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Ex-Zambia and Nkana midfielder Jericho Shinde says Chipolopolo must not underrate themselves when they line-up against Algeria, Nigeria and Cameroon in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The final stage of the Russia World Cup qualifying campaign starts in October with Zambia competing against Algeria, Nigeria and Cameroon in Group B.
Shinde said Chipolopolo players must be mentally strong as they chase Zambia’s maiden World Cup qualification.
“Yes it is a group of death but we shouldn’t have mental blocks otherwise we will defeat ourselves. Zambia should not be the underdogs in this group,” Shinde said.
The Russian Tanker believes winning home games will be key if Zambia is to excel in the World Cup qualifiers.
“We should ensure that we collect maximum points in all our home games. Our home ground must be a slaughter house,” he said.
Shinde is also challenging national team players to put in their best.
“Equally the players should learn to put in their best. We can say all these things but what about the commitment from the players.
I hope these boys can come to the party and realise they are carrying the nation’s banner,” he said.
Shinde added:”Let’s galvanize ourselves. With proper team selection and good preparations we can compete.”
Algeria, Nigeria and Cameroon have all qualified to the World Cup before.
The Ministry of Home Affairs says no Zambian student has been affected with the current floods that have hit China.
And the Chinese Ministry of Education has assured the Zambian Embassy in Beijing, China, that it will contact the mission in the event that a Zambian student is caught up in the floods.
The Zambian Mission in China has since said it will continue to monitor the situation and give regular updates.
This is contained in a statement made available to ZANIS by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Public Relations Officer, Dorcas Chileshe.
Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska has announced that President Edgar Lungu has declared tomorrow, Tuesday July 12 2016 a Day of National Mourning in honour of late former Kalomo UPND MP Request Muntanga.
Mr Muntanga, 64, who was also UPND Chairman for Mobilisation died on Friday, July 8th 2016 at UTH and will be buried tomorrow at his farm in Kalomo.
During the period of National Mourning from 06 Hours to 18 Hours, all flags will fly at half-mast and all programmes of an entertainment nature shall be cancelled or postponed.
Mr Muntanga was Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2016 and once served as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.
He was also an Executive Member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) where he was a Treasurer, apart from being a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
President Lungu has meanwhile described the late Mr Muntanga as a prolific debater in Parliament adding that his virtues should be celebrated by those who seek a career in politics as MPs and that therefore his contributions deserved to be honoured.
The Zambia Police Service has confirmed a video circulating on social media of a man wearing a police uniform suspected to be an imposter.
Police Deputy Spokesman Rae Hamoonga said the man has been identified as Telvin Matandala aged 27 years and unemployed of Chisamba.
Mr Hamoonga said preliminary investigations have revealed that the said Kelvin Matandala, on 4th July, 2016 stole the Police uniform from his guardian who is a Police Officer at Chisamba Police Station.
Mr Hamoonga said the suspect is currently detained in police and will appear in court soon after being charged for Theft and Impersonating a Public Officer.
“We would like to dispel rumours being circulated on social media depicting a male person in police uniform and stating that he is a political cadre. Contrary to these assertions being circulated they facts of the matter are that on 6th July,2016 at around 18:00hrs the same man was apprehended by members of the public at COMESA market area where he was seen drinking alcohol whilst in uniform and was taken to Lusaka Central Police Station,” Mr Hamoonga said.
A video surfaced on social media in which a man suspected to be a PF cadre was seen wearing police uniform and was cornered by police officers
Zesco United warm-up for this weekends 2016 CAF Champions League match with a Tuesday FAZ Super Division clash against Mighty Mufulira Wanderers.
Mighty visit Zesco in a rescheduled Week 16 game at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
The match will come five days before Zesco host ASEC Mimosa of Cote d’Ivoire in a Group A CAF Champions League fixture at the same venue.
Victory for Zesco against Mighty will see them extend their stay in second place and move within five points of leaders Zanaco.
Zesco have 32 points, one ahead of third placed Nkana and eight points behind Zanaco.
The defending champions are also seeking to rebound on Tuesday after Green Buffaloes held them to a 1-1 home draw on July 9 at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Lusaka just three days after Zesco defeated Red Arrows 2-0 at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Mighty have not beaten Zesco since the 2005 season when they won 1-0 at Shinde Stadium but the latter recovered in the final leg match to finish 0-0 in Ndola.
Mighty, who were relegated in 2005 and were promoted ten years later in 2015, lost both home and away against Zesco last season.
Zesco were awarded a 3-0 win after a first half abandonment of their away fixture at Shinde on August 8 after earlier beating Mighty a 4-1 at Levy in April.
And so the spotlight will be on Mighty’s new Portuguese born coach Paulo Silva who will be making his debut in Tuesday’s match for the 12th placed side to try and end the drought.
A Scottish actress who was accused of fabricating a controversial African memoir has removed it from sale and issued an “unequivocal apology”.
She has been ridiculed online and accused of inventing parts of her memoir about a ‘nightmare’ volunteering trip to Zambia during her gap year.
Louise Linton found herself in a global social media storm after claiming that she had been threatened by machete-wielding militiamen in Zambia.
Zambians took to Twitter and Facebook to show outrage after the Telegraph newspaper published an article about a new book authored by a young Scottish Lady in which she describes Zambia as a war torn country with children orphaned by HIV.
The former pupil of Fettes College also wrote of how she founded a school for orphans with HIV and survived encounters with lions, crocodiles, black mambas and 12 inch spiders on a gap year.
But Zambians questioned Miss Litton’s account of their country and the hashtag ‘LintonLies’ started trending on social media.
Zambians accused her of having a ‘white saviour complex’, say her description of the environment, which includes a ‘jungle canopy’ and monsoons, is incorrect, and that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo did not adversely affect life in Zambia.
Zambians now have a name for any untrue stereotype about Africa- Lintonlie.
Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael return to theaters this summer to battle bigger, badder villains, alongside April O’Neil (Megan Fox), Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), and a newcomer: the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones (Stephen Amell). After supervillain Shredder (Brian Tee) escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and two dimwitted henchmen, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (WWE Superstar Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly), to unleash a diabolical plan .
PROS
The animation and visual effects were simply amazing . The ninja turtles looked realistic and interacted seamlessly with their environment .
WWE wrestler Sheamus had a hilarious performance as Rocksteady along side Gary Anthony Williams who played Bebop . Those two basically “stole the show”.
The movie was produced by Micheal Bay , so you already know the action is top notch .
CONS
The plot of the movie was too simplistic .
some of the humor was too childish for my liking
Having Tyler Perry in the movie was not a good idea . His character came off too goofy and couldn’t be taken seriously .
FAVORITE QUOTES
Rebecca Vincent:What are you, superheroes?
Raphael:Just four brothers who hate bullies, and love this city!
Rocksteady:Mr Shredder, I’m Finnish… Because when I start a beatdown I always Finnish it!
Krang: You know, I’m looking forward to enslaving you! A cage full of tortoises might be nice!
Raphael: We’re turtles, not tortoises! There’s a big difference!
Leonardo: Yeah, turtles fight!
CONCLUSION
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Out of the Shadows is a fun action/comedy . The story-line was good , but it didn’t have much steak to it . The hero’s were in no real jeopardy and it felt more like an episode in a TV show than a feature film . With that being said , it it still a very enjoyable movie . Fans of the original cartoon series will be thrilled with the addition of the characters Bebop, Rocksteady and others. Another good point about TMNT is that we got to see more of the individual personalities of the turtles as they had a bit of inner conflict within the group .
If you are a fan of the “Heroes in a half shell”, you will enjoy this movie ! TURTLE POWER !!
Government says it is ready to promote the advancement of cassava growing by peasant farmers to commercial farming in order to enhance the living standards of the people.
Samfya District Commissioner Nason Bwalya says this is made evident by the strides that government is currently undertaking of holding small holder agri-business promotion programs meant to promote the cassava value chain development.
Speaking this morning in Samfya district of Luapula Province when he officiated two-day at the cassava value chain innovation platform workshop Mr Bwalya said cassava is an important crop grown widely in Samfya and Luapula province which should be encouraged as it improves household food security.
He disclosed that government is looking forward to working with partners like International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and see how cassava value chain can be enhanced and citing the formation of the Cassava Innovation Platform (CIP) in 2014 as a stepping stone.
Mr Bwalya added that cassava the Innovation Platform is a body that oversees the implementation of cassava promotion programs, adding that about 40 farmers in Shimalingu, Lubwe, Chibuye, Fibalala and Mwansakombe are actively growing cassava.
He said in inspiring cassava growing during the 2014/2015 planting season the platform received about 625 bundles of improved cassava cuttings from International Institute for Tropical Agriculture and 25 hectares was cultivated.
Mr Bwalya said that many farmers were trained in cassava processing and utilization, clean planting materials and improved varieties being used.
The DC further commended Senior Chief Kalasa Mukoso of the Kabende speaking people and Chief Mwansakombe for attending the Cassava Innovation Platform meeting.
Meanwhile, Cassava Project Coordinator under IITA, Pheneas Ntawuruhunga, said the aim of the forum was to reduce high poverty levels in homes and identify, analyse roles and contributions of stakeholders on cassava commodity value chain.
Mr Ntawuruhunga called on farmers to make applications which will enable them access grants and enhance their living standards.
Burning tyres block a road in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo as protesters shout for Robert Mugabe’s resignation CREDIT: AFP
A general strike paralysed Zimbabwe on Wednesday last week as shops and businesses shut down, public transport came to a halt and children were turned away from school.
Across the country, people protested against President Robert Mugabe’s 36-year rule, some by staying away from work, others by blocking roads and burning tyres. Police responded by firing tear gas at any gatherings.
A spiralling economic crisis means that Zimbabwe has run out of money. The regime can no longer pay civil servants or teachers and strict limits have been imposed on the amount that ordinary people can withdraw from bank accounts.
In the past, Mr Mugabe, 92, would simply order the Reserve Bank to print money whenever his coffers were empty. But the worst hyperinflation in history forced Zimbabwe to abandon its national currency in 2009. The country now uses the US dollar. As a result, there is no apparent escape route from this crisis.
“We have had enough of this uncaring government and we stand in solidarity with all citizens in uniting for this cause,” said Themba Mliswa, a former MP from the ruling Zanu-PF party, who now wants Mr Mugabe to resign. “We demand all civil servants be paid immediately.”
Derek Matyszak, a lawyer and political commentator, said the strike was a “landmark”, adding that the economic crisis had created an “unprecedented level of anger”.
“People are also furious as they are not getting paid, struggling to get enough to live and they see politicians partying as if there was no tomorrow,” said Mr Matyszak.
Unless the International Monetary Fund or another institution is willing give Zimbabwe a bail-out, there is no way of avoiding the creeping paralysis and collapse of the economy. Banks have already started preventing people from withdrawing cash.
President Mugabe however urged civil servants to be patient and resilient in the wake of government delays in paying salaries,saying the challenges were temporary.
Days earlier, demonstrators set a warehouse alight on the South African border, protesting against new restrictions on imports. Bus drivers attacked police in protest against the countless roadblocks, where officers imposed fines for non-existent traffic offences.
The Zimbabwean government finally backed down and issued a “clarification” notice saying that Statutory Instrument (SI) 64 of 2016, which virtually banned the importation of all basic commodities into the country, was only targeted at commercial and not individual importers.
In addition, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority has revised the law to permit individual import of nearly all the basic commodities previously covered by the ban duty-free once a month.
The review of the policy came only one day after Home Affairs minister Ignatious Chombo said the government would never back down on the implementation of the new import regulations because they were meant to encourage Zimbabweans to buy locally and stop enriching South African businesses.
After a week of turmoil, with protests in Harare and Bulawayo, it seems that opposition to President Robert Mugabe is building towards boiling point.
Police seal off the venue of the scheduled rally in Chawama
The Law association of Zambia is gravely perturbed by the continued degeneration of law and order in Zambia being exhibited in the run up to the general elections.In particular LAZ would like to comment on the following recent events:
The 1st July 2016 raid of the United Party for National Development (UPND) by police officers on account of an undisclosed complaint ,purportedly from a member of the public.
The 7th July 2016 police raid on Mipal printers and confiscation of numerous copies of the Post Newspaper.
The 8th July 2016 shooting of UPND protestors in Lusaka’s Kanyama and Chawama townships by police officers following the cancellation of UPND rallies in those areas,which led to the regrettable death of a woman.
With regard to the raid on the UPND offices and the raid of mipal printers ,LAZ is concerned that these attacks appear to be politically motivated and targeted at organisations that are perceived to be anti- establishment.According to officials at the Zambia Police service the search and seizure of documents at the UPND office was made after a report that there were illegal weapons on the premises.The search did not reveal any such illegal weapons however documents were seized from the premises nonetheless.
The raid on Mipal Printers is particularly worrying as there does not appear to be any legitimate reason for the raid.We find the position of Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) officials that the search and seizure of documents from Mipal printers was merely coincidental to the fact that Mipal printers has a contract to print of the Post Newspaper quite incredible.This is particularly in light of the fact that the search and seizure was done pursuant to section 9 of the Customs and Excise Act,which avoids the requirement for a court order to search the premises.
This adds credence to the allegations by the Post Newspaper that the cases against it are being prosecuted merely to ensure that the Post Newspaper is not operational and not because of any tax offenses,especially as the nation draws closer to the date for the general elections.
The shooting of UPND protestors by police officers in Kanyama and Chawama is also of grave concern to LAZ as it appears that excessive action by the police against opposition political parties is escalating to the extent that we have now seen the loss of life and injury of several Zambian citizens.LAZ has read the press statement issued by the Inspector –General of Police which raises a few questions: how was the deceased victime of the shootings,Mapenzi Chibulo,killed by a rubber bullet? If the police sservice have a duty to serve and protect those in the opposition?We would also like to remind the police that pursuant to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of LAZ vs The Attorney General,Appeal No.8 of 2014 over the constitutionality of the Public Order Act, the Supreme Court stated as follows:
‘It defies logic that the Police would rather provide manpower to prevent people from exercising their right under Article 21 of the Constitution ,than ptotect them against the elements that are planning on infringing upon this right… it is the duty of the Police to protect persons who are properly ecercising their right to assemble from those that are threatening to infringe upon their right.’
The Supreme Court further stated that the police are required to propose an alternative date for a political rally cancelled at their instance at the earliest possible time.The police did not do so in this case.
Regarding the general atmosphere of violence and intimidation during the election period.LAZ is on record as having stated that the problem of political violence is largely attributable to the failure by political leaders in the two main poliyicla parties ,the Patriotic Front and the UPND,to reign in their members who are acting with impugnity.The advent of political militias from any party is undesirable and is a threat to national peace and security.In addition,the credibility of the general elections as being free and fair is at grave risk which may lead to a refusal by the losing paarties to accept the results.
LAZ believes that the ruling Patriotic Front party ,as the party in governemnt,has an additional responsibility to ensure that law and order is maintained by the public law enforcement agencies regardless of the political affiliation or persuasion of the parties involved.
LAZ has read the statement issued by the Republican President following the shooting of the UPND protestors on 8th July 2016 and LAZ is of the view that it does not go far enough in condemning the excessive use of force by the police ,as police brutality should always be condemned by the Head os State in the strongest possible terms.
Zambia has enjoyed relative peace for over 50 years.however,Zambians should not be lulled into false sense of security that this will always continue.Democracy and peace are fragile and for then to be maintained intolerance ,tribalism,violence and disregard for constitutionalism and the rule of law must never be entertained.If we continue to accept the unacceptable the escalating violence and civil unrest may become uncontrollable.
As political leaders have not heeded LAZ and other organisations constant calls to ensure that their supportes campaign peacefully and calls for the police to administer the Public Order Act in accordance with the law and guidance of the Supreme court,LAZ has resolved to do the following:
Engage the Church to urgently convene another meeting of political party Presidents with a view to them making a joint pledge before the Zambian people to end the culture of violence and intolerance and allow for peaceful campaigns and
Organise a march for peace to be held in the coming days in conjunction with the Church and other interest groups
Foundation for Democratic Process has welcomed the suspension of political campaigns in Lusaka and Namwala districts.
FODEP Acting Executive Director
said this is so because of unprecedented levels of violence and intolerance among political players especially between the two major political parties PF and UPND.
Mr Mwenge said this action has been long overdue because of continued violence and other forms of behaviour that violate the electoral code of conduct and other electoral authorities that govern the entire electoral process.
“It is our hope the suspension will help restore order, peace and unity in the campaigns following violence that was being perpetrated by some political parties. It is within the powers of the ECZ section 28 (2) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016 where the commission is empowered to suspend campaigns,” Mr Mwenge said.
“The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has got adequate powers within its mandate to correct wrongs. Therefore, the ECZ must enforce provisions of the Electoral Process Act firmly and fairly during political campaigns.”
Mr Mwenge said FODEP has observed political parties that are perpetrating violence are known widely by various stakeholders including the ECZ itself.
“Therefore, the ECZ must summon these violent political parties and punish them individually unlike the current situation where campaigns are suspended for all parties including those that are not involved in violence. FODEP calls for quick finalisations of the Statutory Instrument on the disqualification of political parties or candidates that are abrogating the electoral laws from participating in elections.”
Meanwhile, Mr Mwenge has condemned in the strongest words possible, the shooting of UPND members on 8th July, 2016 in which Mapenzi Chibulo was killed and several others were injured.
Mr Mwenge said this happened when the UPND went on an illegal procession after their rally in Lusaka’s Chawama Township was cancelled because of security risks.
“The action by the Zambia Police service amounted to excessive force, which was unnecessary. The police are expected to act professionally under such circumstances and to also enforce provisions of the Public Order Act fairly to avoid confrontations with political parties,” he said.
“We call upon the investigative wings of the government and institutions of democracy such as the Human Rights Commission to immediately and speedily institute a probe into the shooting incident as it is a gross violation of human rights. Particularly, the Human Rights Commission must execute its functions of investigating mal-administration and violation of human rights.”
“On the other hand, FODEP would also like to advise the UPND against any form of confrontation that endangers the lives of its members. The fracas with the police would have been avoided had the UPND not taken to an illegal procession and fighting with the police,” he said.
Mr Mwenge said it is important for political parties to act within the provisions of relevant laws such as the Public Order Act and the Electoral Process Act to avoid conflicts during political campaigns that are taking place across the country.
“FODEP would like to reiterate its clarion call for peace, unity and reconciliation during this period of campaigning in order to have general elections that are not only free and fair on August 11, 2016 but also participatory, legitimate, transparent and credible. It is unnecessary to fight and kill one another just because of an election when we have an opportunity to co-exist and sustain the peace we have enjoyed for over 50 years which was attained at a great cost.”
Dr. Kurt Straif, a section head with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), appeared in an interview with euronews defending the agency’s assessment that glyphosate probably causes cancer in humans.
“Our evaluation was a review of all the published scientific literature on glyphosate and this was done by the world’s best experts on the topic that in addition don’t have any conflicts of interest that could bias their assessment,” Straif said.
“They concluded that, yes, glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans based on three strings of evidence, that is clear evidence of cancer in experimental animals, limited evidence for cancer for humans from real-world exposures, of exposed farmers, and also strong evidence that it can damage the genes from any kind of other toxicological studies.”
Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto’s blockbuster product, Roundup, and is also found in herbicides manufactured by Syngenta and Dow.
In March 2015, the IARC concluded that glyphosate is a “probable human carcinogen,” touching off an international row on the health and safety of the widely applied herbicide. However, this past May, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and a different regulatory body from the WHO issued a joint report concluding that the ingredient is “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet.” Unsurprisingly, the different opinions about the controversial herbicide were “welcomed” by Phil Miller, Monsanto’s vice president for global regulatory and government affairs.
During the euronews interview, Straif explained why the conclusions from the IARC and the FAO/WHO about the weedkiller seem to be contradictory.
“Our classification of the cancer hazards of glyphosate still stand,” he said. “We are the authority to classify cancer substances worldwide for the WHO, and it was then this other panel that looked at a very narrow angle of exposure from daily food, and then came up with the conclusion on how much of that may be safe or not.”
Basically, the IARC assessment focussed on “hazard” while the other looked at “risk.” David Eastmond, a toxicologist at the University of California, Riverside, explained to Wired how the terms are different: “If you have people gawking at sharks swimming around a tank in an aquarium, the sharks are a hazard, but they pose little risk. If you have a surfer on the beach with a shark, now that shark is both a hazard and a risk.”
During the interview, the euronews host asked Straif which body of the WHO she should trust as a “consumer, as a farmer, as an occasional beer drinker, as somebody who likes to sit in parks that have been treated with glyphosate.”
He replied, “I think it’s important to understand the literature that our assessment that glyphosate can cause cancer in humans still stands, and then you have to look at the other assessments for the specific scenarios, and that is not my authority to comment on these evaluations.”
Straif also hinted at possible conflicts of interest from the FAO/WHO report. When the euronews host asked the senior scientist if he was “disturbed” by credible reports of the FAO/WHO scientists allegedly receiving payoffs by Monsanto for a favorable glyphosate review, Straif replied, “It is an important topic that needs important scrutiny, yes.”
Following the release of the FAO/WHO report, Greenpeace EU as well as food-industry watchdog group U.S. Right to Know (USRTK) questioned whether the evaluation was muddied by industry ties.
Will Monsanto have to face the music about its weedkiller? Roundup cancer lawsuits have been mounting against the company, as EcoWatch reported last week, the agribusiness giant has not been able to legally run away from the growing thorn.
Mapenzi Chibulo, the female UPND supporter who was gunned down by police last Friday will be buried today at Lusaka’s Memorial Park.
Church service will take place at Lusaka’s Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross along Church Road from 10:00 Hours.
And the UPND has agreed during a meeting to prepare for the burial of Mapenzi that UPND supporters shall not wear party regalia due to the Electoral Commission 10-day ban on campaigns in Lusaka and Namwala.
Buses have been secured for the Lusaka burial for all Lusaka Wards.
Two 76 seater buses will be posted for Mulungushi Ward and party members have been urged to troop out in numbers to bid farewell to Mapenzi.
UPND Vice President Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and other senior party leaders will attend the burial.Mapenzi leaves behind a son.
The template of the Referendum ballot paper for the referendum voting in the August 2016 elections.
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) says the set question for the August referendum casts a cloud over the clarity of the intent.
The CCZ said that the symbols being used of an eye and ear to represent the Yes and No referendum vote respectively have further complicated the question.
CCZ president Alfred Kalembo said the Council has established that this confusion is compounded by the fact that the referendum is being held alongside the August general elections.Therefore the CCZ is of the view that the referendum can be deferred to a later date after the elections so that it is detached from mainline politics.This is in order for the referendum to stand out as a national issue in a way that unifies people devoid of partisanship and political affiliations divide
Below is the full press release
The leaders of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) recently held a consultative meeting in Lusaka to consider the issues surrounding the 2016 Referendum and would like to state the following.
We believe that a referendum should be a celebration of an agreement made by consensus on the issue at hand, in this case the Bill of Rights through a well established and agreed process by those to whom the matter is being referred, the Zambian people.
The Church continues to lament over the flawed processes leading to both the amendment of the national constitution and its assent to, by President Edgar Lungu in January and now the proposed referendum to be held alongside the forth-coming August 11, General Elections. We believe that both processes are breached and do not meet the threshold of a people’s popular agreement. It is regrettable that government as usual bulldozed their way through the constitution making process and made it their own process leaving behind the proprietors of the fundamental law of the land who are the citizens.
The Council appreciates that most of the content of the proposed Bill of Right is what the Zambian people would like to see entrenched in the law, however, we have a conviction that much remains to be done before a truly befitting constitution is framed, a constitution which will not be based on particular biases but on the principles of legitimacy, credibility without compromising the integrity and effectiveness of the process. We cannot over emphasise, like we have consistently stated, that the process of adopting the constitution is just as important as its substance.
It is our observation throughout the years, that Zambians have accepted little ‘favours’ from all successive governments on the constitution making process for far too long. We look forward to a time when Zambians will be respected for what they really are; good people, patient, long suffering, however, this should not be taken for granted.
CCZ notes that the formulation of the referendum question has cast a cloud over the clarity of the intent. The symbols being used which are an eye and ear have further complicated the question. This confusion is compounded by the fact that the referendum is being held along side the General Elections, which are taking place under a new political system.
Considering the above, CCZ suggests that it is not too late to separate the two important processes. The referendum to be deferred to a later date after the elections so that it is detached from mainline politics in order for it to stand out as a national issue in a way that unifies people, devoid of partisanship and political affiliations divide. The separation of the two will allow Zambians to concentrate on one single issue at a given time. The entrenchment of the Bill of Rights must be divorced completely from a partisan election because at the moment it is difficult to separate the two issues. The question of lack of funds to hold a Referendum separately is a weak argument which cannot be rationally justify.
CCZ has noted from the commentaries from our streets how people are going to vote on partisan basis and that in itself renders the whole Referendum exercise ineffective. We see a situation where the constitution making process will go back to the drawing board yet again, a bad situation which could be avoided by paying attention to the process.
Bishop Dr Alfred Kalembo
PRESIDENT-COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN ZAMBIA (CCZ)
