 90 days Threatened State Of Emergency (TSOE)? Why did they decide it was pointless to let Zambians hear their arguments against the TSOE, even if for posterity? I had to stop listening to the debate on Parliament Radio after an hour because it became rather predictable.
If I were a UPND MP, even if I had misgivings with the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government, I would have made sure I attended the debate and questioned the Home Affairs Minister Mr Stephen Kampyongo on the issue of the oftentimes unprofessional Zambia Police which more closely resembles a force than a service. I would ask the Minister for concrete assurances to be given to Zambian citizens that there will be no human rights abuses by the often trigger happy police in the current climate where they have been given broader powers.
Not too long ago, a young student Ruth Mbandu was brutally murdered but instead of professionally investigating the case, the Zambia Police arrested the wrong people and tortured them into signing a confession. The case was thrown out and the suspects freed with the judge strongly rebuking the conduct of the Police.
Why haven’t any of the police officers involved been disciplined, suspended or punished (to our knowledge)? They should have been fired immediately and charged with assault, but instead they are free and probably continue harassing and beating up innocent people.
Meanwhile the murderers of Ruth are still out there enjoying life. I feel sad that the life of a young woman in her prime was cruelly cut short and we have a police force which apparently does not care enough to investigate the case properly. The case has died a natural death as with many things in Zambia.
I saw with my own eyes just last year a Police Land Cruiser driving along the road from Meanwood Airport area towards the Natural Resources DEvelopment College (NRDC) at night. It stopped abruptly, officers jumped out and grabbed people who were peacefully walking along the road and tossed them roughly into the van. There were the usual slaps and all this is apparently normal for us. Even if there is some legal basis due to the infamous one-party era “shishita” laws, why slap people and handle them violently just for walking home at night? What is to be gained by the police harassing peaceful citizens?
In another case, a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) officer was apparently beaten to death while in police custody at Woodlands Police. Initially the police officially blamed the inmates but now their own officers have been charged. If indeed police officers committed the dastardly deeds, one wonders why plenty of them feel comfortable to do illegal things to people they arrest, apparently knowing they shall always get away with it.
We also had the case of a drunk policeman (captured on video) wielding an AK-47 rifle at UPND MP Mr Garry Nkombo which could have led to loss of life in the heat of the argument. The Police defended the officer but a few days later, another video surfaced of a totally drunk officer falling down while in uniform. Up to now the police have never bothered to update us and tell us if the drunk officer was disciplined and what steps they have taken to reduce such indiscipline.
The examples I have mentioned are just a few of the many documented cases stretching from independence to date. Many citizens are fearful that the chequered history of the Zambian police may be a sign of bad things to come. After all, what will stop over-zealous policemen doing unethical and illegal things to appear to be producing results to their superiors?
In the eyes of many Zambians, the UPND MPs have engaged in a serious dereliction of their duty to provide checks and balances. If indeed they care about us Zambians and want to make our lives better and get us to vote for them in 2021, they should have been arguing for the preservation of our human rights and against potential police brutality during the TSOE. Instead, I am seeing the Minister of Justice Mr Given Lubinda making the argument which the four UPND MPs should have been making in the House.
The UPND MPs for example could have asked Mr Kampyongo to set up an independent body for the public to report cases of abuses at the hands of the police during the TSOE. The body can have toll free lines, WhatsApp numbers, emails and the option for reporting anonymously through an online Whistle Blower system. The UPND MPs seem to forget that these and other suggestions they could have made in the House are meant to protect everyone, including innocent UPND members so that there are fewer cases of brutality by rogue police officers.
The UPND MPs keep absconding themselves from Parliament while happily “eating” their fat allowances, salaries and enjoying the power and privilege that comes with their position in society. Whenever there is a debate about increasing salaries of Members of Parliament, not a single UPND MP is absent and they all vote 100% in favour.
I appeal to all the opposition MPs to please be serious and do their duty all the time. If they have good reasons to be frequently absconding from parliament, let them explain themselves to us and we shall be all ears. They should think about the fact that the ruling party will do many more things that they will not like. It will become utter absurdity of the highest order to keep absconding in “protest”.
You can’t keep protesting forever, even when the train has already left the station. With much authority comes great responsibility and the UPND have to put Zambians first instead of their political agendas for which I suspect most Zambians have zero sympathy for. If UPND MPs are not prepared to do what we pay them to do, let them resign on moral grounds and I shall be first to cheer and clap for them for being principled.
The Author is a businessman and a software and web developer based in Lusaka, Zambia. He was trained as an engineer at the University of Manchester in England and has interests in Philosophy, Economics, Politics, Theoretical Physics, Architecture, Music, Art and Movies.
Electoral officers, agents and monitors inspecting the Ballot Boxes at Rainbow Africa polling station in Livingstone yesterday shortly before the opening of the Polls yesterday. Picture by BRIAN HATYOKA
The latest national Afrobarometer survey has shown that ordinary Zambians see that the country’s democracy is beginning to erode.
The results of the Afrobarometer were released in Lusaka today.
In face-to-face interviews in April 2017, two out of three Zambians say their country is headed in the wrong direction.
This is a sharp reversal from 2012, when only 29 percent felt that way.
The survey results show that, while Zambians remain firmly committed to democratic ideals, they worry that, in practice, their own democracy has begun to erode.
They recognize that political space is closing with regard to basic rights such as freedom of speech.
They assess the performance of the incumbent negatively, especially in terms of economic management, corruption control, and police repression.
In response, Zambian citizens – notably those with most education, but less so for those with limited schooling – are sounding an alarm.
They are reiterating solid and sustained support for institutional checks and balances and a firm rejection of one-man rule.
Large majorities say that their national economy is underperforming (60 percent) and that the government is doing poorly at creating jobs (77 percent), narrowing income gaps (80 percent) and keeping prices stable (81 percent).
And two out of three Zambians believe official corruption increased (“somewhat” or “a lot”) over the past year, while 70 percent consider that the government is handling the fight against official corruption “fairly badly” or “very badly.
A similar proportion say they fear retaliation or other negative consequences if they report incidents of corruption.
Despite the economic challenges, Zambians remain strongly committed to the ideals of democracy, according to the April survey.
They overwhelmingly prefer democracy to any other form of government (81 percent) and reject authoritarian systems such as one-party rule (82 percent), military rule (92 percent) and rule by a big-man dictator (92 percent, up from 87 percent in 2012).
Most Zambians favor checks on the president’s executive powers: 64 percent think Parliament should monitor the president and 71 percent think he should always obey the courts.
And 84 percent favor a limit of two five-year terms for the presidency.
But further survey responses suggest Zambians aren’t seeing these principles in practice, and confidence in the quality of the country’s democracy is declining.
Only half are satisfied with “the way democracy works” in Zambia, down from 68 percent in 2012.
This sharp downward trend is echoed in the proportion who see their country as a “full” or almost full democracy, which fell from 76 percent to 59 percent over the past five years.
Only 60 percent of Zambians see President Lungu’s election in 2016 as free and fair, compared to 86 percent approval for the 2011 contest that first elected President Sata.
Almost half of all citizens (47 percent) say they “personally fear becoming a victim of political intimidation or violence” during elections.
The proportion expressing a need to “be careful what they say about politics” has risen 10 points, from 62 percent to 72 percent, between 2012 and 2017.
Barely one in three Zambians (36 percent) feel comfortable in offering criticism of the president.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 30 countries in Africa.
It conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples of citizens aged 18 years and older.
A sample of 1,200 respondents yields country-level results with a margin of sampling error of +/-3% at a 95% confidence level.
