ZRA officers raided the Post Newspaper’s printing plant and by 18: 30, the officers locked up the printing plant and seized property thereby grounding to a halt the newspaper’s operations.

ZRA has since taken over accounts, cash and property and state police has taken over security.

At the Bwinjimfumu office, ZRA officers locked up newspaper staff and some clients as they executed their action.

This follows the Supreme court’s ruling in favour of ZRA n a case in which the High Court granted a stay of the ZRA’s levy of distress on the Post Newspapers.

Some Post Newspapers staff took to social media to confirm that the paper has been shut down and condemned the action by the tax authorities.

Meanwhile ZRA had issued a new demand notice of K53.8 million in various taxes to be paid with immediate effect.

Part of the notice read: “Payment of this amount demanded should be made immediately either to your nearest cash office of the above address. If this amount is not aid immediately, debt recovery action will be instituted against you without any further notice”.

ZRA has in the recent past raided the Post Newspapers in a bid to recover alleged outstanding contributions but the action was challenged in court by the newspaper.

Speaking when he featured on Muvi TV’s Zambia Decides election program Mr Fube said this year’s elections are just a formality as neither UPND’s Hakainde Hichilema nor Edith Nawakwi of the FDD has the caliber to beat Mr Lungu in this year’s general elections.

He said the PF is the people’s favourite because they have demonstrated how the country can should be run through the unprecedented infrastructure development which it has put up since being elected into office.

He said there is no opposition which can turn the tables on the PF because Zambians are seeing the benefits of having the PF in office and that the opposition will be lucky if there is a re-run.

He added that in the unlikely event of a re-run non of the parties in the opposition can work together.

And Mr Fube said most senior members of the party who have ditched the PF to join the opposition UPND did so because they couldn’t stomach the fact that the person they fought against was their leader.

He said the differences people such as GBM and Miles Sampa among others had with President Lungu was not on principle but personal as some of them have clearly failed to explain why they left the party.

He said he had six meetings with GBM to try and iron out the purported difference but that couldn’t work because GBM had personal issues with the President and that he could not simply take it that President Lungu has become who he is today.

On the PF losing popularity in their strong holds, Mr Fube said who ever was thinking that was lying to themselves as no such thing has happened in the country and that it is the opposite which has actually happened as people in hostile constituencies are now warming up to the PF because of their works in the last five years.

And Mr Fube has said that UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema should stop pretending that he cares about the people when he is one of the people who created some of the challenges as he was the person in charge of selling the mines in the country.

He said Mr Hichilema is no position to fix anything because it is him who broke some of the things in the first place and that whatever is broken PF will fix it by themselves as they are not afraid to face the challenges head on.

He further loughed of the UPND’s ten point plan saying the PF has a manifesto not a peice of paper called ten point plan.

On the Socialist agenda being propagated by Rainbow party presidential candidate Wynter Kabimba Mr Fube said those are ancient ideologies which can not work in modern society as even the biggest Socialist Republic in the world, China is practicing capitalism.

He said the country can only develop through borrowing to inject capital in the nation’s economy and wondered where his former Secretary General would get the resources spread around the country for free.

He also said the PF will not lose the great vision of their late visionary President Micheal Sata because of critics with empty promises.

Police in Namwala on Monday arrested and detained former UPND Namwala Member of Parliament Moono Lubezhi for allegedly assaulting the Namwala FDD parliamentary candidate Charity Kabongomana.

Ms. Lubezhi and seven other UPND members were arrested Monday morning and charged with assault, unlawful wounding and malicious damage to property.
Ms. Lubezhi and seven others appeared before Namwala Resident Magistrate Andrew Kasongo for plea and denied all the charges.

Southern Province Police Commissioner Goodwin Phiri confirmed in an interview that Ms. Lubezhi and 7 others are still in custody until they meet the bail conditions.

By close of business on Monday, the accused persons had not met their bail conditions.

July 19 is the date for commencement of trial.

Is Lungu against free press?

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MMD Mwandi constituency candidate Mukuka Akalemwa says “expired” immediate past area MP Micheal Kaingu has been trying to buy him out of the race with a promise of a job as an ambassador once the PF is re-elected back into government.

In a contest being widely viewed as a ” David vs Goliath” battle by the voters in the constituency, Mr Akalemwa 27 is one of the youngest contestants in this year’s Parliamentary elections said Mr Kaingu has realised that he does not stand a chance of winning this year’s elections hence has now resorted to promises of a job and that he will campaign for him in 2021.

He said he has refused to listen to Higher Education Minister’s offers because he wants to bring development to the area and that he will not betray the local people who have put trust in him.

“The Minister has failed the constituency since he was elected as area MP and that gives me a 70% chance of wining these elections because I have done my ground work. He is now telling the people that give me my last five years then he will campaign for me in 2021 and that just shows you how desperate he is.

“He is afraid because when he goes on the ground he is just hearing my name and now he is telling voters that they give him the last 5 years then he will push for me to be an ambassador and that he will campaign for me in 2021 but I have refused to listen to those offers because I want to contribute positively to the development of the nation and my constituency in particular because it has lagged behind in development,” Akalemwa said.

And Mr Akalemwa called on the youths in the country to emulate him and many other youths who have chosen to positively contribute to the nation by aspiring for high positions in the country’s political circles.

He said youths should not expect recycled politicians to hand over political power with out a fight and that youths should not just allow any anybody to use them as tools of violence.

He said one of his priorities will be to ensure that youths are made part of the decision making circles in the constituency through interest groups such as development committees so as to inculcate a sense of responsibility.

He also said he will work towards bringing service provisions such as schools and clinics nearer to the people of Mwandi who have been traveling long distances sometimes crossing to other constituencies to access the services.

He said for the last five years the expired MP concentrated on taking care of his farm in Choma which he has been visiting every weekend instead of checking on the people of Mwandi and knowing what their challenges are.

Definitely this Goliath will fall, Mr Akalemwa said.

Council of Churches in Zambia says President Edgar Lungu should exercise his authority as Head of State to address the political violence urgently with seriousness and impartiality to bring the lawlessness to an end before the country becomes ungovernable ahead of the general elections.

CCZ President Bishop Dr Alfred Kalembo in a statement stated that the continued violence amongst political opponents was a clear indication that the pledge to end violence made by all political parties at the recently held political party indaba convened by the three church mother bodies was not being honoured.

“Following a meeting of the Executive Board in Lusaka on June 16, 2016 the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) wishes to state the following in relation to the forth-coming general elections on August 11, 2016. The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has noted with disappointment the continued political violence that has characterized the political scene ahead of the August 11, 2016 general elections among political opponents which has in some instances resulted in injury and damage to property a situation which threatens the peace and security of the country,” Bishop Dr Kalembo stated.

“CCZ has observed that the political environment has become increasingly volatile and has diverted government’s attention from focusing on issues of improving people’s lives through developing the nation. Now all attention is focused on campaigns and related issues of violence and name-calling.”

[pullquote]party cadres dressed in military regalia are usually armed with weapons such as machetes, pangas and iron bars often used to attack each other[/pullquote]

“We have noted that many political opponents are still using hate speech for intimidation, while party cadres dressed in military regalia are usually armed with weapons such as machetes, pangas and iron bars often used to attack each other across the various different political parties, destroying property and threatening violence in marked territories.”

Bishop Dr Kalembo stated that CCZ had noted with dismay at the political party campaigns which have taken the form of processions of branded motor vehicles carrying supporters who do not observe traffic rules causing danger to other road users who are forced out of the roads or threatened with violence if they defy orders from the political party supporters.

“We wish to appeal to all the Zambian citizens to refrain from engaging in violence because of their political differences. We also appeal to the Zambia Police Service to take its rightful position as a law enforcer to maintain peace and protect the lives of the citizens which are endangered by the prevailing political violence.”

He said CCZ is calling on all political party leaders who were present at the political party indaba held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to honour their promise which was an endeavour to advocate for a violent free political environment ahead of the elections as a way of expressing political tolerance for the development of the country.

“We are concerned that if political violence is not addressed the country is at risk of allowing machete wielding youths dressed in military regalia to intimidate the electorate during the forth-coming general elections a development which will affect the outcome of the elections.”

The Basic Education Teachers Union (BETUZ) has described as false the UPND’s election promise that it will introduce free education up to university level.

At a recent campaign rally in Chinsali, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema reiterated his pledge that he will introduce free education from primary to university level if elected into office.

But in an interview, BETUZ President Cosmas Mukuka contended that the UPND is only making such pronouncements to woo voters ahead of the August elections.Mr Mukuka said it is a well-known fact that even providing the current free primary education has been a tall order for the government which makes it almost impossible for any administration to escalate free education up to tertiary level.

He said if the UPND was to introduce free education, it would greatly compromise the quality of education.

“The truth is that these are lies. No government can implement free education. It is too costly. The UPND is just trying to sugar coat things in order to win votes. It can’t give free education. It simply can’t,” Mr Mukuka said.

He observed that the failing standards of education in the public sector currently is due in part to reduced spending by government.

“There are too many competing needs and a government should create a policy that compels parents and those that can afford to contribute something to the education of their children. The government alone simply can’t.”

“Maybe a free education policy in rural areas where people don’t work can at least work best and not everywhere. In urban areas where people are working, they should at least pay something,” he said.

Mr Mukuka who is also Zambia Congress of Trade Unions General Secretary has since appealed to politicians to be honest as they canvass for votes.

“This thing of telling lies is not good. This promise of free education is a lie which can’t be implemented,” he said.

According to the 2016 budget allocations, the education sector received K 9.1 billion in 2016 from which was 17.2 of the total budget from K9.4 billion allocated in 2015 which represented 20.2 percent of the total budget.This was the lowest allocation six years.

Chipata Magistrate Court Moses Phiri has fined a 47-year-old Vubwi district Patriotic Front (PF) chairperson Michael Tembo for assaulting Peter Sukwa, a correspondent with the Post Newspaper and Kelvin Phiri, a Feel Free FM station radio journalist.

This is in a matter in which Tembo  on December 10th last year assaulted the two journalists who were investigating a story where it was alleged that foreigners were being aided to obtain National Registration Cards (NRCs) and being registered as voters in the registration centre in the district.

Facts were that on 10th December last year, the PF cadre jointly and whilst acting together with unknown persons beat the two journalists and assaulted them, thereby causing actual bodily harm on them contrary to the laws of Zambia.

Magistrate Phiri said it was unfortunate that as a leader, the accused ended up committing such offences by denting the name of the ruling party.
He said President Lungu had not hidden his sentiments by advocating for non violent cadres.He said cadres should stick to their role and respect the duty that
journalists have even as they also fulfil their role.

‘’ It is clear that the witnesses did not testify against their own boss and the third state witness who earlier identified himself as a business person, was identified by the convict as a potential candidate of the ruling party in Vubwi constituency and I therefore find you guilty of assault and convict you accordingly,’’ Magistrate
Phiri said.

The court noted that it was also a fact that the two journalists were beaten whilst doing their verification duty, adding that, they did not do their duty of informing people as they were blocked by the convict.

Magistrate Phiri said the court noted that the convict was casual during cross examinations and only realized when the seriousness of the matter when he was found with a
case to answer.

In mitigation, Tembo said he was the only one helping the family as he was looking after his sisters’ four children as well as his three biological children.
He also said his mother was a chronically ill person who frequented Chipata Central hospital to seek medication and depended on him.

But the court said his mitigation was heard and that he was the first offender but he should have thought about his family which depended on him before engaging in such acts of violence.

The Magistrate however fined Tembo K 12, 000 or in default serve nine months sentence. The magistrate gave Tembo only Monday to pay the fine or to serve the nine months sentence, stating that of the total fine,K 2000 would go to the state while Sukwa and Kelvin would share K 5000 each.

Magistrate Phiri said the court was satisfied that the prosecution presented its case beyond reasonable doubt to warrant the conviction of Tembo.

He said the convict’s witnesses failed to testify to convince the court when they were cross examined by the state that Tembo was innocent and that it was clear that they wanted to save a person they called their boss as they all belonged to the ruling political party.

For more than 6 years in a row Zambia has been experiencing bumper harvests in it’s maize crop.The forces driving this increase remain widely debated. One thing that stands out for sure is that Zambia rejected GMO maize despite international pressure. Other southern African countries that embraced GMO maize have been seeing a decline in their maize yields.

Despite having Genetically modified maize that is drought resistant, South Africa reaped the smallest harvest since 2007 this year due to the drought brought by the global El Nino weather pattern.In 2014 the South African Government launched two new strains of drought-resistant maize to farmers which scientists said would survive on far less water than regular natural mealie crops and held the promise of ending hunger for the poor.Results speak for themselves.The FAO reported a sharp production decline with the South African maize output forecast at 7.7 million tonnes,28 percent down from the below?average 2015 harvest.

Other countries like Malawi and Zimbabwe have also seen a decline in their maize yields over the years.

The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Arusha protocol which the PF government signed makes it illegal for farmers to save, reuse and exchange seed amongst themselves as they have always done. Zambia and other members of ARIPO will be reviewing the draft regulations for the implementation of the ARIPO protocol from 14-17 June 2016 in Harare Zimbabwe. A significant portion of these draft regulations are targeting farmers in a manner that is unduly punitive and intent on extorting the small scale farmer to the point where the country is in danger of losing all the progress made so far where small scale farmers have contributed massively to food production including maize which is now even available to countries around us that have maize deficits.

Zambia would do well to follow the adage- If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. On October 24th 1964 Zambia became a sovereign nation and Zambia needs to do whatever it takes to protect it’s sovereignty and not give in to so called investors who do not have Zambia’s best interest at heart.

Quote from Rwanda’s New Times

Africa has all the ingredients (ample land, fertile soils, abundant rains and the most clement weather, etc) not only to be food secure, but to feed the world as well. The basics are there and we do not need to poison our environment with things like GMO to produce that food. What we need are better and more modern agricultural policies and practices, including effective farmer extension services, better land management practices, access to affordable farm credit, better harvesting and storage practices, micro agro processing factories to convert surplus farm produce to marketable products in situ, and improved infrastructure to serve rural food producing areas. Don’t kill our food capabilities with GMO poison that will also shut our agricultural products out of many markets where they have banned anything with GMOs. Plus you cannot be food-secure by handing control of your seeds to the likes of Monsanto, Du Pont or Bayer (notice all of them are chemical companies like Union Carbide of Bhopal infamy, not people you should be handing control of your food source to, despite what their public relations people, including in academia may be whispering in your ears).

Born Carl Chanda Mbao in Zambia, life has taken this young phenomenon around the world. A self-declared ‘rolling stone’, Chanda has lived in Zambia, Spain and the United States, with many, many other travels in between. His journey with music began at a young age, with the classic album Doggystyle by Snoop Dogg. Later, Chanda would become enthralled with East Coast legends, including Nas, who would become his favorite MC. At the callow age of nine, Chanda decided that he could rap too and he began penning his first verses. Many rhyme books later, Chanda has now arrived. 

While living in the United States he would attend the University of Miami to study Economics and International Studies. Now back in his home country, he has released two hugely successful singles , ‘Ifyapa Mwesu’ and ‘Selfish’ , the latter gaining an impressive 25000 views on YouTube within the first 3 weeks of the music videos release . 

We caught up with Chanda for an interview:

KAPA187: You have been in the music industry for some time now, but there are some who are just getting to know now. Briefly tell us about yourself.

CHANDA MBAO: I’m a young Zambian artist who’s incredibly passionate about music, particularly the Hip-Hop genre. Musically, I’ve always strived for balance in terms of having a layer of meaning and message but also trying to craft sonically appealing music.

KAPA187: Tell us about your current single “selfish”. What was the inspiration for that song?

CHANDA MBAO: Selfish is a story I feel a lot of us young professionals relate to. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in our professional ambitions that we neglect other important aspects of our lives such as our romantic relationships. The inspiration for the song was, clearly, personal experiences of my own and my co-writer of the song, Scott. We actually wrote the song together the very first time we met each other and it was a very organic and productive studio session orchestrated by the mastermind Shom-C himself.

KAPA187: ‘Selfish’ has been praised for having a high quality video. The inclusion of former Big Brother housemate, Maria Nepembe, was a stellar choice. Explain the concept of the video.

CHANDA MBAO: Thank you! In the story of Selfish, I lose my lover, Maria, to a workaholic lifestyle because I fail to make it clear to her that the reason I’m working so hard is to take our relationship to the next level. It’s written to be a mini-tragedy of sorts because the loss is founded partly in failed communication and misunderstanding–she doesn’t know that I’m intending on asking her hand in marriage and I don’t know that she’s about to have my child. These kinds of misunderstandings were centerpieces to the plot lines of the Shakespearean tragedies so I took inspiration from that when I was writing the script.

KAPA187: So far ‘Selfish’ has attained 25 000 plus views on YouTube in a matter of weeks. This is no small feat for a local artist. Did you anticipate the overwhelmingly positive response?

CHANDA MBAO: I had a good feeling about the project because we put a lot of work into it but I honestly didn’t see it performing as well as it has in terms of YouTube views. I’m very grateful for the support and working hard to take it to the next level.

KAPA187: Earlier this year you released another single “Ifyapa Mwesu”. In it you discussed your love for Zambia despite living abroad for some time. You have lived in Europe and the US, why did you decide to relocate to Zambia?

CHANDA MBAO: That’s a great question and a difficult one to answer with exactitude. The honest answer is that ever since I was young, I always vowed to settle here. Living abroad was just an opportunity to pursue higher education and gain international experience but I’ve always known I would come back home. It was time.

KAPA187: Zambian music keeps getting better and better every day, but we still seem to fail to make a huge impact outside our borders. What, in your opinion, do local artist need to do about that?

CHANDA MBAO: Basically, we just need to compete on quality from our songwriting, to our production to our music videos. Since we don’t have a large market like Nigeria, for example, to push a volume strategy, our product just needs to be so good that it sells itself on quality. I think in the past, there was a gap between what was considered of an acceptable standard for an international artist vs. a Zambian artist but I think we’re seeing that gap close, for the better.

KAPA187: Your last Mixtape “Desiderata” was released 3 years ago to positive reviews. How, would you say, you have grown as an artist from that time to now.

CHANDA MBAO: I think I’ve learned a lot about writing a complete song. As a Hip-Hop artist you tend to focus a lot on verses, especially if you’re a fan of the old school but your challenge is not neglecting to write really strong hooks and bridges–structuring a song fully such that you make it attractive to different kinds of audiences.

KAPA187: Are you currently working on an album? If so tell us what your fans can expect from it?
CHANDA MBAO: Ironically, I wasn’t planning one but an album has become a reality, organically, simply through being consistent in the studio and working with inspiring and creative individuals such as Shom-C, Shinko Beats, Kaladoshas and Scott. In terms of the sound, you can expect a very varied record which is ultimately rooted in the Hip-Hop genre but is infused with sonic elements from our local scene and other genres as well. My goal is to make something exportable but that can also be embraced by fans of various genres locally, ultimately creating a listening experience where you can go from a song which has a beat you can dance to and is easy to listen to, to a song which is a lot deeper in its lyrical content. I plan on releasing the project towards the end of 2016 or early 2017 with a focus on singles until the full project comes out.

KAPA187: Apart from music what else are you involved in.

CHANDA MBAO: Besides music, my main line of work is in finance. Additionally, I’m involved with a local start-up company which produces patriotic products–the company’s first product is called Zed Polo Polo, which is a line of Zambian branded polo shirts.

KAPA187: Any last words…

CHANDA MBAO: My final words would be a big thank you to Lusaka Times for being so supportive of the local entertainment scene and artists such as myself who are working hard to put out quality music. I’d also like to thank all the readers and fans who are supporting my endeavors–everyone should feel free to reach out to me on social media. I’m easy to find and always online–Chanda Mbao is my name on all platforms.

Interact with Chanda Mbao on social media;

Twitter: @ChandaMbao

Instagram: ChandaMbao

Facebook: Chanda Mbao

THE MUSIC

Ifyapa Mwesu (ft. Malz)

Selfish ft Scott

BY KAPA187