The Czechoslovak Embassy was seated in Lusaka until 1992.

“Right now, I am still alone here, but soon my fellow workers are to join me. At first, they have to move the agenda from the neighbouring Zimbabwe,” Ambassador Rubes said.

He said he could see many opportunities along the Zambezi River, described by Czech explorer Emil Holub (1847-1902).

“In Zambia, there is a large demand for electricity supplies. The latest projects focus on the Zambezi River,” he added.

“This is a potential that could be exploited by small and medium-sized companies from the Czech Republic,” Rubes said.

In late April, Agriculture Minister Marian Jurecka and representatives of eight Czech companies visited the Chisamba Agritech exhibition of agricultural products.

“All the exhibited Czech equipment was sold. There is a financially strong group of farmers ready to pay for the goods in cash,” Ambassador Rubes said.

Czech Zetor tractors also sell in Zambia and that they have a good reputation for being very reliable.
In Zambia, the Czech diplomacy also has another vital task. It is to control the development aid right from the place.

As of next year, Zambia is to be another priority country to which Czech money will be flowing along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Moldova, Georgia and Cambodia.

Until 2020, the Czech Republic wants to spend 90 million crowns in Zambia.

It also wants to send a diplomat who will be in charge of its projects to the country.

“It is desirable to send such a worker to Zambia within the enhancement of our presence there,” Michal Kaplan, director of the Czech Development Agency (CRA), is quoted as saying.

This is not much compared with Western countries, but Czech previous projects have proven that the Czech trace in Zambia has certainly not been lost, LN writes.

For the third year in a row, Caritas the Czech Republic along with Tomas Bata University have been developing postnatal care for mothers and their children in several districts in Zambia.

The Njovu group, headed by Czech activist Vendula Tembo, looks after socially threatened youths, organising vocational training in the fields of baker, tailor and electrician for them, LN writes.

In Zambia, there is also the Czech Brethren Evangelical Church Diaconia (CCE), implementing two gender projects. The first focuses on the teaching of reading and writing for adult women, providing information on women’s human rights and violence on them, it adds.

Diocese of Solwezi Bishop Charles Kasonde this week presided over Holy Mass to launch and commission the locally translated Catholic Bible in three local languages namely, Kaonde, Lunda and Luvale.
The three languages are widely spoken in the Diocese of Solwezi.

Speaking in a homily at St. Daniel’s Cathedral Parish, Bishop Kasonde said that Christians need to deepen their knowledge and assimilation of the Word of God by making it the basis of their Christian lives.

Before delivering the homily, the Bishop presented Bibles to six senior citizens present in the congregation (three men and three women).

He then gave Bibles to two of the youngest babies who were in the Cathedral.

This was a symbolic gesture of the Word of God passing from one generation to another. 

“Before the homily, I would want to perform a ritual of two generations as we receive the Word of God,”

Bishop Kasonde said. “I want to connect the two generations of people who helped to plant Ekklesia (the Church) and the younger generation who are growing and who are going to continue to carry out the work of planting Ekklesia…all these I am going to give a Bible each,” explained the Bishop amid applause from the congregation. Bishop Kasonde pointed out that since 1959, the Church in Solwezi has been using the Protestant Bible for its pastoral and liturgical needs.

Earlier in the week, the Bishop had witnessed the offloading of the Bibles from a truck driven by a Muslim man who drove over 2,000 Kilometres to make the delivery.

The Bishop, in particular, expressed appreciation to the Overseas Bible Outreach; the people of South Korea and the Bible Society of Zambia for their invaluable assistance.
The translations were carried out by the Solwezi Diocese Pastoral and Liturgical Commissions. The Bishop thanked members of these Commissions for the long hours they put into the work of translation.

“Worth mentioning also is the magnanimous cooperation of the Bible Society of Zambia who allowed us to use their text for the realisation of the Catholic translation of the Word of God,” the Solwezi Bishop said in his acknowledgement note. 

Bishop Kasonde said there was the need to be grateful to God and the Korean people for enabling the Diocese reach the stage of having the Word of God translated into the local languages.

“I would like to express and pay tribute of thanks to the Overseas Bible Outreach for funding the printing cost of these Bibles. We will commit ourselves to pray for the success of its apostolate. I am particularly grateful to the Archbishop of Seoul, His Eminence Andrew Cardinal Yeom Soo Jung, Rev. Fr. Francis Lee and the Catholic Publishing House of South Korea for their contribution to facilitate the printing of these Bibles in Kaonde, Lunda and Luvale. May God bless and reward you for the work you are doing: Bringing the Word of God closer to the people, “the Solwezi Ordinary said.

The Catholic Bible contains additional books and some additions. It has a total of 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament while the Protestant Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament. Both the Catholic and Protestant Bible have 27 books in the New Testament. 

Kanengo Police Spokesperson Salome Zgambo Chibwana disclosed that the body was on Wednesday found dumped in a forest in Zambia.

She added that a post-mortem of Ali’s body done at Kamuzu Central Hospital revealed that death was due to strangulation.

The vehicle has since been recovered and one suspect, a 20-year-old man, has been arrested and is in custody at Lumbadzi Police Sub-station.

The thirty two year old deceased driver went missing on June 23 after two unknown men hired him to drive them from Lumbadzi to Kasungu.

According to Chibwana, a missing persons report was filed to police and the vehicle, a Toyota Carina, was later found in the possession of the suspect now in custody.

Ali’s body has since been taken to his home Village in Blantyre for burial while Simango will appear before court to answer charges of murder and robbery with violence.

The police are still hunting for another suspect, believed to be a teenager.

PF Kitwe district chairman Christopher Kang’ombe said the leadership on the Copperbelt wanted to have teams of PF structures that were solidly behind President Edgar Lungu as he discharged his duties on behalf of the people of Zambia.

In a statement to the Daily Nation, Mr. Kang’ombe said in an effort to re-organise the PF structures in Chimwemwe Constituency, the Kitwe district committee sitting on Tuesday informed the current office bearers of the dissolution as approved by the Copperbelt provincial executive and secretary general.

“The process of re-organising the PF structures includes replacing individuals who are not active and in a few cases change of responsibility to ensure there is effectiveness.

“In addition, we want to have teams of PF structures that are solidly behind President Edgar Lungu as he discharges his duties on behalf of the people of Zambia,” he said.

Mr. Kang’ombe said the vetting process of identifying names of some officials to promote from the wards into the constituency and from branches into wards had been concluded and approved by Mr. Mwila and the party.

“This is being done to inject new political life in the structures of Chimwemwe on an interim basis,” Mr. Kang’ombe said.

He said the approved interim executive for the constituency would only be unveiled on Monday.

“The individuals to constitute the interim ward executive committees in Buntungwa ward, Chimwemwe ward, Kawama ward, Twatasha ward and Itimpi ward will be announced in the course of the week,” Mr. Kang’ombe said.

Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said it was merely a perception that police officers were the most corrupt and that during raids, officers stole things and defecated in homes.

Ms Katongo said the Police Service had dedicated staff who were educated and had self dignity.

She said this when she responded to callers during a Radio Christian Voice programme ‘Chat back’.

“We need to respect police officers. They have dignity and are educated,” Ms Katongo said.

She said it was not possible that police officers could go into a person’s home and defecate in there or steal underwear.

Ms Katongo said such views were peddled by people who wanted to tarnish the image of the police.

She also said it was not true that police traffic officers were the most corrupt.

There are a number of traffic police officers that are corrupt, but the section also has honest hard working officers.

Ms Katongo said police officers were seen to be more corrupt because they interacted more with the public as compared to other law-enforcing agencies.

She said the responsibility was on the public to report any corrupt police officers to the police stations’ officers-in-charge or the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Ms Katongo said the Police Command could not act based on rumours and so it needed to work on reported cases.

She said if the public did not officially complain, the corrupt police officers would continue to engage in corruption and remain unpunished.

Ms Katongo said police officers should be mirrors of society and uphold the law.

She said it was unfortunate that despite the introduction of the chaplaincy where police officers could express themselves, incidences of officers engaging in gender-based violence and shooting of spouses still occurred.

Ms Katongo also said the police were within the law to use teargas canisters to disperse unruly crowds.

She said police officers were allowed to use minimum force in the execution of their duties.

The water cannons are currently not sufficient to be used in dispersing unruly crowds.