Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Police say 47 people lost their lives in road accidents across the country during the long weekend.
Police Deputy Spokesman Rae Hamoonga said the number of people who lost their lives through-out the country during this year’s Heroes and Unity holidays due to road traffic accidents has increased to 47 as compared to last year where 29 people died.
Mr Hamoonga said this representing a 62% increase compared to the number of persons killed last year.
“A total number of 282 road traffic accidents were recorded during the period as compared to last years’ 285, indicating a decrease of three road traffic accidents,” Mr Hamoonga said in a statement issued in Lusaka.
Copperbelt recorded the highest number with 66 road traffic accidents, followed by the Lusaka with 64, Southern and Central provinces both recorded 34 each. Whilst North Western had 20, Luapula 10, Northern Nine, Muchinga Seven and Western recorded five road traffic accidents and was the lowest.
Out of these accidents, 38 were fatal, 29 serious injuries, 65 slight injuries and 140 damage only accidents.
Police attributes the increase to human error such are over speeding and non-compliance to road traffic rules and regulations by motorists and pedestrians.
Danny Pule speaks at the lunch of PF Campaign in the Heroes Stadium
Christian Democratic Party president Dan Pule has refuted claims that he has been funded by State House for campaigns.
Dr Pule was reacting to online media reports that he has been suspended as spokesperson for 16 opposition political parties for misusing the alleged monies.
He has told journalists in Lusaka that the allegations are false and a total fabrication.
Dr Pule said he uses his personal resources for his political activities and that he is supporting President Edgar Lungu on principle.
He also confirmed that the parties which were in the alliance were now operating separately.
Dr Pule was speaking during a press briefing in Lusaka.
And Dr Pule said President Lungu is headed for a landslide victory in the Luapula Province.
PF candidate for Luanshya constituency Steven Chungu introducing Nathan Chanda during a campaign rally in Luanshya’s Ndeke area on Sunday
PF Roan constituency parliamentary candidate Chishimba Kambwili has vowed not to campaign for the party’s candidate for the position of Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda.
Mr Kambwili said he will not waste his time and energies campaigning for Mr Chanda claiming that the Mayoral candidate lacks respect for elders.
He said Mr Chanda who challenged him for adoption for the Roan seat on the PF ticket is a very ungrateful young man who lacks discipline.
Mr Kambwili was speaking Sunday afternoon in Luanshya’s Section 22 Mwaiseni Basic School ground when he addressed a public rally and introduced candidates standing as councillors on the PF ticket in the area.
“Uyu umwaice alitumpa sana. Takwata umuchinshi, alefwaya aibike pabakulu kanshi Kakunkubiti (This young man is very stupid. He lacks respect. He wants to elevate himself and yet he is a small container),” Mr Kambwili said.
He vowed that he will not campaign for Mr Chanda but instead will support an independent candidate Famous Kabwe who is standing as Luanshya Mayor.
Mr Kambwili accused Mr Chanda of rushing to the Catholic Bishops to plead for their intervention so that they could plead on his behalf to President Edgar Lungu for his adoption.
“This boy went and pleaded with the Bishops in Ndola that please speak to the President so that I am picked as Executive Mayor. If it weren’t for the Catholic Bishops, this boy would have been nowhere,” Mr Kambwili.
He said Mr Chanda should consider himself lucky that he was allowed to stand as Executive Mayor even when there were other credible contesters.
“I will not campaign for him. Two people wanted to stand, people who were even more educated that this boy. Mr Famous Kabwe, he was Maintenance Manager in ZCCM and worked as Chambishi Smelter and Mr Modeza who was a Manager of Schools under ZCCM. These are more credible people with traceable education,” Mr Kambwili said.
“This new role of Mayor now requires somebody who is well educated. Akakunkubiti (The small corner) will not manage the affairs of this new office because all government functions including Schools Heads will be reporting to the Executive Mayor, now this boy wants to be Mayor with no education. Nathan has no proper academic qualifications to hold such an important position, he only has a grade 12 certificate and a diploma in Distance Education programme.” he said.
Mr Kambwili said he has even told President Lungu about his reservations regarding the adoption of Mr Chanda.
Dr Kambwili introducing the PF candidatePart of the crowd that attended Dr Kambwili’s rally
Barcelona and former Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi
International media is reporting that Barcelona and former Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi been sentenced to 21 months in prison after a court in Barcelona found him guilty of three counts of tax fraud, a statement from the court said on Wednesday.
The court also sentenced the Argentine soccer player’s father, Jorge, to 21 months in prison for the same three crimes. The sentence can be appealed through the Spanish supreme court, the statement said.
However, under Spanish law a prison sentence under two years can be served under probation, meaning Messi and his father are unlikely to go to jail.
The 29-year-old, among the world’s highest-earning athletes, was accused of creating a string of fake companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid taxation on €4.16m (£3.2m) of image rights earnings between 2007 and 2009.
Messi, who took time out from Argentina’s preparations for the Copa America tournament this summer, said in court last month: “I was playing football; I had no idea about anything. I trusted my dad and my lawyers.”
The Argentinian’s father Jorge Horacio Messi has also been handed the same punishment. The pair, who also face huge fines, can appeal their sentences through the Supreme Court.
During the trial, Messi said he never suspected any wrongdoing when his father would ask him to sign contracts or documents relating to his image rights, a lucrative source of income for any athlete of his calibre.
Witness Eva Blazquez, responsible for handling the four-time Champions League winner’s tax declarations, said: “Leo didn’t see them. The final supervision was done by the client, in this case, Jorge Messi.”
Messi’s father reiterated last month that his son didn’t know the details of his contracts. “I didn’t think it was necessary to inform him of everything,” he said
Fred Mmembe (in a cap) speaks to Journalists shortly after addressing workers on Thursday following the closure of the Post
POST Newspaper employees are shocked the new K53 million tax debt assessments by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) was a result of investigations into tax evasion by the newspaper and are now demanding for a forensic audit to determine how billions of kwacha deducted from their salaries and VAT were used instead of being remitted to the tax body.
The employees are shocked that ZRA discovered the attempts by the Post Newspaper to avoid tax payment which had accumulated to more than K53 million.
The employees are now demanding that Post Newspaper owner, Fred M’membe should explain how he used the money that was deducted from their salaries and VAT for the newspaper to have accumulated such a huge and staggering tax debt.
They also fear that the company might not have been sending their contributions to the National Pensions and Savings Authority (NAPSA).
The workers spoke out about their plight for the first time yesterday after some of them were sent on forced leave following the closure of the newspaper by ZRA two weeks ago.
“We are shocked that there was an attempt of tax evasion happening right under our noses by our company. It had to take ZRA to conduct investigations into our tax compliance to discover that we had accumulated a K53 million tax debts apart from the K14 million for which ZRA closed our operations. ‘‘There is a general sense of distress here because those who have been asked to stay away have not been paid and are not even certain as to whether they will receive their salaries because the boss has formally announced that the company accounts have been frozen by the Zambia Revenue Authority,” the source said.
The sources said that the workers were concerned that while PAYE and NAPSA were deducted the newspaper had not been remitting the money to ZRA, leading to the accumulation of more than K53 million debts. They fear that the newspaper might not be resuscitated and they might not get anything as benefits for the years they have worked for the company.
It was learnt yesterday that The Post last week asked some of its senior journalists to stay away from work as the newspaper was working out means of reopening and begin normal operations.
But sources at the Post Newspapers said the affected employees were worried that they would not receive their June salaries as management had earlier informed them that the newspaper’s bank accounts had been frozen.
The source said many workers had realised that the newspaper had been used them to fight certain political battles and governments the newspaper did not like.
The source accused the newspaper of having maliciously fought political leaders that had resisted to be ‘‘colonised’’ and that most of the young men and women at the newspaper would find it difficult to find jobs in either Government or quasi-government institutions because of the reputation of the newspaper.
“You know how Zambians feel about the Post Newspaper and our boss. There is a general perception that our boss has used the newspaper to fight his own political and financial battles with every government he did not like.
‘‘There is a belief that whoever differed with the boss became a target of malice, slander, innuendos and blatant abuse. He has fought anyone who had refused to be colonised and this has had a bearing on how even workers are viewed,” the source said.
The source said most Government officials were not ready or willing to interact with journalists from the Post Newspaper because most of them had become victims of illegal recordings of their conversations.
Charles Kakoma
THE UPND says the five cadres arrested by police for allegedly tearing down campaign posters of President Edgar Lungu were actually arrested while putting their party’s campaign materials when they were attacked by ruling party cadres.
UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma charged yesterday that police had manipulated information on what led to the arrest of the cadres on Monday by alleging that they were tearing down Patriotic Front billboards.
Mr. Kakoma described the reason for their arrest as baseless and accused the police of manipulating the truth.
He said contrary to assertions by police that those arrested were found removing PF billboards and replacing them with UPND campaign posters and that they attacked the PF cadres who confronted them, the UPND cadres were merely putting party billboards without tampering with any of the PF’s campaign material.
Mr Kakoma claimed the PF cadres were the ones who attacked their counterparts when they found them putting up their campaign material and that the UPND only defended themselves from their assailants after being confronted, saying there was no truth in what the police had relayed to the media as the premise on which the cadres were arrested.
He said it was unfortunate that the police were treating the victims as the guilty party when it was clear that the PF cadres were the ones who instigated the clash by attempting to prevent his party members from putting the billboards and attacking them in the process.
“The police are simply manipulating the truth over what happened because the report they gave with regard to what happened is not true; it is a total manipulation of the facts. What happened is that our members were putting our billboards along Cairo Road and when the PF cadres saw them, they wanted to stop them and that is how the fight ensued.
“At no time did our members remove the PF billboards; that is a lie and a total manipulation of the facts. It is the PF cadres who attacked our members and not the way the issue was reported by the police. Unfortunately, the police decided to twist the truth and arrested our members leaving out the culprits and up to now, they are still in the cells at central police,” Mr. Kakoma said.
He maintained that the UPND cadres were innocent and that they did not deserve to be arrested because they did nothing wrong.
On Monday, police deputy spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said UPND cadres Lawrence Banda, Soft Bwalya, Benjamin Mavuli, Simonda Simonda, and Jaid Hamize were arrested after they were found removing PF posters and replacing them with theirs along Cairo road.
President Edgar Lungu V
President Edgar Lungu says he is concerned that Southern Province has recorded the highest cases of political violence in the country.
The President is worried that some cases of political violence have resulted in loss of lives.
President Lungu notes with concern that Southern Province is followed by Lusaka province in cases of political violence.
Speaking when he met Chief Naluwama, Chief Hanjalika and Chief Mwanachingwala in Mazabuka, President Lungu urged the traditional leaders to talk to political parties against violence.
President Lungu said there is no need to shed blood in order for a person to win elections.
The President said the traditional leaders can also help educate the electorate on why they should support certain political parties.
President Lungu said he will not get tired of reminding traditional leaders of their role in maintaining peace.
He said Zambians must endeavour to maintain peace for which the country is globally renowned for.
In another development, President Lungu said it is government’s duty to take care of traditional leaders.
He said he had received reports of ailing chiefs, and he would ensure that they receive the best treatment.
And speaking on behalf of the other traditional leaders, Chief Naluwama of the Tonga speaking people of Mazabuka district thanked President Lungu for the development program that he is rolling out countrywide.
He said the chiefs were happy that Southern Province has not been left out of government’s development programmes.
Chief Naluwama told the President to feel at home in Southern Province.
The president is accompanied by Minister of Defence Richwell Siamunene, Minister of Commerce Margaret Mwanakatwe, Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu and PF deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri.
African carrier fastjet is looking at launching flights between Cape Town, South Africa, and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Fastjet’s Chief Operating Officer Richard Bodin said in an interview that the route was still in the early phases and flights would be launched in the fourth quarter of this year at the earliest, although a later date was foreseeable.
Mr Bodin said the airline’s routes from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe continue to see growth, especially its flights to Victoria Falls.
The airline flies a double-daily service to Harare and to Victoria Falls three times a week.
It also services Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania.
However, Mr Bodin pointed out that, despite strong passenger demand, a strong dollar has negatively affected the airline’s revenue.
Mr Bodin said as a result, it had trimmed down frequencies on marginal routes and there would be little in the way of new routes until next year.
He added that there were other destinations the airline was contemplating for new routes, but declined to give details on these.
Campaign manager Dr Solomon Musonda Addressing a rally in Chitambo.
The MMD in Chitambo Constituency have complained of intimidation from their alliance partners’ candidate whom they have accused of hiring thugs from Lusaka to cause havoc in the constituency.
Speaking during rally attended by party President Felix Mutati, National Secretary and several members of NEC, Chitambo Constituency campaign manager for the MMD candidate Solomon Musonda said the PF candidate has been going round the constituency causing havoc among supporters of the MMD and members of the public.
He said the hired thugs led by a man identified a Zakanlwa imported from Lusaka’s Zingalume compound has been terrorising people found attending MMD meetings in the constituency.
Dr Musonda who is the former area MP explained that it was becoming a challenge to campaign for his candidate and President Lungu because people are now scared of attending MMD campaign meetings.
He further explained that at one meeting the PF cadres made women move half naked as they were made to remove T-shirts which were given to them by MMD candidate Mushili Malama.
He also said that PF in the area has been going round telling people that there is no alliance.
But MMD National Secretary Rapheal Nakacinda said the PF candidates who are telling people that there is no alliance are enemies of President Lungu.
He said President Lungu is the only one facing the 50%+1 thrash hold while the MPs can win with even 1 vote hence the need for the Republican President to put he foot down and term his candidates.
He said the candidates who have continued to claim that there is no alliance between the PF and MMD are frustrating the MMD candidates who have been campaigning for President Lungu whom he said was the one who needs help from the MMD to ensure that he wins the elections without a second round.
Mr Nakacinda also said MMD candidates had no problem campaigning for themselves without mentioning the PF President but that out of respect for the alliance they have continued to campaign for President Lungu.
Meanwhile Dauzan Tembo the MMD National Youth Chairperson called on youths to protect their members from being harassed by cadres from Lusaka.
Mr Tembo said with their presence at political meeting imported cadres will not harass people attending meetings because they will be scared of reiteration if they tried anything.
He expressed sadness that despite the many calls for peaceful campaigns the PF were now attacking even their alliance partners something he said was detrimental to the campaigns for PF presidential candidate Edgar Lungu.
Mushili Malama is introduced to the publicPart of the crowd that attended the rally
The opposition People’s Party has endorsed the candidature of fellow opposition FDD President Edith Nawakwi in the forth coming elections.
Speaking at a joint media briefing in Lusaka today, PP President Mike Mulongoti said he has in the past supported the candidature of male candidates which he said has not benefited the people.
He said though some have performed slightly better than others the support he has rendered has not benefited the majority of the people of Zambia.
He said after extensive discussions his Party has come to a conclusion that it is politically prudent and beneficial to the nation to support the candidature of the only female in this year’s elections.
He said Ms Nawakwi’s candidature and many other female hopefuls should not be seen as a favour to the women but that it is their right to fully participate in the development of the country.
He expressed confidence that Ms Nawakwi would raise above the challenges as she has demonstrated to be of sound character in the past.
He also said the two parties agree on most the important things the country is facing including economic and social challenges which he said need competent hands to deal with.
And welcoming the endorsement Ms Nawakwi said not all endorsements are valuable and that her male counterparts should learn from the US Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton who turned down an endorsement from one of the richest men in America.
She said her party waited for ideas and clarity on what the value of any endorsement be because what is important is not the endorsement but the value of the endorsement.
She said PP’s endorsement was a reconnection of ideas as President Mulongoti and her were together during a number of fights for the people of Zambia including the for fight democracy and the fight against the third term.
She also condemned the continued political violence saying fighting will not deliver votes.
She said the biggest enemy the country is facing is poverty and that poverty will not be fought with broken limbs.
She further appealed to her ” brothers” to lay down their arms because the only time the country needed arms was during the fight for Independence saying that time is long gone.
She explained that her worries were about the future as political parties are not selling their manifestos but are busy trying to prove who the most powerful is.
Atlas Mara has appointed former Standard Chartered Bank Africa chief risk officer Benjamin Dabrah as managing director of its latest acquisition Finance Bank Zambia (FBZ).
The London-listed financial services provider said in a statement that FBZ and BancABC Zambia, which it also owns, would eventually be merged into one commercial entity, without giving a timeframe.
Before joining Standard Chartered Bank, Dabrah was managing director of Barclays Bank Ghana.
Atlas Mara Ltd this month completed the acquisition of Finance Bank Zambia Ltd and its subsidiaries for USD61 million in cash and 3.3 million Atlas Mara shares, plus a deferred contingent consideration of up to 1.3 million shares.
The sub-Sahara African financial services group had announced the acquisition back in November.
At the time, it said it would pay USD60 million in cash and up to 2.6 million in shares.
Finance Bank Zambia will be combined with Atlas Mara’s Zambian subsidiary African Banking Corporation Zambia Ltd, with proforma combined assets of around USD567 million as at December 31, 2015.
Atlas Mara said the merged bank will be one of the largest banks in terms of branch footprint in Zambia, with the number of branches increasing to 65 branches from 23 branches, a total of 176 ATMs and 23 agencies.
“The acquisition of FBZ is another important step in the execution of Atlas Mara’s strategy to build sub-Saharan Africa’s premier financial institution, in part, by becoming a scale participant in our countries of operation, which this transaction will achieve for us in Zambia,” Chief Executive John Vitalo said in a statement.
“We are enthusiastic about Zambia’s long-term prospects and our ability to play a leading role in the development of financial services in the country. While there is much to be done to fully implement our operational integration plans, we are excited about the opportunity afforded by a larger footprint in this important market for us,” he added.
The great Zambian hippo slaughter of the Luangwa Pic-Kamisa Malipita
By Andy Coghlan
As many as 2000 hippos may be killed over five years in Zambia.
The government has resurrected a culling plan it suspended in mid-June.
Animal welfare groups say there is no solid scientific case for the cull, which may be carried out by paying trophy hunters.
The government has put forward various reasons for the cull in the South Luangwa National Park.
These include preventing anthrax, which hippos can spread, claims of overpopulation and of water levels too low to support both hippos and the other wildlife.
Yet there’s no current anthrax outbreak and water levels are the highest they have been in five years, says Will Travers, President of wildlife charity the Born Free Foundation. “They are on thin ground scientifically.”
The government suspended the cull on 14 June, following protests by animal rights activists. But senior officials met on 22 June in Lusaka to recommend the cull go ahead after all, the Born Free Foundation claims.
“There’s a relentless effort to press ahead,” says Travers. “But at the moment, I can’t see how they can justify what’s going on.” He has now written to Zambian president Edgar Lungu asking for the cull to be abandoned, and for open publication of the rationale for killing the animals.
Travers OBE stated: “Leaving aside the moral and ethical arguments and Born Free’s consistent opposition to culling, we are asking for urgent clarification on a number of key issues and the publication of all scientific evidence that might support such drastic measures.”
International and Zambian opposition to the cull has been widely reported in the media.
A temporary suspension of the cull, announced on 14th June, was, according to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), to allow for “extensive consultation”.
However, following the brief meeting in Lusaka on Wednesday 22nd June it now appears the hiatus is over and the cull is set to resume.
This “invitation only” meeting was called by Stephen Mwansa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism & Arts, and Paul Zyambo, Director of DNPW.
The company contracted by DNPW to carry out the cull, Mabwe Adventures, was in attendance, along with only one local stakeholder, the Luangwa Safari Association – representing safari camps and lodges in South Luangwa National Park.
Information indicates that DNPW is now poised to push ahead with the cull of 2,000 hippos over five years using paying trophy hunters, as was recently promoted on Theo De Marillac Safaris’ website.
Why this decision has been taken, and on what basis, remains shrouded in secrecy.
In light of this, Born Free Foundation wrote to President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on 27th June, requesting the cull be abandoned and that key information pertaining to DNPW’s justifications for the cull to be made publically available.
To date, no response has been forthcoming.
Born Free Foundation, together with other wildlife conservation and animal protection organisations, believe that five critical issues still need to be addressed:
1. DNPW has, to date, failed to provide robust, scientific evidence demonstrating that there is an overpopulation of hippos in the Luangwa River, or to make public the Government of the Republic of Zambia report that they have cited in their justification
2. DNPW has failed to provide robust, scientific evidence clearly demonstrating that previous hippo culls in the Luangwa Valley have been successful in reducing the population over the long-term and that the culling methodology that has been proposed – targeting whole pods of hippos in the water – is humane
3. DNPW has failed to provide rainfall and river level data showing that river levels and water flow in the Luangwa River are abnormally low and cannot sustain the current hippo population
4. DNPW has failed to provide credible, scientific evidence to show that such an indiscriminate hippo cull would prevent a future outbreak of anthrax – not prevent the spread of an existing outbreak – as there isn’t one
5. DNPW has failed to provide categorical evidence that an approved and transparent tendering process took place in awarding the culling contract to Mabwe Adventures, of which an ex-Zambia Wildlife Authority employee, Flavian Mupemo, is a shareholder and beneficiary.
Given the highly contentious nature of culling; the unanswered questions raised above; the possible conflict of interest; and the concerns about the lack of transparency of the tendering process, Born Free Foundation is calling for the planned cull to be abandoned and for the matter to be investigated at the highest possible level by an independent inquiry, established under the auspices of The Office of The President.
Travers added: “The longer these vitally important issues go unanswered, the more the authorities come up with different and, as yet, unsubstantiated justifications for the cull, the more Zambia – one of Africa’s great wildlife strongholds – will suffer lasting reputational and potentially economic damage. The independent inquiry, called for by Born Free, seems to me the only way to establish the truth and determine whether any of the claimed justifications for the cull – a measure which could see 2,000 wild hippo lose their lives – can withstand the scrutiny they deserve.”
You may enjoy this tale of one Zambian woman’s fight for survival, deep in the heart of Cornwall.
Two hours had passed – maybe three. I couldn’t tell.
The scraggly shrubs above me had eliminated what little moonlight there was and plunged me into inky blackness, somewhere on the rocky and dangerous beaches of Cornwall. I lay very still, listening for the merry youths and wondering how long it was until daybreak, not knowing if I’d survive to see it.
With my body shaking and my brain frozen with fear, it was hard to remember how I’d ended up there, 6,000 miles from home.
An 18-year-old Zambian and former pupil of the prestigious Chipembi Girls’ Secondary School, I had come to Europe with hopes of helping some of the world’s palest, most unfortunate people.
But my gap year had become a living nightmare when I inadvertently found myself caught up in the fringes of a big night out in Newquay.
Shouts echoed across the beach and seemed to be getting closer.
I couldn’t imagine the awful, sporadic acts of drunkenness that were being committed as the town was ransacked. Fear and anger for the children consumed my thoughts. Part of me wanted to jump up and make it all stop, but then I heard someone shout “WAHAY!!” and shrank back into my hiding place.
As the night ticked interminably by, I tried not to think what the youths would say to the “mega hottie with the kickass braids” if they found me.
Clenching my jaw to stop my teeth chattering, I squeezed my eyes shut and reminded myself how I’d come to be such a central, beautiful, important character in this horror story. I was so brave, and of course, blessed with melanin – my heart wept for these pasty souls.
Needing to escape my idyllic Zambian childhood, and hoping to do good work in faraway places, I’d accepted a position as a volunteer at a commercial fishing lodge in Cornwall.
It was the most remote place on the list I was given and the one most in need. “Find a bolthole as soon as you get there,” my father pleaded. “Somewhere to hide, just in case.” I’d laughed and assured him I’d be fine, but now here I was on the rocky beach, in a fragile minefield of twigs and stones crawling with potentially lethal creatures – including the dreaded seagulls, up to 12 inches across.
My innocent dreams of teaching the people of Cornwall the Nyanja language or educating them about the world now seemed ridiculously naïve.
With a cheery smile, I’d waved goodbye to Dad and jumped on a plane to Europe without researching anything about its tumultuous political history or realising that my destination – Newquay, Cornwall – was embroiled in a terrifying political conflict, “Brexit”.
Life was idyllic at first, a gap-year student’s dream.
My new home was beautiful and I made close friendships with the local English people. I learned some of their language, ate their bland Cornish pasties, planted a vegetable garden, and created a little school under a hedge row, writing about my experiences in my diary. I found special comfort in my bond with Poppy, a 6-year-old English girl with a really bad sunburn.
But I soon learned that Europe is rife with hidden danger.
I witnessed random acts of violence, contracted thrush, and had close encounters with foxes, seagulls, wood pigeons, and mice. As football season came and went, the conflict in neighbouring Westminster began to escalate and then spill over into Cornwall with repercussions all along the seafront. Thousands of people were affected by the weakened currency – the very fragile “pound” – and we heard brutal tales of overpriced city breaks to Bruges.
Then one day, without warning, merry youths descended on our bay.
Taken by surprise, I spent a night huddled with others in an old Wetherspoon’s, hoping not to be found as we listened to the engines of the youths’ mopeds drawing near. The next morning, I was faced with a dreadful dilemma. Should I stay and care for poor, sunburned Poppy, risking my life? Or flee to the safety of my civilised country and break her heart? The youths would surely return and the trains to leave Cornwall were not what you’d call reliable. Torn, I wept as I hadn’t wept in years.
An Uber arrived unexpectedly a few days later and – with its engine still running – its driver offered me a ride.
But as I made the decision to get in the Prius, Poppy ran wailing from the cobbled streets and begged me to stay. So I did, but within days the drunken youths came again. This time, I had no choice but to flee alone in a desperate attempt to stay alive. For hours on end, I remained on the rocky beach with no idea if I would make it or if any of the people I had come to love would survive.
How had I come to be in such a place, and for what? For a new Facebook cover photo, surrounded by tragic white children? That was when I knew, deep in my heart, that it was time to go home.
My time in Cornwall, and especially that long night in hiding, is imprinted on my mind now as a defining coming-of-age moment. It was the point at which my appreciation of the fragility of life – and my pity for the people of Europe – was fully realised.
Now that I’m a grown woman and pursuing a very different dream – as an actress and film producer – I know that the mega hot girl once so incongruous in Europe still lives on inside me.
Even knowing how blessed I am and how generous I have been, I still feel sad that I can’t help every European.
Whenever that happens, though, I try to remember a smiling gap-toothed child with a horrendous sunburn whose greatest joy was to sit on my lap and drink from a bottle of Coca-Cola. Poppy taught me many beautiful words, but the one I like the most is “oi, gimme some fucking sweets!”, which means “happiness”.
I wonder what the fuck happened to Poppy after I left? I’m sure she’s fine.
Please buy my book, In Cornwall’s Shadow, available on Amazon for £7.99.
File:President Lungu with President Museveni at Entebbe statehouse
President Edgar Lungu and his Uganda counterpart Yoweri Museveni yesterday held a bilateral meeting at Uganda State House where the two discussed the possibility of introducing a new oil pipeline from Uganda up to Zambia’s Indeni Oil Refinery in Ndola to reduce the cost of importing the commodity from the Middle East.
The two Heads of State also discussed the possibility of Uganda opening an Embassy in Lusaka while Zambia would also open an Embassy
in Uganda next year.
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalala confirmed the development yesterday during a media briefing held at Entebbe International
Airport in Uganda shortly before President Lungu and his delegation left for Lusaka around 11:00 hours Zambian time and 12:00 hours Uganda time.
Mr Kalaba said President Lungu, who was given a military send-off by Uganda defence forces shortly before his departure for Lusaka, held a very fruitful bilateral meeting with President Museveni.
“In the bilateral we discussed the issue of the oil pipeline. As you know, Uganda is beginning to start producing oil and as Zambia and we want to take advantage of Uganda producing this oil so that we can have a pipe line ran from Uganda to Indeni Refinery in Ndola.
“That will reduce the cost of doing business in terms of the oil industry and make transactions cheaper for us in terms of fuel,” Mr Kalaba said.
He said the two Governments would put all logistics together immediately after election campaigns so that a more detailed programme
would be worked out by their technocrats from respective Ministries of Energy, National Planning and other stakeholders.
Mr Kalaba said Zambia anticipate a very productive future with Uganda given the fact that there was more that was bringing the two countries together than what was dividing the two.Mr Kalaba said the two Heads of State also discussed the issue of opening up missions for the two countries.
“Uganda is opening up an Embassy in Lusaka while Zambia too will open an Embassy in Uganda next year.
“Currently, the Zambian High Commission to Uganda and Uganda High Commission to Zambia are operating in Tanzania,” Mr Kalaba said.
During the bilateral, the two countries also discussed the possibility of Zambia becoming an observer on the Northern Corridor which
comprises of countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.
The three countries have come together to have non-tariff barriers removed and they have ensured that the said countries are able to
trade effectively.
“Zambia has been invited to be part of the Northern Corridor. After the August 11 General Elections in Zambia, we will immediately pursue this matter,” Mr Kalaba said.
He said Zambia was grateful that President Lungu was invited by Mr Museveni for the Counter Terrorism Summit.
“President Lungu has also invited by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and this is an invitation that the Head of State will take up after the Election Campaigns.
“We are hopeful that our relation with Uganda is blossoming and for us in Zambia, diplomatic credentials keep on being announced and that is good for Zambia,” Mr Kalaba said.
He was happy that President Lungu was the only leader from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries who was invited to the Summit which he described as auspicious meeting.
“We feel humbled as Zambia that President Lungu is being recognised to meetings such as these and this shows the place that Zambia has in the region and on the international scene.This was a very productive visit that President Lungu undertook to Uganda,” Mr Kalaba said.
Prominent Lusaka lawyer Lewis Mosho has been acquitted by the Lusaka Magistrate Court on charges of theft and money laundering levelled against him by Shoprite Holdings in 2011.
Mr Mosho is a senior partner in Lewis Nathan Advocates, a corporate law firm which worked acted as Corporate Secretary for Shoprite Checkers.
The judgement brings to an end, a protracted, acrimonious and even fractious legal battle spanning over half a decade between Mr Mosho and Shoprite.
This is in a matter where Shoprite South Africa has lodged a complaint that 2,220,897 of its shares worth US$10million where sold on the Lusaka Stock Exchange without the company’s authority or consent from the year 2005- 2011.
In a letter dated 21st December 2011 written and signed by DEC Commissioner Mrs. Alita Mbahwe, to Stockbrokers Zambia Ltd, Lewis Nathan Advocates and The Lusaka Stock Exchange, DEC stated that they were investigating theft of up to K50billion (Unrebased) obtained through the sale of Shoprite shares at the Lusaka Stock Exchange.
Shoprite Zambia had since withheld dividend payments to 20,000 Zambian shareholders and suspended trade on the LuSE until the theft of K50billion worth of shares and its proceeds is established.
The transfer saga of shares dates back to the year 2009 when the DEC ignored Mosho’s letter in which the lawyer was alerting the commission that Shoprite Checkers had instructed him to remit proceeds amounting to about K49 billion to a South African agent T. van Tonder without following procedure.
Lusaka High Court Deputy Director Joshua Banda, sitting as Chief Resident Magistrate in Lusaka delivered the judgement on Friday July 1st 2016 and determined that there was “no merit in the case brought against Mr Mosho”.
The court found Mr Mosho with no case to answer on each of the 43 charges.
And Mr Mosho says he is only, “happy that the truth has set me free and this case is now behind us. I can concentrate on business and family now without court matters.”
He said his aspiration now is to ensure that he does everything in his power to ensure that foreign investors comply with local laws as much as Zambians are expected to do in other countries saying there must be no sacred cows.
Shoprite had argued that from January 2005 to June 2006, Mr Mosho breached his obligation and traded its shares on the Lusaka Stock Exchange without consulting Shoprite Checkers.
The supermarket also wanted the court to order a mandatory injunction directing LuSE to correct its records to reflect Shoprite Checker’s ownership and title to the treasury.
The judgement also means Mosho who claims to have lost millions of dollars during the period his passport and assets were frozen at the request of Shoprite is now at liberty to claim damages, as the law sees fit, and as he sees right.
