Pictures from President Lungu’s Press conference
City Market Fire Started 10 minutes after Police Officer in Charge had Knocked off-Katongo
THE Zambia Police Service says it highly suspects that the fire which destroyed goods at Lusaka City Market on Tuesday could have been caused by someone who understands the security system of the trading place well.
Police spokesperson Esther Katongo said it is strange that the fire started barely 10 minutes after the paramilitary officers who were patrolling the infrastructure in the night left.
She said the perpetrator could be one who knows that there are usually a few people in the market at the time the officers leave and understands that it is not possible to ignite fire when security is tighter.
Ms Katongo said this when she featured on the Hot Seat programme on Hot FM Radio yesterday.
“There is an agreed-upon procedure on how they do their work at night in the market, and before the security for the local authority knocks off, they hand over to the police. So, even early in the morning, our officers do a check before opening it to the public, and this was done, only to be called 10 minutes later that there was a fire,” she said.
Ms Katongo said Zambia Police officers and Zesco staff as well as fire experts from the local authority are currently on the ground trying to establish the cause of the fire.
“With what has been happening in the country, any sane person would be quick to say that there is something wrong somewhere,” she said.
Ms Katongo said it is rare that a person who has caused a fire can be found immediately, which is why the police is offering the K500,000 to members of the public with information that can lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
The Mutati Faction prevents Nevers Mumba from appearing on a radio show as MMD president
In an interview shortly after meeting the station manager of 5FM, Mr Chiluba said they had information that the opposition UPND media team had circulated media alerts to international news agencies to monitor the program.
He said Nevers Mumba was going to escalate the view that President Lungu has become a dictator so as to paint the country as dictatorship in the eyes of the international community.
“We had information that the UPND Media Team had circulated the media alert to international news agencies to monitor the program, where Dr Mumba wanted to escalate the view that President Lungu has become a dictator arising from his address to the nation yesterday,” he said.
Dr Mumba was scheduled to appear on the Burning Issue an interactive radio program that talks about governance issues but Mr Chiluba with the help of youths from the party made sure that their former leader did not appear saying Dr Mumba can not appear on the program wearing the MMD president jacket when he was no longer the president.
He said he had no problem with Dr Mumba appearing on radio as former president or former vice president but that his continued masquerades was a danger to the growth of the party.
He said that Dr Mumba was making it difficult for the party to move from his destructive leadership which had left the party divided.
“These are the same people that are agitating circumstances that have led to the situation we are in as a country.
“Just yesterday the republican President was expressing concern with regard the detoriating levels of lawlessness in country because of his continued behaving of misleading and misadvising the general public.
“As MMD Die hard we are more than determined to put One Nevers in his place, We shall make sure that he will never appear on any platform as MMD President because the law that govern political parties in Zambia is very clear with who the MMD President is, that is non other than Hon. Felix Chipota Mutati period,” he said.
I’ll not rush into firing ministers and making changes to the Zambia Police Service-Lungu
PRESIDENT Lungu says he will not rush into firing his ministers and making changes to the Zambia Police Service command on the basis of baseless claims.
The President said he still has faith in all his ministers and other serving appointees, and that he will not be swayed into firing people based on falsehoods by some members of the public who claim that they have failed to execute their duties.
The head of State ruled out any possibility of sacking Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo following calls by some senior party members that he is divisive.
President Lungu was speaking at State House during a press conference yesterday.
“You cannot stampede me into firing people. My strategy is not to fire people on the basis of calls from the public. It is not an easy decision to fire people. Bowman will serve at my pleasure,” President Lungu said.
He said he will never base his decisions on falsehoods but will thoroughly investigate matters brought before his table before taking any decision.
President Lungu urged all his appointees to continue executing their duties diligently for the benefit of the Zambian people.
Mr Lungu called for patriotism and a sense of pride from all Zambians in resolving matters of national interest.
“Zambia is one of the most accomplished democracies in Africa,” President Lungu said.
He also assured the international community that government institutions have continued operating normally and that those that want to invest in Zambia are free to do so.
President Lungu expected on the Copperbelt to launch a cement manufacturing plant
During his two-day working visit, the President is also expected to commission the construction of the Mufulira- Ndola road, and open the Neelkanth Cable Plant in Masaiti.
Copperbelt permanent secretary Elias Kamanga said the cement plant will create about 4,000 jobs.
He said President Lungu is also scheduled to be in Mufulira to commission the reconstruction of the Mufulira-Ndola road, which was last worked on in the 1980s.
Tomorrow, the President is expected to take part in a fund-raising walk by the Catholic Church in Ndola aimed at raising K4.5 million for building of houses for parish priests in the province.
Government in the process of establishing energy production from solid waste
Mr Mwale said this would be done through a public-private partnership (PPP) system in Lusaka, and will be scaled up on the Copperbelt where a feasibility study is being undertaken by a Finnish developer.
He said local authorities, and the nation at large, also stand to benefit from recycling of waste through job creation and conservation of non-renewable resources.
Mr Mwale said this yesterday in a speech read for him by Ministry of Local Government permanent secretary Amos Malupenga at the solid waste management symposium under the theme: “Moving from waste management to resource management within a circular economy.”
Mr Mwale, who is also Chipangali member of Parliament (MP), is happy that the country is making progress in developing waste management policies and strategies.
“Indeed, the use of economic instruments and implementation of polluter-pays principles in waste management are yet to be fully realised in Zambia,” he said.
Mr Mwale said the gap between existing legislation and actual waste management practices is widening due to continuing capacity constraints and lack of waste management facilities for various waste streams.
“It is for this reason that resource-efficient and cleaner production has become a feasible best practice for reducing waste to bring waste management into the circular economy,” he said.
Mr Mwale reiterated Government’s commitment to use the project to transform waste into a resource.
He said the growing challenge of waste management has been due to rapid growth in economic activity and population, as well as the increasing burden on municipal budgets.
Mr Mwale said waste management practices and widespread dumping of waste in drainage systems and open spaces aggravate the problems of low sanitation levels in the country.
He said as a result, some communities, especially in peri-urban areas, have continued to experience increased cases of preventable diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid
US Ambassador urges Zambia to preserve and protect the country’s reputation for peace
And Minister of Finance Felix Mutati says invoking of Article 31 by Government is meant to ensure the country continues to secure investments to grow the economy and protect lives.
Speaking during the commemoration of America’s 241st Independence Day in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Schultz said Zambia has come this far and has a long way to go in its development to sacrifice the needs and rights of citizens.
“The US is a friend of Zambia and of Zambians. I believe our actions have proven this time and time again. And as a friend, we want the best for this country as we will remain engaged and continue to work for Zambia’s future,” he said.
Mr Schultz said for a decade now, Zambia has been one of the 10 largest recipients of US humanitarian assistance, receiving over US$500 million annually, which is the highest in the world on a per capita basis.
“We are also of course major contributors to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Global Fund, and the other international and multilateral institutions that also provide assistance to Zambia. The billions of United States dollars we have contributed over the years have saved the lives of millions of Zambians, helped educate a generation of Zambians, and have helped spur increases in agriculture productivity and rural incomes,” he said.
Mr Mutati said Zambia has something in common with the US as both countries strive to uphold the constitution.
“So, your excellency, I would like to assure you that we shall continue to walk together on this journey,” he said.
Mr Mutati thanked the American government for contributing immensely to the development and sustainability of the Zambian economy.
Court rules that UPND MPs remain suspended; Lubinda decides to postpone some bills presentation
THE High Court has dismissed an application by some United Party for National Development (UPND) members of Parliament to apply for leave to apply for judicial review of the decision of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini, to suspend them for 30 days without salaries and allowances.
The 48 UPND MPs were seeking an order of the court quashing Dr Matibini’s decision for procedural impropriety, unreasonableness and irrationality.
High Court judge Petronella Ngulube said in her ruling delivered in Lusaka yesterday that there was no case fit for further investigation.
Ms Justice Ngulube dismissed all the grounds stemming from illegality, procedural impropriety, unreasonableness and irrationality.
“I wish to state that I am not satisfied that the applicants have any arguable case fit for further investigation. I am not persuaded to exercise my discretion in favour of the applicants,” she said.
She noted that she had perused the correspondence between the UPND MPs and Dr Matibini and found that there was no issue for further investigation.
On the issue concerning unreasonableness by Dr Matibini to cut their pay for the duration of the suspension, Ms Justice Ngulube noted that a decision is only irrational if it is outrageous.
Ms Justice Ngulube said from the documents that were before her court, she did not find any arguable case fit for further investigation.
On June 13, 2017, Dr Matibini suspended the MPs for 30 days for boycotting President Lungu’s address to Parliament.
“The President is the head of State and Government, and you took oaths of allegiance. By so doing, you are expected to be respectful to him and always be mindful that this is a House of honour, decorum and dignity,” Dr Matibini said.
He challenged the UPND MPs to resign on moral grounds if they are not ready to acknowledge that Zambia already has a duly elected President.
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Given Lubinda says Government has deferred introduction of certain legislation which border on the constitution to another sitting to enable the 48 suspended United Party for National Development (UPND) members of Parliament participate.
“We were to bring a number of legislation to Parliament but because of the suspended members, these will be presented in the next sitting,” he said.
He said Government has a lot of legislation that it intends to present to Parliament but that he cannot do so in the absence of the suspended members.
Mr Lubinda said the Penal Code is one of the legislation that requires all members to look at so that death penalty can be explained.
“The Constitution has the death penalty so we cannot attend to the Penal Code without altering the Constitution,” he said.
He said there are provisions in the Penal Code that also appear in the Constitution, and that they cannot be amended without amending the provisions in the Constitution.
Mr Lubinda also told Parliament that President Lungu has no intentions of committing anyone or signing death penalty despite it being in the Constitution.
He said no Zambian who is on death sentence have been executed since 1999.
And Mr Lubinda said Government will not compromise the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) standards as it comes up with a new campus.
Mr Lubinda said extensive work is being done at ZIALE to improve the passing rate.
Martha Shonga put to rest
Scores of mourners turned up to pay their last respects to veteran football administrator Martha Shonga who was put to rest on Thursday at Nkana East Cemetery in Kitwe.
Kitwe United stalwart and women’s football administrator Shonga, 58, died in Kitwe on Monday from suspected renal failure.
Several people from all walks of life who included football administrators, coaches, players and retired players attended the funeral.
These included FAZ executive committee member Kabaso Kapambwe who represented football house, Emmanuel Munaile, Henschel Chitembeya, Patrick Tembo, Peter Kaumba and Beston Chambeshi among others.
The funeral procession started with requiem service at Seventh Day Adventist Church in Riverside before mourners proceeded to Nkana East Cemetery.
Speaking on behalf of FAZ, Kapambwe hailed Shonga’s contribution to Zambian football.
“I have known Martha Shonga for a along time. She contributed a lot to football. She was once team manager for the National Women’s Team. She also served as FAZ Committee member,” he said.
Shonga served as vice chairperson in the immediate-past executive at Kitwe United where she has been for over three decades and prior to that also served as club secretary.
She also served as Mining Rangers secretary around 2009.
Shonga is survived by six children.
Shonga wary of Zimbabwe in 2017 Cosafa Cup final
Striker Justin Shonga says Zambia must be at their best as they face Zimbabwe in the 2017 COSAFA Cup final on Sunday in South Africa.
Shonga of Nkwazi on Wednesday scored two goals as Zambia thumped Tanzania 4-2 in the semifinals.
In a post-match interview, Shonga said Zambia must improve ahead of the final against Zimbabwe in order to win the match.
He observed that in the match against Tanzania, Zambia were losing ball possession cheaply.
“Against Tanzania we didn’t have much possession. We just wanted to find the back of the net,” Shonga said.
“We just have to work on ball possession. We shouldn’t give away the ball too much so that we can out play our opponents,” he added.
Both Zambia and Zimbabwe are seeking a record fifth COSAFA Cup title.
Zambia is making progress towards meeting contraceptive target-Health Minister
Minister of Health, Chitalu Chilufya has attributed the progress towards meeting the targeted modern contraceptive prevalence rate to government’s mix of policy and programmatic approaches.
Dr Chilufya however said with the current MCPR of 45 percent as at 2014, the country needs further evidence based programming to help accelerate scale up to meet the contraceptive needs of women and men and also achieve its 2020 goal.
The Minister of Health said this in Lusaka today in a speech read on his behalf by Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Dr Jabin Mulwanda.
This was during the official opening of the Evidence for Action Symposium hosted by the government of Zambia, Population Council and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Evidence for Action Symposium is being held under the theme “Family Panning Saves Live: Accelerate Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
The symposium has brought together reproductive health, HIV and adolescents health experts and researchers in Zambia to review and disseminate key evidence to inform family planning policies and programs especially as they relate to social and economic development.
And Population Council President, Julia Bunting commended Zambia for its pledge to expanding method mix and increase access to family planning particularly for the underserved populations.
Ms Bunting also hailed Zambia for increasing domestic funding and partnerships with donors and for strengthening the supply chain for commodities.
She said the Population Council is keen to work with government to generate and deliver the much needed evidence to accelerate progress in family planning among the adolescents.
Ms Bunting said investing in family planning will enable governments to save an estimated from 2 to 6 United States Dollars, money which can be invested in health care, housing, education and other public services.
Meanwhile, UNFPA Deputy Country Representative Chinwe Ogbonna said effective use of Evidence for Action on reproductive health will help especially young people to exercise their right to make right choices and decisions.
Ms Ogbonna reaffirmed UNFPA’s support to government and the Zambian people in sustaining efforts aimed at fostering strategic alliances towards the delivery of quality reproductive health care services.
Do not panic-President Lungu
President Edgar Lungu has assured that there is no need to panic following the invocation of Article 31 of the Constitution in light of what he says is a situation of threatened peace in Zambia.
And President Lungu has charged that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is free to go if it feels that Zambia is unsafe to sign an economic recovery programme with.
Meanwhile, President Lungu has maintained that he will not hold any talks with the opposition because there is nothing to discuss.
Addressing a media conference at State House in Lusaka this afternoon, President Lungu said the public should not panic because the invocation of Article 31 is meant to increase public safety.
He clarified that the police will now have added powers to stop and search anyone suspected of criminal misconduct and detain such persons for longer periods.
The Head of State says what he has done does not amount to dictatorship saying Zambia still remains one of the most democratic nations in Africa.
President Lungu however added that all those provisions are subject to parliamentary approval within seven of him signing the Statutory Instrument.
He further clarified that there will be no blanket curfew imposed on citizens but that people will be restricted access to certain places and building.
President Lungu said he needed to act as the country was under siege describing what is happening in the country as terrorism.
He however refused to admit that there is tension in the country.
President Lungu also defended himself by saying that he has not acted hastily in invoking Article 31 saying a pattern of increased lawlessness had begun to form and he needed to act.
He accused some opposition leaders of using what he called acts of terrorism aimed at forcing his government to renegotiate the outcome of the August elections.
President Lungu said there has been a systematic approach to stampede his government into talks with the opposition over a power sharing arrangement.
The Head of State said the power sharing agenda has been driven by some former colonialists who have been sponsoring regime changes in most parts of Africa.
On cabinet reshuffles, President Lungu said he will not be forced to make changes to his cabinet because some people feel some of Ministers are not performing accordingly.
He said he still has confident in the people he appointed to serve in his cabinet adding that cabinet appointments are made at his own discretion.
And President Lungu charged that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is free to go if they feel that Zambia is unsafe to sign an economic recovery programme with.
He said the IMF is free to go if they feel he has gone astray in the governance of the country.
President Lungu extended the same warning to the investment community saying they are free to withdraw their investment from Zambia if they feel that the country is unsafe for their investment.
He said to the contrary, the IMF and the investors should feel more protected now that Government has taken efforts to protect their investment into Zambia using the provisions of the law.
Hakainde Hichilema should withdraw Armageddon Statement-PF
Prior to the August 11, 2016, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema remarked that Zambians must pray hard after August 11 elections because there will be an Armageddon. This was not only careless but extremely alarming. Hakainde Hichilema, who professes to be an Adventist, has on many occasions been seen breaking the Sabbath to do his political work. The Seventh Day Adventists and the Jehovah’s Witnesses have put much emphasis on the study of the Bible, especially the books of prophecy such as Revelation and Daniel. It is a well-known fact that Armageddon is the last war between Satan and the God’s angels. Armageddon is war!
Considering UPND leader Hichilema posts to his Facebook Page, as his Media team would have us believe, Zambians must demand that Mr. Hichilema explains what he meant by Armageddon. This is because there is a growing concern in the nation that his remarks about Armageddon had the potential to incite his supporters to act violently to vent their anger against a democratically elected government.
Let Mr. Hichilema understand that political leadership comes with responsibilities and what a person in his position says has the kind of impact on members that may be too ghastly to contemplate. When Mr. Hichilema says the election was stolen, that the police are PF, or that Judges are corrupt, any reasonable mind would know that he is indirectly urging his members to resort to other actions and reactions. Even if he did not mean it but that is what it is. It is therefore no coincidence that majority of UPND members on the social media are ever insulting.
Let him withdraw his Armageddon remarks and tame his anger and frustration because it has become acidic. Zambians will sadly recall the Namwala ethnic cleansing, including the recent fires and they will wonder whether these too are informed by the irresponsible Armageddon talk.
Lastly, FDD President Edith Nawakwi had reminded Mr. Hichilema before the election that it was dangerous for him to have said he would not concede defeat in the August 11 general election as such statements prepared his supporters’ minds for post-election violence. There is no way Mr. Hichilema should not take responsibility and withdraw his Armageddon statement because it potentially could incite these well planned criminal operatives who are serving narrow political interests to paralyse the country economically, render Zambia ungovernable and instil fear and a sense of insecurity in citizens.
Issued by:
Sunday Chanda
PF Media Director
Zambia records 310 Road Traffic Accidents during this year’s Trade Fair Weekend
Ms Katongo said there is an increase in number of accidents recorded this year compared to 282 calamities last year.
She however said the number of people that died this year was 26 compared to 2016 where 47 people died which indicates a decrease of 21.
Ms. Katongo further said fifty six people sustained serious injuries in 2017 while 2016 had 75 recorded showing a decrease of 19.
She added that those who sustained slight injuries in this year were 82 as compared to 85 people last year.
Ms. Katongo stated that Lusaka Province recorded the highest number of accidents followed by Copperbelt and Central Province respectively while Western Province recorded the least number of accidents.
She said the general picture indicates that there has been a decrease in the number of casualties which she attributed to regulatory measures by Government such as Statutory Instrument No. 76 of the Laws of Zambia which restricts movement of Public Service Motor vehicles in the night.
Ms. Katongo said the decrease in casualties can also be attributed to the operations that were conducted throughout the country during the period by both Traffic Police Officers and officers from Road Transport and Safety Agency (RATSA).
This was in a statement availed to ZANIS today.
President Lungu constitutes a Committee to help traders as Marketeers ask for a bail out
President Lungu has constituted a committee of ministers to be headed by Vice President Inonge Wina that will soon come up with ways of helping traders who were affected by fire that gutted City Market on Tuesday.
The President said that the committee will also look at the reconstruction of the gutted market. The president also appealed to well-wishers and the business community to come the aid of the affected marketeers.
And AS hundreds of distraught traders began picking through the charred rubble of the part of Lusaka’s City Market wasted by Tuesday morning’s fire, it was revealed a total of 1,379 stalls were destroyed.
City Market acting manager Andrew Banda said the affected section was made up of 1,905 stalls. Sources told the Times that as the stalls tended to be shared with illegal sub-tenants, the affected number of traders was probably two or three times more than the number of the shops.
The inferno, one of the biggest fire incidents seen in the capital in recent years, has led to the closure of the market, Zambia’s largest with well over 6,000 registered traders.
Yesterday, as they contemplated the damage wrought by a fire whose origins the police are still trying to determine, many of the traders, having lost huge stocks of merchandise, equipment and shop furniture, were urging the authorities to reopen the market so they could try and get back to business with the little resources they still had or could muster.
Christine Bwalya, a shoe trader, said 50 bales of second-hand shoes valued at K67, 500 were burnt and she had obtained a K70,000 loan from AB Bank, which she was paying back in K7, 100 monthly installments. She employs a team of 10 workers.
Fighting back tears, Ms Bwalya said in an interview yesterday the loss of her merchandise had left her in a hopeless state; despairing about her loan and her own survival.
“My appeal to the Government is, please come to our aid and even if it means allowing us to trade from the corridors of City Market while they are repairing the facility, that form of help is welcome,” she said.
Another second-hand shoes trader, Dorothy Kafula, appealed for capital to re-launch her business, having managed to save only five bales of shoes from the 20 she had bought at K1, 100 apiece.
Like Ms Bwalya, she too had obtained a K40,000 loan from AB Bank which she was expected to pay back in K3,500 monthly installments. Without some sort of bail-out, she is ruined.
Matilda Banda, who runs a stationery business with her sisters, said besides the equipment and other related products that were destroyed in the blaze, K9,000 cash was burnt. Like the two shoe traders, she and her sisters have been left with nothing.
Closing the market for the duration of the repair works would be of no help to them and she warns many of the affected young people may be tempted into anti-social conduct for solace and means to raise capital.
Ireen Mutale, who had a takeaway stall and another dealing in tailoring, said she only managed to retrieve fridges from the market while the rest of her merchandise were either looted or burnt and was totally against the prolonged closure of City Market.
Earlier in the morning, Lusaka Central Member of Parliament Margaret Mwanakatwe visited City Market and assured the affected traders that the Government would ensure that it assisted them in whatever way possible.
Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit national coordinator Patrick Kangwa later in the day told the traders that the Government had started taking stock of all those that had stalls at City Market with a view to assisting them.
Mr Kangwa said the traders whose shops were burnt – and those from the unaffected part, but whose property was looted in the chaos occasioned by the fire – and had obtained police reports should go to Nakatindi Hall at the Civic Centre to register their particulars.
He stirred hurrumphs of disapproval from the horde of traders when he announced that the market would be reopened only after engineers had concluded their assessment and certified it fit for occupation.
Zambia National Marketeers Credit Association president Mupila Kameya described the burning of markets as retrogressive and asked that such facilities be provided with 24 hours security surveillance, including Closed-Circuit Television.