Lusaka City Council has completed major drainage works in the Central Business District (CBD) at a cost of 20 Million Kwacha.

Council Director of Engineering Victor Chawinga says the completed drains are ready to handle the expected rains.

The media reports that speaking during an inspection of the completed works, Mr Chawingwa said the project, which stretches from the Government Complex to Lumumba Road, has significantly improved the city’s drainage network.

“We started with the Government Complex, near Intercity Bus Terminus, and that section is now completed. Even during the last rainy season, that area remained dry, showing that the system is working effectively’’, he said.

Mr Chawinga added that the council has also completed drainage works along Freedom Way, from the junction of Ben Bella Road to Lumumba Road, with only a small section remaining around Kulima Tower to be connected to the main line.

“On both sides of Freedom Way, we’ve done closed-up drainage. What is remaining is to cut inside Kulima Tower to feed into this drain, which then connects to Lumumba drainage,” he explained.

He disclosed that the initiative is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate and modernise drainage systems in the city.

Mr Chawinga however, expressed concern over the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste into the drainages, which he said threatens to undermine the council’s efforts.

“The only challenge we have is the dumping of plastics in the drainages. This is what causes blockages and prevents water from flowing properly,” he said.

Council Public Relations Manager, Chola Mwamba, said the local authority is working tirelessly to ensure the city’s drainage infrastructure can withstand all seasons, including the rainy period.

“Lusaka City Council is working expediently to ensure that the drainage system is ready to host all seasons. We appeal to members of the public to dispose of garbage properly because throwing waste in the drainage system is what brings about blockages,” she said.

Ms Mwaba further urged the business community to subscribe to the registered waste collection companies to help maintain cleanliness in the CBD and prevent indiscriminate dumping.

“We are appealing to all residents and business owners to work together with the Lusaka City Council so that we can keep our city clean and live in a conducive environment,” she added.

Meanwhile, Kulima Tower Bus Operator, Leonard Tembo, commended the council for constructing new drainages but called for stricter enforcement of littering laws to stop people from throwing plastics into the drainage systems.

“We are happy that drainages have been created in Lusaka, but our biggest challenge is people throwing plastics. If there was a law where anyone is found throwing plastics should be paying a fine, we would have fewer blockages. Water can’t flow properly because of plastics,” he said.

Mr Tembo added that while the bus operators appreciate the new infrastructure, they are waiting for the rainy season to begin before assessing its effectiveness.

“We are feeling good that they have created drainages for us, but we haven’t yet seen how they will work. We will know once the rains start,” he said.

The Lusaka City Council has recently intensified drainage rehabilitation works as part of its long-term measures to reduce flooding and improve sanitation in the city.

The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development has announced new regulations compelling mining companies to significantly increase their procurement from local Zambian suppliers.

Principal Public Relations Officer, Shamwinda Tembo, said the move is aimed at fostering the growth of local enterprises, creating jobs and building a more resilient mining value chain.

Mr Tembo told the media that the Local Content Statutory Instrument (SI), signed by Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, Paul Kabuswe, under the Geological and Minerals Development Act of 2025, will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

He explained that under the new framework, mining companies will be required to allocate at least 20 percent of their procurement budget to local suppliers for core goods and services within the first six months of the SI’s implementation.

Mr Tembo noted that the threshold will progressively increase to 25 percent after one year, 35 percent within two years and a minimum of 40 percent within five years.

He added that the regulations also include provisions reserving certain categories of goods and services exclusively for Zambian companies, to maximize local participation in the mining sector.

“Large contracts will be subdivided into smaller lots to allow multiple local businesses to participate,” he said.

To ensure compliance, MrTembo said mining firms will be required to develop and submit detailed Local Supplier Development Programmes to the ministry and provide annual updates on the level of local company participation.

He warned that failure to adhere to the new requirements would result in penalties as specified under the Act.

“This initiative is part of the ministry’s commitment to supporting local industry growth and enhancing economic development through sustainable mining practices,” he said.

The Gender Division has commenced outreach community sensitisation programmes on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Muchinga Province.

Muchinga Provincial Principal Gender Officer Innocent Simbayi says the outreach programmes are aimed at inculcating knowledge in members of the rural communities on the dangers of GBV.

Speaking during a community engagement on GBV in Chinsali’s Mulilansolo village under Chief Mubanga of the Bemba people, Mr Simbayi stated that through strengthened sensitisation activities, which are being conducted in conjunction with the Zambia Police, the levels of GBV related cases are expected to drastically reduce.

He said that the Gender Division has noted that many GBV cases emanate from rural areas due to lack of sensitisation engagements on the dangers of the increasing vice.

Mr Simbayi further mentioned that among other objectives of Government, is to encourage equal and equitable participation of women in decision making positions at all levels of governance.

“We want women to participate in politics and become mayors and councillors so that they can in turn empower their fellow women in the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Mubanga, who was represented by his wife Hilda Nankamba during the sensitisation activity, commended the Government for the efforts it has been making towards fighting GBV and supporting gender mainstreaming in his chiefdom.

Chief Mubanga charged that the various programmes being implemented by the Gender Division are contributing positively in the reduction of GBV cases in the area, especially through the recently created GBV community sub-committees.

“The knowledge you have shared with us has opened our eyes and given us the courage to stand against GBV in our homes and society,” he added.

The traditional leader also implored his subjects to replicate the community sensitisations to other villages within his chiefdom.

And Carol Mutale, one of the participants during the sensitisation, said the engagement on GBV has come at the right time when cases in the area have been on the rise.

Ms Mutale stated that the sensitisation will help create more awareness on the dangers of GBV as it is one of the vices that destroys many families in the area, especially when perpetrators, who are mostly breadwinners, are arrested.

She further appreciated the Government for identifying Mulilansolo village as a GBV-prone area to contain the vice.

Government has held a stakeholder engagement meeting that is aimed at strengthening the National Action Plan, for an improved implementation of measures that promote wellbeing of people with albinism.

Speaking during the event, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Disability Inclusion and Rights, Joseph Munsanje says persons with albinism continue facing unique challenges that call for a coordinated national response.

“It is a moment for us legislators, policy makers, civil society actors and community leaders to reaffirm our collective responsibility,” added Mr Munsanje.

The media reports that Mr Munsanje added that his Caucus is committed to ensuring that issues affecting persons with disabilities receive the attention they deserve within the legislative process.

Cheshire Homes Executive Director Kamima Ng’uni, commended the government on the policy document that has come amidst rising cases against persons with disabilities, that demand collaboration.

Mr Ng’uni added that his organisation is committed to ensuring that the National Action Plan is in place and adopted.

Meanwhile, a representative of persons with albinism, Moses Luneta shared that the policy document is a promise that gives hope to persons with albinism, who have lived in fear of stigma, discrimination and attacks.

Mr Luneta added that laws alone are not enough, and that there must be action backed by passion and accountability in order to change the lives of persons with disabilities in the country.

The Kabwe Magistrate Court has adjourned to November 5, 2025, the case in which a 35-year-old witchdoctor is facing charges of child stealing, pending a trial within trial.

This is in the matter of The People vs. Benson Zulu, who stands charged with child stealing contrary to Section 171(a) of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

According to court records, Benson Zulu is alleged to have stolen his two-year-old stepdaughter, sometime in September 2018 in Kabwe District. The child, biological daughter of Gertrude Malambo, was reportedly in Zulu’s custody at the time, as her stepfather.

When the matter came up for continuation of trial before Resident Magistrate Gloria Chipasha, the State called two witnesses to testify.

The first witness, Ackim Katapazi, a 32-year-old security guard of Lusaka, told the court that he once lived with the accused in Kabwe’s Makandanyama area.

He testified that in 2022, he received information that Zulu was on the run after allegedly stealing his stepdaughter.

“On November 20, 2022, I spotted Zulu in Lusaka’s 4 Miles area,” said Katapazi. “I apprehended him and handed him over to Kasanda Police Station.”

The second witness, Detective Inspector Peter Chilembo, a crime scene technician, told the court that the accused allegedly led him to the location where the victim had been dumped.

Inspector Chilembo submitted a photo album containing images of Zulu at various sites, including the home he had lived in and the place where he is believed to have abandoned the child.

However, during cross-examination, Zulu denied voluntarily leading police to the scene.

He claimed that officers forcibly took him there and coerced him to cooperate.

“I never showed the police the scene voluntarily,” Zulu said. “They forced me to point at places for the sake of taking photographs.”

He further alleged that the police directed him to pose at those locations despite his insistence that he was not involved in the crime.

It was revealed that Zulu had previously been convicted by the subordinate court in 2022 and the case was committed to the High Court for sentencing. However, the High Court ordered a re-trial before a different magistrate, leading to the current proceedings.

Magistrate Chipasha has since adjourned the matter to November 5, 2025, for a trial within trial, a legal process intended to determine the admissibility of certain evidence — in this case, the accused’s alleged confession and cooperation with the police.

Police in Kasama District in Northern Province have arrested four people for being in possession of a stolen transformer.

The four men have been detained and are currently in police custody.

Northern Province Police Commanding Officer, Lucky Munkhondya, has confirmed the development in an interview with the media in Kasama district.

The media reports that Ms Munkhondya said the suspects were intercepted at Chikumanino Bus Station while trying to transport the transformer to Lusaka.

She said following consultation with ZESCO, the transformer was identified as property of Northern Coffee Corporation, Kateshi Plantation in Kasama district.

She further disclosed that among the suspects, two are employees of the Northern Coffee Corporation while the other two are former workers of the same company.

Ms Munkhondya added that the four suspects will appear in court soon.

The Zambia National Service has reiterated its commitment to collaborating with local authorities to implement Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in Northern Province.

ZNS Commander, Maliti Solochi who is in the Province to inspect projects the service is implementing in the region and meet his troops, says the service is ready to collaborate with councils to work on road infrastructure under CDF.

The media reports that Lt Gen Solochi also reiterated the service’s unwavering commitment to enhance agriculture production in the region.

He said this when he called on the Northern Province Minister, Leonard Mbao at his office in Kasama district.

Mr Mbao called for continued collaboration with ZNS on the construction of key roads and acrow bridges in the province.

He named one such as the Chambeshi Ring Road.

He noted that the road is vital for the agricultural sector and in promoting socio-economic development for the district and the province.

Mr Mbao also noted that although the local authority has acquired a full set of earth moving equipment, they lack the human resource to operate machinery.

He expressed disappointment with the quality and cost of some projects being undertaken using the CDF.

“Though most of our councils have procured earth moving machinery, there has been scarcity of human resources to operate the equipment. We are requesting for collaboration of human resources to work on the roads, our councils lack manpower,” he said.

The Provincial Minister has also commended ZNS for exhibiting quality works on projects citing the Mukupa- Katandula road in Kaputa district.

Mr Mbao also thanked ZNS for acquiring land in Kalungwishi in Lunte and Chinakila in Mpulungu districts, acknowledging the service’s commitment to enhancing food production.