On a cold Tuesday morning, Charlotte Scott -aspiring candidate for Lusaka central tweeted a picture of herself doing the hit ‘dab’ dance. Within hours, her @CharlotteScott twitter feed and Charlotte Scott Facebook page were flooded.
Inadequate road policing law causing fatal accidents
The Zambia Road Safety Trust has observed that the latest surge in increased loss of life on our roads is as a result of inadequate road policing, among other things.
According to the Zambia Police, yesterday, 12th July 2016, at least twelve people were killed on the spot including five females, six males and a child, whereas eight people suffered serious injuries when they were travelling along Mutanda-Solwezi Road. The incident is said to have happened, when the driver of a minibus lost control due to excessive speeding and went into the lane of oncoming truck. The Trust is also awake to the 47 lives lost in road traffic during this year four-day Trade fair holidays (two weeks ago) as against the 25 lives lost in 2015 during the same period.
From these fatal traffic incidents monitored, which have resulted in social and economic human suffering especially for those concerned, and the country at large, it is evident that the main causes were over-speeding, unlicensed and drunk motorists, and some avoidable journeys made at night.
What if the authorities we were able to arrest that unlicensed driver before he got to the wheel, what if the over-speeding vehicle was stopped in time, and why are we not able to apply enforcement timely and adequately? How many more lives are at risk before we fix this problem?
It’s correct to say that, with adequate and timely enforcement, many lost lives could be with us today and the pain of death and sorry could have been avoided, as road accidents are widely preventable, avoidable and predictable.
There is need to address this scourge urgently, fix the problem before the public gets tired of pointing fingers at already known causes- always saying sorry and becoming saddened can be an insult to the affected families.
Zambia’s current road safety situation is not something to be proud of. According to the American embassy in Zambia advisory note published online and addressed to its citizens quotes:
“Road safety (in Zambia) is an even more significant threat than crime. Vehicle travel is extremely hazardous under normal conditions, but particularly so at night and during inclement weather. Zambia has an average of 50 fatalities per 100,000 residents (the highest metropolitan rate in the U.S. by contrast is 17.8 fatalities per 100,000 residents). Defensive driving is a must. Traffic laws are routinely ignored by many local drivers, who often possess poor driving skills and/or training”.
To help address this problem, the Zambia Road Safety Trust among other interventions is appealing for urgent review of our current traffic law to grant RTSA more leverage to effectively patrol our roads and curb the increased road accidents, as it’s clear that the Zambia police patrols are insufficient largely due to lack of adequate resources, trained and available personal, and equipment, particularly in the face of increased road traffic. The Trust calls for increased funding and support to RTSA and the Zambia Police from all concerned stakeholders from public, private and even the civil society.
The Trust is also calling for partners to join it, in the implementation of its recently published Road Safety Strategy 2020, which aims at supporting government efforts to cut road deaths and injuries by 50 percent by 2020.
As we approach the general elections, the Trust is also deeply saddened that despite road accidents cited by the Ministry of Health, as one of the leading causes of death just behind Malaria and HIV/Aids, and a source of increasing alarming poverty levels especially among the bereaved families, the issue is not sufficiently addressed.
Daniel Mwamba
Executive Director
Zambia Road Safety Trust
Audit reveals 2016 voters register has over 130,000 double voters, several anomalies
The 2016 voter’s register audit findings have shown that 132,837 voters on the voter’s register are sharing National Registration Card numbers while 2,555 people shared NRC numbers, names and dates of birth.
The audit has not been able to show evidence to support the allegations of inclusion of suspected foreigners in the provisional register of voters because all the registration records have associated NRC numbers that conforms to the legal requirement.
The auditors however did not rule out the fact that it is possible for the Electoral Commission to register foreign nationals.The Commission has since invited political parties to inspect the provisional register and identify any non-Zambians who are on the list.
As a result of that call, two people have since been taken off the register.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia engaged external consultants from Kenya lead by Dismas Ong’ando who started working on the 5th of June up to 5th July this year.
And the audit has revealed that 492 people shared nearly full registration details with some variations on gender and district code on NRC number.
It has also established that 1,697,762 people representing 32 percent of the registered voters were added to the register as new voters while 142,383 were ineligible to vote and have been removed from the voter’s register.
This was disclosed during a stakeholders meeting in Lusaka organised by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
Meanwhile, ECZ Chairperson Esau Chulu also disclosed that the register audit key findings show that there is no evidence that foreigners were added to the 2016 voter’s register.
Justice Chulu emphasised that the audit of the voter’s register was done transparently by foreign independent auditors between 5th June and 5th July 2016.
He said the ECZ has established that the existing penalties on election offences are inadequate with no penalties specifically related to the offence of multiple voter registrations.
He said the commission has since written to the Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship requesting for death records of citizens that were of voting age at the time of death.The Commission also wrote to the National Pensions Scheme Authority last month requesting for the records of citizens that were of voting age at the time of death.
NAPSA has since replied to the Commission which is also analysing and processing the date availed to it.
Team leader Mr. Ong’ondi is a qualified Information Security Management Business Continuity Management IT Governance and was trained at the University of Nairobi, in Kenya.
Request Muntanga laid to rest
Immediate past Kalomo Member of Parliament Request Muntanga has been put to rest at his farm in Mukwela area in Kalomo district.
Hundreds of mourners and dignitaries turned up to pay their last respects to Mr Muntanga who died at Lusaka’s UTH last week after suffering a stroke.
The funeral service was presided over by the Seventh Day Adventist Church Southern Zambia Conference Dr. Harrington Akombwa who delivered powerful words of comfort and encouragement, calling for peace and unity ahead of the upcoming general elections.
Reverend Akombwa also called politicians to put Zambia first and preserve the unity the country has enjoyed over the years as a prerequisite to sound economic development.
He prayed that the funeral of Mr Muntanga would be a reference point for uniting the country.
UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema led several party leaders at the burial of Mr Muntanga who was one of the founding leaders of the UPND.
Representatives from the Southern African Parliamentary Union, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and a number of MPs from other countries were also in attendance.
Mr Hichilema who took time to address the mourners said the late Mr Muntanga will be sorely missed.
“We were also reminded of the need to seek God first as we seek national leadership. Even back in my days before politics Request was a good friend, giving me advice and wise counsel on my investments. In politics he will be remembered as a leader who never forgot the people he represented,” Mr Hichilema said.
“We have a lot to learn from Request’s resolve, dedication and support for the party since inception. As a party, we shall continue the struggle to realise the vision of a better Zambia in which Request so wholeheartedly believed.”
JK and others win copyright rights over “Dununa Reverse” song
Registrar of Copyrights in Zambia has warned that it is an offence for anyone to reproduce, distribute and communicate to the public or do any act that prejudices both the moral and economic interest of the owner.
Responding to a formal complaint by five artistes over the alleged infringement of their intellectual and property rights over the hit song Dununa Reverse, Acting Registrar of Copyrights Grace Kasungami stated that the artists could even claim damages over the song.
She stated that the Copyright and Performance Rights Act No 44 of 1994, protects the artist to be the sole reproducer, distributors and performer of their works.
Jordan Katembula(JK), Wilson Lungu (Wille), Happy Kayombo Machai (Kayombo), Felix Phiri (Felix), and Martin Kapesha (Shenke) complained to the Copyright authority that their song (Dununa Reverse) was being stolen in part or whole and their right to Copyrights and intellectual property was breached by the action.
This complaint to the copyright body has halted attempts to have the unauthorised copies or versions from being played on any media.
The artistes have a right to pursue the matter further to claim damages.
Some artistes such as Oga Kent have done their own versions of the Dununa song, rhythm and words and twisted words into new songs.
Finance minister opens first ever financial institution in Mungwi district
Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda has called on banking institutions to lower the interest rates and effectively contribute to poverty eradication.
Mr Chikwanda says currently the high interest rates have reduced and pre-empted the economy growth prospects.He said this when he officially opened a new Indo-Zambia Bank branch in Mungwi district.
Mr Chikwanda said it is clear that banks play a critical role in the development of the country’s economic growth.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu has praised government and Indo-Zambia bank for bringing financial services closer to the people in rural areas.
Indo-Zambia Bank Managing director Maheshkumar Bansal said the banking facility has continued to invest and expand its services and products because of the confidence that it has in the Zambian economy.
Speaking at the same function bank of Zambia director for non financial institutions supervision Visscher Bbuku urged commercial banks in the country to expand their services and products to rural areas.
And Northern Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe said the opening of the bank in Mungwi district will enable people in the area to be productive while reducing poverty levels.
Putting a human face to political violence will change how it is viewed-YALI
The young African Leaders Initiative has called on politicians in the country to put a human face to the political violence which continues to rock the country.
Speaking during a District sensitisation workshop on non-violent campaigns which began with a moment of silence for Mapenzi and other young people who have lost their lives due to political violence in, YALI President Andrew Ntewewe said putting a human face to political violence will change the way people view the scourge.
Mr Ntewewe said political violence becomes interesting when people put a political face to it but that it is not so interesting when a human face is attached to the violence.
He said the victims of political violence are not named by their party’s name but as individuals who have families and a life away from politics.
He urged politicians to stop taking the easy way out by putting a political face to political violence because doing so just fuels it.
“The violence that we are seeing has a human face and we should avoid putting a political face to it. The human face of this violence is the faces of the victims who have been affected and died due to the scourge and the perpetrators of this violence should not hide in the name of Political parties but should be called for what they are, savages and scavengers who should be caged like the criminals they are.
When you attack your opponent you are not attacking a political party but a mother, a daughter, a son, a father or indeed a friend.
The people who are losing lives due to this violence have a families some of whom are bread winners therefore we should not look at this violence in a political view but that of human,” he said.
He also said politicians should stop using hate speech against one another during their campaigns as it is often times the source of conflict.
He said as opposed to character assassination campaign time is the time for political parties to present their manifestos to the people and explain how they intend to uplift their lives from abject poverty.
And Mr Ntewewe said political leaders should stop fueling violence and work at maintaining the peace and unity which the country is enjoying.
He said the country’s forefathers worked had to ensure that the peace and unity the country is enjoyed to is maintained hence politicians should ensure that they continue up holding the legacy of stability that the country is known for around the region.
He further said the skirmishes of violence being seen in the country are a recipe for bigger things which would make the country ungovernable if allowed to continue.
He called on the public to actively participate in helping to maintain peace because when the country is ungovernable no one will be spared.
The meeting was attended by 42 young people among them local government candidates from different political parties which included PF, UPND and FDD among others.
RTSA saddened by the death of 12 people in Solwezi
The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) is saddened by the death of 12 people in a road accident on Solwezi – Mutanda road near Mutanda Mission today.
Preliminary accident investigations conducted by the RTSA have revealed that the accident was caused due to a tyre burst and overspending.
The driver of the Toyota Hiace registration number ACT 1199, Simon Sinkamba failed to control the vehicle after a tyre burst and hit into the oncoming Iveco truck registration number AOB 230.
The accident investigation has also revealed that the driver was driving at excessive speed.
The bus was overloaded hence exerting more pressure on the tyres.
“Our investigations have further established that the driver of the bus was pirating as the bus is not licensed to operate as a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) and that the driver did not have the appropriate class of driver’s licence to carry passengers,” RTSA Spokesman Fredrick Mubanga said in a statement.
Police deputy Spokesperson Rea Hamoonga says among those who have died are five females,six males and one juvenile.
Mr Hamoonga said three of the deceased have since been identified as Mervis Mwambi aged 43, Webby Diara 22, and a 22 year old male only identified as Mukuya.
He said the driver of the truck escaped unhurt while eight other victims are admitted to Solwezi General Hospital.
The driver of the minibus is among the dead.
Silva sent off on Mighty debut after draw with Zesco
New Mighty Mufulira Wanderers Portuguese -born coach Paulo Silva began his debut on a dramatic note when was sent to the stands in his sides to a 1-1 away draw at Zesco United.
Silva was sent off in stoppage time of the first half after Zesco had equalized as he felt the pressure of jumping straight into the fire with a date against the defending FAZ Super Division champions at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Wanderers took the lead in the 4th minute through Rahim Osumanu who headed in Mike Katimba’s cross following an early wave by Mighty.
However, Zesco quickly settled down to dictate play with their usual high pressing and passing game led by Cletus Chama who gave the Mighty backline a torrid time.
Chama almost conjured a goal for Jackson Were in the 19th minute but the striker fired his effort high and over by his very high standards.
Mighty then suffered a setback in the 38th minute when goalkeeper Joshua Manyongo was stretchered off and replaced by Chrispin Chisowa after failing to recover from an injury he sustained in a duel for the ball with Chama in the 31st minute.
Were, though, did find the target in the 45th minute when he blasted in the ball from the near post as Mighty’s defenders struggled to quell a six-minute on-salught from Zesco.
Zesco turned on the screw after the break but Mighty resolutely defended for a draw to see the home side pick up their second successive point after Green Buffaloes held them at the same venue by the same margin last Saturday.
The defending champions are now seven points behind Zanaco on 33 and 40 points from sixteen and seventeen matches played respectively.
Wanderers stay put in 12th place despite the draw but move slightly from 18 to 19 points after seventeen matches played.
Journey of hope for Zambian orphan trafficked to sing in choir in the USA
Dr. Given Kachepa strides confidently into his practice, greeting a 17-year-old patient who’s come in to have her braces tightened.
“Hello. How are you?”
Life in the United States is quite different now for the 29-year-old Kachepa, compared to how it started as an 11-year-old orphan.
From his office, filled with fading family photos and handicrafts from his native Zambia, he reflects on how he first bought in to the allure of the American Dream.
“I came to the United States without a dollar in my pocket,” says Dr. Kachepa. “The only thing I had was hope.”
‘Sing, or we won’t feed you’
Born in a little village called Kalingalinga, Zambia, Kachepa met a man named Keith Grimes in 1998.
Grimes, a pastor from Whitesboro, TX, just outside Dallas, ran a high-profile, faith-based endeavor called TTT: Partners in Education.
He offered Kachepa and 11 other boys, an amazing opportunity. Come to the United States and sing in front of audiences, as part of an a cappella boy’s choir.
In exchange, the young singers would earn money for themselves, and more to send back to their families. They would also receive a U.S. education and help raise funds to build a school back in their village.
Given Kachepa as a child, performing with the choir.
The boys stayed on Grimes’ ranch in Texas, performing at shopping malls, schools and churches across the South.
One budget statement from TTT: Partners in Education, obtained by CNN, showed the organization took in more than $1 million from the performances, sponsorships, and donations, in just one year.
But the boys weren’t going to school, and they weren’t getting paid what was promised. When some of the older boys complained, Kachepa says the organization responded angrily.
“They said if you’re not going to sing, we’re either not going to feed you or we’re going to send you back home to Zambia,” Kachepa says, claiming they were performing as many as three to seven concerts a day, every single day.
Cause for concern
Sandy Shepherd, a former TTT volunteer, grew concerned about what she was witnessing.
“They’d do an elementary school and then they’d have to move to another school they had to do all their set up and all their take down up,” says Shepherd. “They’d been promised they’d get an education and that obviously wasn’t true. They’d been promised some sort of compensation, which they didn’t get any of that, until the labor department got involved.”
Federal investigators, acting on tips from concerned host families and interviews with choir members, eventually raided the ranch and removed the children.
Keith Grimes became the subject of a criminal investigation. But the investigation ended when he died of natural causes in 1999. Two years later, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled TTT: Partners in Education was liable for $966,422.00 in back wages and civil money penalties for the members of the choir.
To date, no choir member has received a penny.
A statement from the Department of Labor to CNN in 2010 said: “The U.S. Treasury was unsuccessful in securing back wages for these employees because the employer had died and his company was bankrupt.”
For her part, Shepherd tried to help many of the boys find foster families, including Kachepa. But when his previous arrangement fell through, she brought him into her family, where he’s been ever since.
The kindness has made a lasting impression on the young Zambian.
“To have a wonderful family take me in and say we’re willing to see you as our son. You may look different, but we’re willing to see you as a son and provide you with all the things you’re going to need to be a success, that was inspiring to me,” says Kachepa. “The only way I could pay them back was by working hard and trying to be the best person I could be, so that when I reach my goal I could provide the same opportunity to someone else.”
Dentist dreams
One of Kachepa’s goals, was to become a dentist. After graduating high school and college, CNN followed Kachepa, the day he enrolled at the dental school, back in 2010.
Given Kachepa at his graduation, with foster parents Sandy and Deetz Shepherd, who are holding photos of Kachepa’s birth parents.
“Dental school was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” says Kachepa. “It really just gives me chills to know I could be a dentist today. Where I grew up in Kalingalinga, there has never been a single dentist. I remember when I was a little boy my aunt had a toothache and the pain was so excruciating, she just kept pacing up and down up. But there was nothing anybody could do to help her. The only thing she could do was just wait until the pain went away.”
On May 27, 2016, Kachepa received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas.
Dr. Robert Baker became not just a professor, but a mentor, to Kachepa.
“He’d been through a lot and I didn’t know any of that at first,” says Dr. Baker. “He had a lot of walls. He wouldn’t let people get close to him.”
But that changed as Kachepa grew closer to graduating. Those closest to him say they’ve seen a remarkable blossoming in his personality.
“Now that he’s graduated, his self-confidence has just soared and it’s been so much fun to see,” says Shepherd. “I wake up in the morning and I will text him and say ‘good morning, doc. Am I’m really calling you doc?'”
Dr. Kachepa is now starting his own practice in Dallas, with plans to eventually return home to build dental practices in Zambia.
“That’s the way I can give back to the disadvantaged people of the world,” says Kachepa. “God brought me this far, not to let me fail at the end of it.”
(CNN)
Vice President Inonge Wina urges North Western province to vote for PF this time
Vice president Inonge Wina has said President Edgar Lungu has not discriminated any region in the country from benefiting from the developmental projects that the PF government has implemented in the last five years.
The Vice president said the PF government has managed to distribute projects throughout the country and cited the construction of 650 health posts, upgrading of primary schools into secondary schools among others projects.
Ms Wina was speaking yesterday during a campaign rally at Mukandakunda ground in Zambezi district.
“You have been voting for the opposition who are not able to associate with government for you to fully benefit from developmental projects, but President Lungu has not discriminated in taking development to all the people,” the vice president said.
She said it is difficult for an opposition member of parliament to bring to government’s attention the needs of the people and this is why some areas are lagging behind in development.
And when introducing the parliamentary and local government candidates to the electorates Ms Wina asked the candidates in Zambezi East constituency to work with the people and ensure they consolidate votes for President Edgar Lungu in the August 11 general elections.
“We are here to solicit your vote because it is important for the country to move from stagnation to better. You give President Lungu a candidate who will be able to work to deliver development” Ms Wina said
The vice president urged the people to vote for Brigadier general Kenneth Kankiza (retired), the PF candidate in the August 11 elections so that he can work with government to address their needs.
Ms Wina who also encouraged the people to vote YES in the upcoming referendum said that people agreeing to amend the bill of rights will constitutionally compel the PF administration to provide services to the people such as water, sanitation, health services and education.
Health deputy minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya and Ambassador David Saviye urged the people to vote for the PF candidates in the forthcoming elections for continued development.
And PF Zambezi East aspiring candidate Brigadier general Kankiza asked the people to vote for him, President Lungu and the ruling party in next month’s election because he will be able to address their challenges.
The vice president is in north western province to drum up support for PF candidates in the August 11 general elections.
Ms Wina said she was concerned that there are no female candidates contesting in the local government elections and hoped that the situation will change in the 2021 general elections.She however warned the people to be wary of some politicians who want to go to parliament to represent themselves and advised the people to judge such politicians.
Ms Wina is scheduled to hold a series of campaign rallies and meetings with party officials in all the 11 districts in the province before returning to Lusaka on Friday.
Experience Zambia
The horseshoe shaped Sioma Falls are located in Sioma District, Western Province. The falls also known as Ngonye and have an impressive drop of 20 meters. They are accessible via the M10 180 Km from Mongu.
Source: Experience Zambia
Printing of presidential ballots starts
Printing of Presidential ballot papers for the August 11th general election has started in Dubai, in the United Arab Eremites.
All the stakeholders who include representatives of the nine presidential candidates, civil societies, faith based organization and security wings witnessed the start of the printing process.
This follows the arrival of the PF Representative Ngosa Simbyakula who joined the rest of the monitoring team in Dubai.
Earlier, delegation leader Emily Sikazwe briefed Dr Simbyakula on how far the process has gone.
Dr Sikazwe said the printing of local government ballot papers that started yesterday is still underway while printing of ballot papers for the national Assembly has not yet started.
Zambian girl admitted to Harvard
How I got into Harvard
by Sela Kasepa
On the night of 11 March, 2016 I woke up to a phone call and my dream became a reality. I couldn’t believe my ears; Harvard was calling, had April fool’s day come early this year? The response was, Sela. Just in case you think you were dreaming or your parents think it was a prank, you were not and it is not. Looking forward to welcoming you to Harvard next fall. Congratulations!
By the way the name is Sela Kasepa, a Zambian girl from ChaChaCha, Kitwe and this is how I got into Harvard. It all began in August 2015 when I received one of the most important calls of my life. Little did I know that what seemed like a mundane call from the Zambian Institute for Sustainable Development would change my life?
This NGO had awarded me a scholarship which enabled me complete my high school education at Fatima Secondary School with a 10 in 10, 10 distinctions in 10 subjects. The ZISD Executive Director, Mr. Peter Lungu was inviting me to participate in their SAT program. The SAT is a college entrance exam used for admission into universities in the United States. Until then I was just another high school graduate with excellent grades but no funding for university; life had played a joke on me but I was not laughing. I had done my fair share of trekking from door to door, I was worn out and so were my shoes but with this call I could see light at the end of the tunnel.
I was elated and jumped at the opportunity to return to the classroom after my two year university search had come to a stall. The thought of attending school in America excited me, not for the glamor of the place, but for the boundless possibilities it would avail to me to pursue my dream career Aerospace Engineering. This excitement was short-lived. ZISD’s SAT program is about one of the most rigorous courses I have taken; actually that is an understatement it was baptism by fire. This regimented training consisted of daily tests in English and Maths in a short time span.
NEVER EVER GIVE UP,was a phrase that was emphasized by Coach Jimmy Valvano in 30 for 30: Survive and Advance, a movie that the ZISD team showed us. These nuclear words have stayed with me. In spite of insurmountable adversity and against improbable odds, never should you give up on your dream, passion or goal; it might take years to attain your dreams, but if you don’t give up, you can reach out, touch, and ultimately embrace your dreams. In the end, all this hard work paid off, I aced the SAT and obtained a perfect score in the subject test.
I did not intend on applying to Harvard, because I never thought I could get admitted; lucky for me, I had people who believed in me more than I did. In the words of Isaac Newton,?If I have been able to see further it is by standing on the shoulder of giants.?When most people were going to New Year’s Eve parties, I was grappling with the decision on whether to apply to Harvard.
At that moment, I received a call from Mr. Lungu following up on my Harvard application which prompted me to draft an application–mostly to get him out of my hair. My first application cycle to U.S universities was disappointing, I got waitlisted by Stanford and Gettysburg College and was admitted into Merrimack College and Michigan State University but without a scholarship to enable me attend.
However, this application cycle I was admitted into Stanford, M.I.T., Michigan State University, University of California Berkeley and Harvard with all offering scholarships. It is without saying that I chose to attend Harvard. Many a time, we are the cause of our own ruin. We belittle ourselves, and hinder our own advancement, thus setting ourselves on a path of self-destruction. My father saved me from this path through his belief in my innate capabilities, his high expectations of me, and his willingness to sacrifice his time to help me with my challenges. I owe much of my achievement to ZISD, for it gave me the best test prep, helped me with all my fees, and provided me with a family that truly cared. These factors greatly influenced my mentality, I applied to the big schools I feared, I was challenged to take on new opportunities, and I ultimately managed to attain my dream. Let your dreams change your reality, don’t let reality change your dreams. The road to success is riddled with many potholes, but we should endure them, pick ourselves up when we fall, and we will surely march on to victory. If you really want something, ?the universe conspires to make it happen.?Who would have thought that a girl from ChaChaCha would beat the odds and get into Harvard?
Slain UPND female supporter buried
Multitudes of people yesterday afternoon attended the Church service and burial of Mapenzi Chibulo, the UPND female supporter who was killed by police last Friday.
The funeral service was held at Lusaka’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross attended by the UPND senior leadership and people from different walks of life.
And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has expressed heartful condolences to Mapenzi’s family.
“We continue to pray to God that he comforts and guides you through this terrible time. Mapenzi was not the first of our supporters to be killed for the crime of being a UPND supporter. We pray to God she will be the last,” Mr Hichilema said.
Mr Hichilema stated, “There is no mystery as to how Mapenzi died. She was shot by those dressed in police uniforms in broad daylight. She was not armed. She was not a threat to anyone. Yet we are still waiting for those in positions of leadership to step up and accept responsibility. Where did the order for the use of live ammunition come from? Why were no warning shots fired?”
[pullquote]Who is equipping PF cadres with police uniforms and weapons?
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“Who is equipping PF cadres with police uniforms and weapons? These are some of the questions that must be answered immediately and if Inspector General Kanganja and President Lungu cannot come up with the answers then they have once again shown themselves unfit to be in the offices they hold.”
Mr Hichilema said young supporters like Mapenzi are those the UPND want to deliver for in office.
“We want to make sure there are jobs for them and more than anything we want to make sure they have full access to quality education so that they have the opportunity to achieve great things regardless of their background,” Mr Hichilema said.
“After 18 months of President Lungu there is now an even bigger job ahead of us if we want to achieve this vision. We must unite to bring a return to peace and stability. We must focus heavily on improving governance and end the abuse of office by those at State House and their use of institutions such as the Police as arms of their party. We must end the corruption that resides at the heart of this uncaring regime who have treated government office as a ‘get rich quick’ scheme.”
