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File:Peasant farmers load their maize into a truck before transportation to an FRA depot in chief Mulala’s area. Agriculture faces manay challenges in the area and this fuels poverty
Eastern Province Permanent secretary, Chanda Kasolo, says smuggling of maize into neighbouring Malawi and Mozambique remains a challenge in spite of the intervention measures by the Presidential Joint Operation Committee in the province.
Mr Kasolo, however, attributes the challenge of maize smuggling to the porosity of the border points around the province and unscrupulous business individuals.
The Permanent Secretary was speaking when he inspected trucks laden with maize at Mwami border yesterday.
Mr Kasolo called on the business individuals in the maize market to conduct their businesses within the confines of the law and to show patriotism.
“Those that know the people who buy maize and take it across the border should help us by reporting to the police so that we can track and arrest them,” he said.
He also expressed displeasure on the slow rate at which farmers are selling maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), adding that unscrupulous individuals are buying the grain and holding on to the commodity until government re-opens the border points.
“The joint operation committee will not allow anyone to be exporting maize before the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has bought the one million metric tonnes of maize which the agency is tasked to buy,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier when a Parliamentary Council team of Government lawyers called on him at his office on the sensitisation program of the referendum and the proposed bill of rights, Mr Kasolo said adequate information on the contents of the Bill of Rights and the referendum will assist voters in the province to make an informed decision when casting a ballot in the referendum in the August 11 polls.
Mr Kasolo commended the team for visiting the province at an opportune time, adding that the electorate will have adequate information to vote ‘YES’ in the referendum.
He called on the parliamentary council team to utilise all media outlets in the province for the sensitisation program to have a lasting impact.
And Chief Parliamentary Council, Andrew Nkunika, said the sensitisation program is ongoing with Nyimba, Petauke and Katete having been covered so far.
Mr Nkunika said the sensitisation program is addressing concerns from the electorate such as clarification on the contents of the Bill of Rights and voting in the referendum.
Mbita Chitala
Former Presidential Advisor Mbita Chitala says he has decided to back President Lungu in this year’s election because the he has proved to be God fearing and a man with respect to the rule of law.
Speaking this morning when he featured on radio Pheonix special programme, Dr. Chitala said President Lungu has shown serious commitment in the fight against any form of corruption because he was not corrupt.
Dr. Chitala says President Lungu was tolerant of divergent views, adding that Zambians should not be misled into believing that the Head of State has failed.
“President Lungu has shown serious incorruptible mind in the manner he is governing because he is not corrupt himself. He has performed extremely well since taking over government even at a time when people like Guy Scott and Wynter Kabimba fought him tirelessly to stop him from taking over,” he said
He also justified PF’s borrowing saying the borrowing was well done and the IMF and the World Bank has supported that because the money has gone towards the intended purpose.
He explained that most of the funds have gone towards infrastructure development such as hydro power production, road construction and expansion of roads and schools something he said people were able to see and appreciate.
He further said that there was no economy anywhere in the world that would grow without borrowing and that those against borrowing were not being genuine.
He added President Lungu is able to point at what he has done which was good for the nation and the people of Zambia in the fight against poverty.
Asked on the high prices of commodities and if price control was the solution Dr Chitala said government had shown the willingness to improve people’s lives by ensuring that they have cheap basic commodities such as mealie meal.
He accused some millers of undermining government efforts increasing the prices of the commodity but that he foresees the prices going down due to the initiative by the government to bring solar milling plants across the country.
On price controls, he said doing so would lead to shortages of basic commodities just like in the UNIP days.
The opposition UPND has dismissed reports that police in Kasama recovered weapons and petrol bombs after they raided the home of its presidential running mate Geoffrey Mwamba in Kasama.
UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka said the reports are misleading.
“We would like to make clear the facts concerning the raid of GBM’s house in Kasama in the early hours of this morning, during which members of his family were teargased, including small children. The items allegedly found were only recovered once the house was cleared. We know these have been planted,” Mr Katuka said in a statement.
“We also categorically deny the existence of petrol bombs in the residence. What they claim to have found were in fact empty bottles, as you might find in any residence. Further, a large amount of money totalling K345,000 went missing from the house while it was being searched,” he said.
“With the media under strong pressure from the PF, only a few outlets have checked the facts on the case with us. We are calling on all media houses to take note of these facts in their reporting, because they have a responsibility to make sure reports during this tense period are well informed and free from bias.”
Earlier, Police in Kasama this morning at dawn arrested 28 people at UPND presidential running mate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba’s house in Kasama.
The Police have since confiscated various offensive weapons found at the residence.
The Police raided the house at 04 Hours after a security tip-off and surrounded the house.
Police were shocked to find 28 people in the small two-bedroom house.
The 28 were found with matchets, pangas, and petrol bombs.
Northern Province Police Commissioner Bonnie Kapeso confirmed the raid and said the motive of the large group and the offensive weapons they were carrying is being investigated.
And Mr Mwamba said he is yet to establish the main reason for the raid at his house as he is on the Copperbelt.
“My home in Kasama is opposite the golf course where the PF rally was held yesterday, previously the same rally had been slated to take place at the Stadium in Kasama but was changed. Some PF cadres who had been bused into Kasama had planned to come and attack my home after their rally. Our UPND youth team stayed overnight to keep visual,” Mr Bwalya said.
“However early this morning at 5hrs my home was surrounded and raided…the UPND youth team has been rounded up and arrested…the Police then broke down the doors of my home and threw teargas in the house.”
Mr Bwalya said that it is sad and unfortunate that his home in Kasama has been raided and teargased.
“My wife, my children and grandchildren were in the house when this happened this morning. My small grandchildren have been taken to hospital as they have been victims of this barbaric act carried out by the police.”
The teargas cannisters that was fired by policeThe terrified relatives of GBM after the house was raided by police
It looks like Emmanuel Mayuka may be moving to a third club in twelve months during this Summer transfer window.
Reports from Egypt suggest the Zambia striker is likely to be released by Zamalek just seven months after moving from France to the Cairo giants.
According to Kingfut, Zamalek are are tracking Nigerian striker Stanley Ohawuchi who plays for Ronald Kampamba’s Egyptain club Wadi Degla.
“Mayuka has not impressed Zamalek SC’s board and fans since his arrival last January, and the club hope to sell the Zambian striker before completing any deal for Stanley in order to free a foreign spot in the squad list,” Kingfut stated.
Mayuka joined Zamalek in January on a permanent deal from French Ligue 2 club Metz barely half a year after leaving Southampton.
He has scored five goals since moving to the Cairo giants.
Some mourners caused commotion at Kafue District Hospital mortuary when they could not find the body of their relative in the mortuary as they were preparing for burial.
Confirming the incident to ZANIS in Kafue , Acting District Medical Officer Chiza Simpungwe said the hospital received a Brought In Dead body of a woman aged 107 years which was put among other bodies in the hospital mortuary on Friday the previous week.
Dr. Simpungwe added that the relatives could not find the body in the mortuary when they came for burial, on Monday and this annoyed them hence gave the hospital staff a tough time.
The medical officer further said it was discovered that the body was buried over the week-end by a different family who mistook the body for their male relative.
In addition, Dr. Simpungwe, said the two families later agreed to exhume the body with the help of the council, hospital environmental staff and Zambia police, which was later reburied by the rightful relatives.
He attributed the confusions to some religious beliefs which does not allow body viewing and other related myths.
Dr. Simpungwe has since appealed to the public to ensure that they correctly identify the bodies of their deceased relatives to avoid such confusions and misunderstandings.
A representative to the family that could not find the body of their relative, Mary Nkawaga expressed sadness at the state of affairs.
Ms. Nkawaga however said the family was happy that their grandmothers’ body has been put to rest in a dignified manner.
OWAS Mwape, Robam Mwape, Clive Mwape, Mercy Mwape, Prudence Mwape, Katongo Mwape, Maxwell Mwape and Adorah Mwape are all featuring in the thriller drama titled ‘Strictly by Invitation’, which will premiere with a red carpet in at Ster Kinekor, Arcades in Lusaka on 28th July.
The movie, by Owas Crystal Films/Old Age Productions, is a story written to mitigate the issues that have gripped marriages in society. “Written with an eye of what has hit our Zambian society – marital killings – the characters bring to life the day-to-day activities that husbands and wives go through in order to stay together. The film is a feature and already underway into a TV series,” according to a brief given to the Weekend Mail by Owas, who co-directs the film with his brother Robam. “Told in a typical marriage scenario, the film creates questions that society and the audience alike will debate from their perspectives.”
In the movie, Michael Lungu and Catherine are a perfect couple to the eyes of the world until Catherine is found dead with her husband present in the same room that makes all hell break loose.
Questions begin being asked: Did Michael kill his wife or something else more supernatural did it? “The film brings a different side of gender-based violence and media challenges.”
Also featuring in the film are Webby Chiluba (Kasaka), Huruma Sungula, Poliana Tembo and Hellen Kayuni, who Owas says, have made great impact on the film.
Other films by Owas to premiere on big screen include The Wife, Ministers House, Chenda, Secrets Untold Story and A Beautiful Lie. He is also associate producer on Suwi and Mwansa the Great, Which has banked over 17 awards internationally and was nominated for the British Film and Television Awards (BAFTA).
THE 6th edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is now open. We are calling all science and technology fans between 14 and 19 to be inspired to write a creative essay or design a poster based on the following topic: “Take yourself into the future as a scientist, tasked with designing a new-age satellite that will help improve the lives of Africans. Tell us what you would call your satellite and describe the different functions and roles that it would play in the Africa of the future.”
The prizes of this innovative competition are as big as the dreams of a young, energised African generation ready to shape the evolution of our continent. Selected from thousands of entries by a high-standard jury, the overall essay and poster winners will be eligible for a once in a lifetime trip for two to Paris, France to visit Eutelsat satellite facilities, with the essay winner traveling onwards to see a rocket launch into space. Runners-up will win a trip to South Africa to explore several sites as guests of MultiChoice Africa. The schools attended by the four overall winners also receive a DStv installation, including a dish, TV, decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet.
The Awards are open to all students from secondary (high) or combined schools in Africa where MultiChoice Africa maintains operations. Entry forms can be obtained from any MultiChoice Resource Centre, the nearest MultiChoice office or copies can be downloaded from www.dstvstarawards.com. Entries are accepted in English, French and Portuguese and will be judged on the basis of high-standard criteria of accuracy, creativity, originality and innovation. The competition closes on 7 November 2016. Only entries submitted on the official entry form will be eligible. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in February 2017.
MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat are convinced by the power of science and technology education to encourage young minds to positively change their world. Now in its 6th year, their joint initiative, the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, inspires innovative thinking among a new African generation. This pan-African collaboration has created a meaningful engagement with students, the academic community and the scientific world. Since the start of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards competition in 2011, over 5,000 students have taken part in this unique competition.
Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) have called for global support to strengthen their capacities for monitoring and reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to statement released to the media by the Zambia First Secretary for Press and Public Relations
Permanent Mission at the UN Mr Chibaula Silwamba, Permanent Secretary in charge of Policy Analysis and Coordination at Cabinet Office of the Republic of Zambia, Bernard Kamphasa, made the call when he spoke on behalf of the 32 LLDCs at the on-going Ministerial segment of the High Level Political Forum sessions on Countries in Special Situations under the Theme: “Ensuring that no one is left behind” at UN Headquarters in New York.
The Permanent Secretary said the LLDCs, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) deserve special attention from the international community in their pursuit of sustainable development. He said the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the LLDCs could not be attained without enhanced global partnerships for development, in the context of SDG 17, that embrace all key facets of means of implementation, including adequate provisions of financial resources, public and private, facilitation of free trade, the development and transfer of reliable, affordable and modern technology on mutually agreed and beneficial terms, capacity-building assistance and development of enabling institutional and policy environments. “The LLDCs Group reiterates the need to assist the most vulnerable countries, including landlocked developing countries, in building and strengthening our national capacities for data collection and analysis. Our capacities for monitoring and reporting on the SDGs need to be strengthened and that the process be aligned with the monitoring and reporting of other development frameworks, including the Vienna Programme of Action,” Mr. Kamphasa said. “The LLDCs suffer unique geographical disadvantages, combined with other new and emerging challenges, which have ultimately impaired our capacities to deliver sufficient economic and social development.”
He said LLDCs face constraints in accessing Sea routes, isolation from world markets, border and transit procedures, inefficient logistics systems and inadequate infrastructure a well as disproportionately high trade and transport costs. He said these challenges were further compounded by emerging challenges such as climate change, commodity price volatility, disasters and other external shocks.
“The LLDC Group recognizes the special significance of the 2016 session of the HLPF, being the first such meeting since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015,” Mr. Kamphasa said. “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda have further enhanced the efficacy of the Vienna Programme of Action in addressing the special challenges and needs of LLDCs, specifically under Sustainable Development Goals seven (7), nine (9) and 10 which make specific reference to the LLDCs.” Mr. Kamphasa emphasised the Group of LLDCs’ call for coherence in the follow up processes of the Agenda 2030 and the Vienna Programme of Action, taking advantage of their synergies and convergences with other global processes, to maximise the sustainable developmental outcomes for the Group’s members.
President Edgar Lungu has charged that the PF government will prioritise development in areas where it will amass good votes if re-elected into office.
President Lungu said the party has attempted to take development to all areas of Zambia in its first term on office but that this has disadvantaged some areas where the party is popular.
He said in his four and half years in power, the party has initiated development even in areas where it lost because it believes in the spirit off One Zambia, One Nation.
President Lungu was speaking on Tuesday when he addressed a rally in Mungwi where he was drumming up support for PF Malole Constituency candidate Christopher Yaluma and councillors standing on the PF ticker.
“In all fairness, we have to revisit that policy and now focus on areas where we are supported. We should first develop Mungwi and Northern Province because you people have supported us through out. It is a pity that you have not benefitted from your support for the PF but now this has to change,” Mr Lungu said.
He promised that he will personally ensure that the development of Mungwi becomes a top priority if he is re-elected in next month’s elections.
And addressing a second rally at President’s Park in Kasama Central, President Lungu promised to build a modern Stadium and a University in Kasama
President Lungu also promised that Kasama General Hospital will undergo massive renovations and upgrade if he is re-elected into office.
He also urged the residents of Kasama Central to vote for PF Parliamentary candidate Kelvin Sampa because he has been trying to provide leadership for the people of Kasama for a long time.
President Lungu also took a swipe at former Kasama Central MP Geoffrey Mwamba who is also UPND presidential running mate.
He said Mr Mwamba is only interesting in getting to power in order to accumulate personal wealth.
President Lungu said Mr Mwamba is supporting the UPND because has an ambition of becoming Republican President.
He said Mr Mwamba is plotting to take over the presidency of the UPND from Mr Hichilema if he loses the August elections.
President Lungu claimed that Mr Mwaba refused from Michael Sata’s administration because the late President Sata knew and confronted him about it.
The crowd at gathered at the PF rally in KasamaMusicians performing the popular Dununa Reverse hit songPF cadres displays a mock coffin of Opposition UPND party leader Hakainde Hichilema and his running mate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba in Kasama on Tuesday, July 19,2016 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA PF cadres displays a mock coffin of Opposition UPND party leader Hakainde Hichilema and his running mate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba in Kasama on Tuesday, July 19,2016 -Picture by THOMAS NSAMA PF Kasama Central MP Kelvin Sampa shows the PF symbol during the rally
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba
Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba has described the just ended 27th AU meeting in Kigali, Rwanda as enriching.
Mr Kalaba who represented President Edgar Chagwa Lungu at the Summit said that African leaders are optimistic that Africa will be transformed into a truly peaceful and prosperous continent by 2063.
Mr Kalaba said that the launch of the AU passport will enable African countries to export goods which have failed to cross borders for many years due to stiff procedures.
He said that time has come for Africa to realize its full potential by fast tracking initiatives designed to make the continent financially independent.
And the election for the African Union Commission Chairperson and the eight Commissioners was deferred to the AU Summit in January 2017.
African Union Commission Chairperson Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and her Commissioners continue to be in office until January 2017 when elections to usher in new office bearers take place.
And the African Union has awarded Zambia with an Economic Rights recognition.
Zambia’s permanent representative to the AU, Ms Susan Sikaneta says the award is an appreciation for Zambia’s strides in empowering women economically.
Ms Sikaneta says Zambia is among the top 11 out of the 54 member states that have been awarded with Rwanda topping the list.
She said in Kigali, today that she was happy that the continental body has recognised the country’s efforts in empowering women.
Ms Sikaneta said the award is as a result of many initiatives government has introduced to empower women such as the distribution of tractors to women clubs, and women empowerment programmes.
She said it is for this the reason that Zambians must begin to appreciate government’s efforts to empower women.
The AU Economic Rights Award comes barely a year after President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was given a He for She award.
Reverent Matale
Council of Churches and Zambia Chairperson Rev Suzanne Matale has called on politicians to respect the church’s initiatives of gathering them together to try and iron out the challenges that they are facing in their campaigns.
In a statement Rev Matale said the Church has always and continues to pray for peace of the nation but that it was disappointing that politicians have failed to implement the communiqué which they all consented to last March.
“The church has always and continues to pray for the peace of this nation. The church has many times called upon our political leaders to implement the communiqué to which they all consented to on the 29th of March, 2016 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
“The politicians made serious commitments on how they would conduct themselves going forward vis a vis campaigns towards the 11th August, 2016 general-elections.
“They committed to end political violence, to apply the POA fairly during the campaigns. They committed to strengthening a culture of political dialogue and tolerance within and amongst themselves. They agreed to depoliticize public places such as markets, bus stations etc,” she said.
She added “They committed to refrain from hate speech. They agreed that there would be fair coverage on public media for all contesting parties in the elections. These commitments were made in the presence of church leaders, and God was a silent listener to those commitments. However, none of these commitments have been fulfilled.”
She explained that the Church would have been happy if the country was calling for prayers to thank God for using political leaders to calm the nation and not to talk about the same thing when they have not put their houses in order.
“The church would have been happy to heed the call for prayer had it been prayers to thank God for using our political leaders to calm our nation by heeding the call of the Church in the first place by putting their own houses in order and not to call upon God to stop the violence when we, ourselves are the perpetrators of this violence and we know that ourselves. It is also true that we are rational people and the power is within our hands as Zambians to stop this violence.
We are not against the call for prayers, Zambians are encouraged to respond positively after all prayer is our core business as church. However, a fair deal would have been that when the church calls our political leaders to listen to the church’s moral and ethical voice politicians should honour and respect such a call. It is not fair that the church heeds their call for prayer but politicians completely ignore the wise counsel of Church,” she said.
She further said church’s role is not to pray for empty pursuits but to pray according to the will of God and also to pray for wisdom through our faith.
File:Eastern province minister Isaac Banda talks to Chief Zumwanda of Lundazi at his palaceCHIEF Zumwanda of the Chewa Speaking People in Lundazi District of Eastern Province has urged politicians to resolve to conduct politics in a decent way ahead of the August 11th general elections.
The Chief said political violence which were being recorded in some parts would destroy the image of the country.
Chief Zumwanda was speaking when Eastern Province coordinator for special team campaign for President Edgar Lungu paid a courtesy call on him at his palace in Lundazi on Monday.
He said politicians must remain peaceful and exercise the franchise in a free and peaceful manner adding that this would boost the standing on the World.
Chief Zumwanda said political leaders must do everything within their powers to curtail the rise in political violence and tension in the country.
“As a country,we have come a long way in so far as maintaining peace is concerned.Politics must not divide the country because when we got independence in 1964 we remain peaceful,”he said.
He said there was need to put the interest of the country above petty party politics stating that politicians who were promoting violence must be discarded in the ballot.
He said the majority Zambians must be proud that the country was enjoying the accolade of being peaceful nation.
Chief Zumwanda said nothing should be done by anybody to undermine the peace and tranquility that currently prevails in the country because peace was cardinal.
He said politics of character assassinations were not good because political leaders were suppose to campaign on issue based inline with their party manifestos.
“The campaigns of character assassination was wrong gone because the duty of political leaders is to sell their party manifestos to the electorate,”he said.
And Mr Mangani who is former home affairs minister in MMD regime said he was in the area to ask for votes for President Lungu and other Patriotic Front aspiring candidates.
He said the ruling party would strive hard to campaign based on the party manifesto which he said was clear.
Mr Mangani asked the traditional leader to assist in mobilising the people to vote on the polls day in an effort to avoid voter apathy.
The Anti-Corruption Commission has revealed that it has officially recorded five cases of suspected corruption.
ACC Spokesman Timothy Moono told a media briefing that these cases relate to suspicion in the manner some of the Grade Twelve Certificates were obtained as well as how some National Registration Cards were acquired by some candidates.
Mr Moono said the cases also include allegations of bribery during the adoption process of some candidates.
He said investigations have been instituted in two cases and the investigations are still on-going.
“Three cases have been referred for administrative action as the information fell short of the need to institute investigations. The Commission wishes to strongly advise political party players to respect the rule of law by desisting from vote buying or bribing electorates to influence them to vote in a certain pattern as well as giving gifts, loans or other material things as inducements or gratification to voters,” Mr Moono said.
He said the Commission will also continue to engage political parties on the best ways to devise transparent adoption systems for the future that minimizes opportunities for corruption.
“In this period of political campaigns, the Commission wishes to encourage members of the public to report suspected cases of electoral corruption and warns that any person found wanting with regard to such cases will be dealt with sternly.
The Commission will endeavor to monitor the campaigns with the available resources.”
Post workers had set up a temporal office outside their locked offices on Bwimjimfum road
Delegates from the International Press Institute (IPI) and the African Media Initiative (AMI) have called on Zambian authorities to allow The Post to reopen immediately,
The delegates noted that the apparent politically motivated attempt to silence it ahead of elections is part of a chain of events raising deep concerns over the state of democracy in the country.
The delegates travelled to Lusaka from July 13 to 15, 2016 as part of a joint emergency press freedom mission in which they met with representatives from government, the leading opposition party, The Post, the judiciary, civil society and foreign diplomatic missions to discuss the June 21 closure of The Post’s offices and printing press, and the seizure of its assets, over disputed tax debts.
The groups note that an order by Zambia’s Revenue Appeals Tribunal last month set forth a path to resolve the matter, which centres on allegedly unpaid income tax withholding and VAT receipts.
The order directs the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to release The Post’s bank accounts and hand back its premises and equipment so that it can conduct business. It also directs The Post to immediately pay whatever portion of a 53 million Kwacha tax bill issued earlier this year that it believes is actually owed and to provide security for the remainder until the true amount can be determined.
The groups also note the arrest of Post Editor and Co-Founder Fred M’membe, his wife, Mutinta Mazoka-M’membe, and Post Deputy Managing Editor Joseph Mwenda after they entered the paper’s offices with the Tribunal’s order. The three, who were allegedly assaulted during the incident, were released but charged with uttering a forged document – the order – and criminal trespass.
The tax case against The Post is widely perceived to be the result of political pressure by Zambian President Edgar Lungu to silence critics of his ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party ahead of next month’s elections, in which voters will elect the president and members of the General Assembly, and decide whether to adopt changes to the Bill of Rights in Zambia’s Constitution.
The representatives also note that government agents have raided printers suspected of printing copies of The Post in recent weeks, even though no court has deemed publication of the daily to be illegal.
Government representatives have brushed off questions about one of those raids, claiming the printer was the target of unrelated charges, but they have failed to justify others.
The case targeting The Post has come amid an uptick in pressure on media, leading to a broader climate of self-censorship.
The representatives note that in recent years, journalists have complained of threats and harassment by Information Minister Chishimba Kambwili against journalists and outlets that engaged in critical, or insufficiently deferential, coverage.
Journalists have also reported harassment and threats from party cadres associated with both the PF and the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), depending on the journalists’ media affiliation.
The tax case has also come amid an unprecedented surge in political violence, illustrated most recently in last week’s use by police in Lusaka of live ammunition to quell clashes with UPND supporters.
One UNPD supporter was killed, leading the country’s election commission to order all campaigning in the capital city suspended for 10 days.
Zambia has enjoyed a reputation as a leader in respect for democracy and human rights in the region, but recent events have cast a troubling shadow over that reputation.
Voters need and deserve to hear a full range of voices as they decide their future.
The Post has played a vital role in providing an alternative to government dominated mass media.
Unshackling that voice is critical if Zambians are to vote in an atmosphere that can be deemed free and fair. The sooner that this issue is resolved – and the sooner that The Post and all journalists who choose to play such a role are allowed to do so freely – the better.
The representatives therefore call on Zambia’s government to:
Immediately drop all criminal charges against M’membe and the others charged with him, and hold those responsible for assaults on them accountable;
Allow all media outlets in Zambia to operate independently and to cover all parties contesting the upcoming elections in a free and fair manner;
Ensure that the ZRA, as well as all other government entities, is allowed to fulfil its statutory functions without political interference;
Respect the independence of the judiciary and of the Revenue Appeals Tribunal, and play a leadership role in encouraging the ZRA as well as all other parties in proceedings before those bodies to respect and comply with their decisions;
Come together with representations of all political parties contesting the upcoming elections to denounce political violence and pressure targeting journalists; and
Publicly reaffirm the vital role of media freedom to democracy and ensure that all government officials respect it in line with Zambia’s domestic and international human rights commitments, and refrain from bringing political pressure to bear on media outlets.
The representatives further call on the ZRA and The Post to heed the aforementioned decision by the Revenue Appeals Tribunal and to work together to ensure that it is carried out.
IPI Executive Board Chair John Yearwood AMI Senior Adviser Wangethi Mwangi IPI Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis
The Zambia Under-17 Squad looks set for the 2016 COSAFA Youth Championship that starts on Friday in Mauritius.
The Junior Chipolopolo team coached by Oswald Mutapa travelled to Mauritius on Tuesday morning after weeks of preparations in Lusaka.
Mutapa has selected 20 players for the competition that was last held in 2014 when Zambia defeated hosts Zimbabwe in the final.
Zambia is in Group B alongside guests Kenya, Malawi and Madagascar.
Zambia plays the opener against Kenya on July 22 before facing Malawi two days later while the final group match against Madagascar will be played on July 26.
Meanwhile, Group A comprises hosts Mauritius, Seychelles, Namibia and South Africa.
The squad:
Goalkeepers: Benson Mwale, Edward Mwanza
Defenders: Justine Mwanza, Benjamin Phiri, Kasonde Mulenga, Hillary Mwiinga, Danny Kunda, Ponsirio Kapampa
Midfielders: Musonda Kalale, Nkandu Kunda, Charles Bwalya, Jonathan Tembo, Chanda Mukuka, Sam Mbewe
Strikers: George Nyimbili, Nicholas Mulilo, Samuel Kabwe, Damiano Kola Sam, Castro Siakotela, Mwiza Siwale
