Some political parties contesting in the August 11 General Election have embarked on an exercise to recruit Polling Agents to help in monitoring the voting process in polling stations across the country.

PF Vice Chairperson for Elections Kelvin Fube says about five Hundred Trainers of trainers have undergone training and are expected to train polling Agents.

Mr. Fube says the PF wants to recruit between Thirty four and Thirty Seven Thousand polling agents to be deployed at every polling station across the country.

He has told ZNBC News in Lusaka that in strategic polling stations the PF will deploy Two polling Agents per stream.

And UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says the exercise to train and recruit polling Agents is underway.

Mr. Kakoma told ZNBC news in a Telephone interview from North Western Province that UPND is enjoying massive support in the region.

And the Forum for Democracy and Democracy -FDD- says the exercise to recruit poling Agents is currently going on.

FDD National Secretary Kabwita Mulonga says his party will monitor the voting process in all polling stations.

Mr. Mulonga however says the exercise has been hampered by a challenge because the Electoral Commission of Zambia -ECZ- is demanding that all Polling agents must have their letters of oath signed at all Civil centres

He has told ZNBC news in an interview that FDD has supporters that live very far away and cannot make it to civic centres

Meanwhile the Green Party says recruiting of polling Agents is dependent on the availability of resources.

Green Party Secretary General Daniel Sichilongo has told ZNBC news in a Telephone interview from Livingstone that his party may not manage to deploy agents in all the polling Agents.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia has disclosed that the printing of ballot papers for next month’s general elections and the Referendum has been completed.

ECZ Spokesman Chris Akufuna said the printing exercise was witnessed by Zambian stakeholders who included members of the civil society, the clergy, representatives of participating political parties, Zambia Police, Anti-Corruption Commission, the Drug Enforcement Commission, the media and members of staff of the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

Mr Akufuna said in a statement that the ballot papers are scheduled to arrive in Lusaka tomorrow, Thursday, July 28 2016.

“The first consignment of ballot papers arrives in Lusaka from the Dubai, UAE at 14:15 while the second consignment of ballot papers arrives from Dubai, UAE at 18:25 Hours,” Mr Akufuna said in a statement.

And Mr Akufuna says women with false nails and nail polish are encouraged to remove them on voting day.
He has since advised female voters to remove nail polish and false nails for purposes of voting.

Mr Akufuna said the Commission will use indelible ink to mark the right thumb of the voter.

“In cases where a female voter insists on wearing false nails or nail polish, the voter’s thumb nail shall be marked on the cuticle (skin at the base of the thumb nail) and the tip of the thumb nail,” he said.

On the training of Poll Staff, Mr Akufuna revealed that the Commission between July 23 and 25th trained Poll Staff to manage elections at polling stations.

He said Poll Staff are entitled to an allowance of K150 per day and that funds were remitted to all districts adding that trainees who pass an assessment will be engaged as Poll Staff will be paid for a subsistence allowances for three days.

“It must be noted that only successful participants will be engaged as Poll Staff to manage elections at polling stations,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commission will this Friday hold a stakeholders meeting at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre to update stakeholders on the preparations for August 11th polls.

She said the Court ruled that the court order which the Felix Mutati faction relied upon and misinterpreted as giving them consent to proceed with three actions namely, the holding of the controversial convention held in Kabwe on 20 -22 May, taking over the offices and assets of the party and changing names of party office holders at the Registrar of Societies has been overturned and quashed.

Ms Zaloumis has further said today’s judgement effectively reconfirms the status quo of Dr.Nevers Mumba as President of the MMD with all the other legitimate office holders. Felix Mutati therefore maintains his expelled status until the courts makes another order. Rafael Nakacinda remains suspended from engaging in any party activities.

And yesterday,the Felix Mutati-led MMD lost a petition against the nomination of three parliamentary candidates because the matter was wrongly filed before the Constitutional Court.

Constitution Court Justice Mugeli Mulenga said the matter was wrongly before the Constitution Court, despite the petitioner having been clearly and timely advised to take the case before the High Court.

This was in a matter in which Raphael Nakachinda in his capacity as MDD national secretary petitioned the adoption and nomination of Elizabeth Chitika as a parliamentary candidate for Kawambwa Constituency under the MMD in the forthcoming August 11, 2016 general elections.

Ms Justice Mulenga said Mr Nakachinda had the time and opportunity to file the matter before the High Court, which chance he had lost out on procedural technicalities.

“I note in this case that the petitioner was not ignorant of the appropriate forum as acknowledged in the affidavit of verification and exhibited letter from the Electoral Commission of Zambia clearly and timely advised him to petition the High Court within seven days after the close of nominations.

“The petitioner thus has himself to blame. In light of these facts, the provisions of Article 118 (2) of the Constitution on not having undue regard to procedural technicalities cannot assist the petitioner in his willful conduct,” Ms Justice Mulenga said.

Mr Nakachinda had earlier requested if the matter could be transferred to the High Court, but Ms Justice Mulenga argued that he was advised and so was fully aware of the consequences of his action.

He had also applied for the consolidation of two other matters of similar nature in which two other candidates also filed in nominations under the defunct Nevers Mumba-led MMD.

“He (Nakachinda) urged the court to consider article 118(2) (e) that justice shall be administered without undue regard to technicalities and that if the matter is dismissed, they cannot go to the High Court as they would be time bound,” she said.

The MMD national secretary complained to ECZ and later sought the intervention of the court claiming that Ms Chitika and two others had filed their nominations fraudulently and sought that the Constitutional Court should strike off the nominations as invalid.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu described as total falsehood claims by Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) that he was pivotal in the formation and founding of the Patriotic Front (PF) led by late President Michael Sata.

According to a statement issued to Daily Nation by Patriotic Front information committee member Sunday Chanda, President Lungu cautioned the people of Northern Province not to fall for Mr Mwamba’s claim that he was popular and could deliver development in Northern Province.

“Uyu ale mi bepa ati ewa chitile fund party,” President Lungu said, “ale mibepa. The people that were at the formation of the party are people like Mr Samuel Mukupa, Mr Chishimba Kambwili not uyu…he is a liar and carries no clout.”

“Do not be cheated by Mwamba and his self-perceived importance and claims that he helped fund PF…he is nothing but a liar who was not even there at the formation of the party.”
President Lungu said in 2001 Mr Mwamba was still “stewing” in hate for having been convincingly whacked by Agriculture minister Given Lubinda when he first contested the Kabwata parliamentary seat, despite having heavily funded the lost campaign.

He said the PF later on, through President Sata, took pity on Mr Mwamba and campaigned for him to run in Kasama where he, for the first time, became a Member of Parliament due to the popularity of President Sata.

President Lungu, who in the past has questioned UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s judgment to appoint Mr Mwamba as a running due to his documented history of violence against his wife Chama, sister-in-law and workers also took time to root for his running mate Ms Inonge Wina.

“I am confident that if anything happened to me, Ms Wina would be a great President because she is not very different from me,” President Lungu said, “batila ichikwanka bachimwena kuma mpalanya (meaning you can tell a person by the company he or she keeps.”

And Kasama Central aspiring candidate Kelvin Sampa said women voters must think twice before voting for Mwamba because “a vote for Mr Mwamba is effectively endorsing violence.

Mr Mwamba’s history of violence, beating up his wife including his wife’s sister is a well-documented fact. It is something I would not endorse if I were a Zambian woman.”

President Lungu wound up his Mungwi rally by promising more development for the area in return for the Northern Province continued unwavering support.
“It is an undeniable fact that your support ought to be rewarded,” he said.

President Lungu later held another rally at Kasama’s Gold Club that got filled to capacity after scares that the Independence Square would not hold the heavy crowd without possible casualties.

First Lady Esther Lungu, who accompanied the President, told the ecstatic crowd that her husband would appoint skilled people with disabilities to his Government once re-elected.

James Ngoma earned his stage name from his debut album Chamanyazi, which was released in 1994 while he was doing his secondary education at Kabulonga Boys Secondary School of Lusaka. His debut album became an instant hit on the Zambian music market, receiving massive airplay both on Television and Radio stations in the country, and had instant coverage on most of the print media.

James Chamanyazi, a contemporary Kalindula/Traditional Pop & Jazz artist has been in the music industry since 1994, when he was a teenager.  He is one of the pioneers of rejuvenating the Zambian music industry, which was at the verge of extinction at the time; and in the fore front of Zambian Arts administration, from a tender age under the tutelage of the late Webster Malama, where he served in many different portfolios in ZAM. He has managed and inspired a lot of fellow musicians/Artists both at home and abroad. He has managed to be consistently active since his early years in the music industry and made it a very successful two decades in the industry.

Since 1997, James Chamanyazi and other artists, while working under Muvi studios formed a band called The Muvi Posse Band whose sole aim was to bring back the popularity of Zambian music in the country (which was hugely dominated by foreign music). After its successes, such as winning the first KORA AWRD by a Zambian artist in 1999, also winning the M-net most talked about artist and several Ngoma awards then the Muvi studios management stopped sponsoring the band. The pulling out of Muvi Studios led to some of the top musicians leaving the band, thus leaving Chamanyazi to manage the band singlehandedly.

Chamanyazi and the Muvi Posse band are one of the very few contemporary live bands that performs authentic Zambian music in a multi-dimensional, traditional and multi-directional way . The Muvi Posse Band performs and explores various elements of African music such as Kalindula, Chitelele, Shonongo, manchacha, chingande, chimtali, Siomboka, Rhumba, Chimurenga, Kanindo, Kizomba, Hip hop, Reggae, Rock, Jazz, Kwaito and free form. Since inception, the band has sought opportunities for a wider, free expression of live band music. The Band’s musical inspirations include some of Zambia’s singing sensations like Late Alick Nkhata, Late P.K Chishala, Late Paul Ngozi, Late Mike Nyoni, Violet Kafula, Late Joyce Nyirongo, the WITCH band and the Musi-o-tunya band. The Muvi Posse Band finds performing and touring an opportunity to engage in dialogue with different people of the world and the mixture of cultures that contributes to the betterment of the earth. Other successes Chamanyazi and the band have achieved include the Best Kalindula album of the year award 2014 at the Zambian Music Awards (Mosi Awards); the most conscious HIV and AIDS Artist 2008 and 2009 and best band of the year 2010 and 2011, (all of which were Ngoma Awards).

From 2003 to date, Chamanyazi has been managing this band and helping other budding, upcoming and less privileged artists at his garage studios, through music lessons, recording studio and live band performances, as well as live band equipment assistance. He has also been in the fore front of bringing professional Arts management to the Zambian music industry as has sat on the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) board and has served as the General Secretary. He has also been on the Zambian Music Copyright Protection Society (ZAMCOPS) Board as a committee member.

Chamanyazi has been involved in several community awareness campaigns with the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations such as the fight against HIV and AIDS, Environmental protection awareness, Climate Change awareness, Malnutrition awareness campaign, Safe Motherhood awareness, Children’s rights awareness, voters’ education awareness, cervical cancer awareness, human rights awareness, Make Fair Trade and early childhood education awareness campaigns among others.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Ambassador Zesco bill buster campaign 1998-1999
• M-Net? We u @? (Where you at) award for Most Talked about African Artist in 2000.
• Ngoma Award for Best song in 1998 and 2001
• Sounds Arcade Award for bestselling album in 2002.
• Ngoma Award for Best male artist 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003.
• Ngoma Award for the most conscious artist on HIV/AIDS in 2001, 2003 and 2004
• Ngoma Award Nominee in 1997, 2004 and 2006.
• Band leader of Muvi Posse band voted best band of the year 2010 at the Ngoma Awards Zambia, top most arts Awards.
• Ambassador for the Early child hood campaign by ZANEC 2012
• Ambassador for the 1000 day campaign by CSO-SUN an organization spear heading the eradication of malnutrition in Africa during the first critical one thousand days of a pregnant mother (that is from inception till the second birthday) 2013
• Best Kalindula Album of the year 2014 at the Zambian Music Awards (ZMAs)

THE MUSIC

James Chamanyazi & Muvi Posse Band “Ova”

james chamanyazi and the muvi posse “Wina”

 james chamanyazi and the muvi posse band “mukondwe”

James Chamanyazi Live at the show grounds

BY KAPA187

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema has promised to revive all dormant industries in Livingstone once voted into power on 11 August.
Mr Hichilema said Livingstone needed to reclaim its position as a Tourism, Textile and Timber industries town in order to create more employment opportunities for the local people.

Addressing a rally at Villa Grounds in Livingstone on Monday, the UPND leader promised to complete the construction of the bus terminus and the market which he claimed the Patriotic Front (PF) Government had abandoned.

Mr Hichilema who was accompanied by UDF leader Miles Sampa bragged that he was the only leader in Zambia who was able fix the economy because he was an economist who understood the running of national affairs for a developing nation like Zambia.

“Once elected into office on 11 August, I promise to bring back all industries including the Livingstone motor assembly plant, I promise to give loans to all Marketeers and Taxi drivers so that they become their own boss instead of working for someone.

“There is too much hunger in our homes, very few people are educated and that is why as UPND we still insist on free education and reducing the cost of basic commodities, ”Mr Hichilema said.

He said once voted into power, the UPND will only give contracts for transportation of maize to Zambian companies only.

“No foreign company will be awarded contracts to transport maize across the country because we want to empower local transporters and so if there is a company from South Africa,Congo,Zimbabwe or Malawai that is transporting our maize, your days are numbered,” he said.

Mr Hichilema also strongly advised his supporters to reject the referendum alleging that it was meant to help rig the elections for the Patriotic Front.

Meanwhile UPND cardres ran amok after their rally and started beating up PF sympathisers, pulling down PF posters and chitenges in full view of the UPND leader when his motorcade made its way into the central business district of Livingstone town.