The female duo known as DAVAOS finally unveiled the visuals for their previously released single “PABACHIMO“. The video was shot and directed by RedDot and the audio was produced by Kekero.
BY KAPA187
Ministry of Tourism issues Guildelines: Only 24 Lions to be hunted this year
Trophy hunters have received guidelines from Ministry of Tourism’s and Arts’ Department National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) as a measure to direct and regulate hunting of big cats.
This follows Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata’s lifting the suspension on hunting of big cats in May last year to allow it in this year’s hunting season.
In a speech read for her at the cat hunting training workshop at Lusaka’s Cresta Golfview Hotel by Tourism and Arts Permanent Secretary Stephen Mwansa, Ms Kapata noted that Trophy hunting contributes significantly to wildlife conservation and to the socio-economic well being of our people.
She asserted that the hunting is one of the conservation tools and a good example of successful private-public partnerships that sustainably support the conservation of wildlife in Game Management Areas (GMAs) in Zambia.
The Minister said that without trophy hunting, most of our wildlife in GMAs could have been decimated by now.
She noted that hunting plays a very critical role in protecting the wilderness in GMAs and therefore, ecosystem provide goods and services the wilderness to our people.
Meanwhile, DNPW Director Paul Zyambo said in 2012 Zambia instituted a moratorium on cat hunting because there was no proper system in place to ensure that cat hunting was sustainable.
Leopard hunting resumed last year and this year 2016, lion hunting will re-open in following a three-year moratorium.
The conditions the minister set for lifting the ban on cat hunting were to set a cautionary quota, hunt old lions with diminished biological function and to develop guidelines on lion hunting.
He said DNPW has a maximum quota of 24 lions for the year. The basis of issuing the quotas was prey availability and quotas based on land area at a rate of one lion per 1000 square kilometre in prime hunting areas and 1 lion per 2000 square kilometre in secondary hunting areas.
The cautionary quota the department is following is the lowest the country has issued in the last fifteen years. It is critical that we continue to follow a cautionary quota until we are satisfied that the measures we have put in place will not harm the population.
Among the among the guidelines is that the professional hunters are only allowed to hunt lion of six years and above and that no female lions will be hunted.
There are also penalties for hunting under-aged lions and female which including lifting of hunting licenses for erring hunters.
Government commended for commitment to amend Public order Act
Governance Expert Macdonald Chipenzi has praised government for committing to ensure that the controversial Public Order Act is amended before the August 11, 2016 elections.
Mr Chipezi said the Public Order Act has been a source of political differences in the country nation for so many years now.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that government should be commended for the move which will enhance democracy in the country.
Mr Chipenzi also appealed to parliamentarians to debate the POA bill with a free conscience because it will help to guarantee freedom of association, assembly and respect for human right among others for every individual.
He said precedence will be set by the minister of Home affairs once the POA is amended because many stakeholders have been crying for the revision of this peace of legislation to reflect the democratic tenets obtaining in the nation.
And Anti Voter Apathy executive director Richewell Mulwani said the move by government is pleasing and will help address the fluctuating political climate in the country.
Mr Mulwani said the issue of POA has been a source of concern adding that the bill should be introduced to parliament as quickly as possible.
Mr Mulawani said the revision of the bill will increase citizen participation in the country’s political dispensation.
Recently, Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila disclosed that government will ensure that the controversial Public Order Act is amended before the August 11 elections.
Mr Mwila said the Ministries of Home Affairs and Justice are ready to present the amendment bill to Parliament which reconvened on tuesday, April 12, 2016.
The Minister said government has listened to the cries of stakeholders on the need to have the Act amended.
He pointed out that the clause that requires notifying the police at least seven days before holding outdoor meetings or an event is one of the provisions that will be revised.
Mr Mwila said there is a general consensus that the notification period can be shortened to at least four days.
Poor Quality of Leadership
By CHILUFYA TAYALI
It is clear that our democracy is growing judging from the high level of interests and participation of citizens albeit few challenges such as lack of information, misapplication of the public order act, political intolerance among other impediments to best democratic practices.
However, we are very concerned with the quality of political leadership currently existing in the Country both in the ruling party and the opposition.
Alongside the growth of democracy, there is unbridled appetite for political power by many people. Political leadership has become so cheap that anybody, regardless of their social, economic and political skills feels they can lead Zambia.
Leadership is supposed to be a service to the people, out of love, but some of the people aspiring for leadership are doing it as an easy way to get worth such as Cars, Houses, fat bank accounts, among others lavishness.
To be a leader one has to be tolerant and open minded to accommodate people of various character and opinions, however, some of the people fighting to be leaders of our Country have bad temperament and intolerant to divert views.
A clear example can be drawn from the Vice President of the United Party for National Development (UPND) Mr. Geoffrey Mwamba Bwalya popularly known as GBM. Mr. Mwamba’s violent and insolent behavior is very evident in his personal character.
Mr. Mwamba has even gone to an extent of threatening media freedoms by warning Daily Nations that UPND will close the media house for reporting about his allegedly insults against Lusaka Deputy Minister Mulenga Sata and late President Sata.
The character and behavior of The UPND Veep is a good example of the poor quality of leadership we have in the Country which Zambians should guard against. All leaders who behave like Mr. Mwamba should not be allowed to hold political power, but they can be allowed to entertain Zambians as political clowns out of tolerance.
The behavior of Mr. Mwamba also puts the UPND President Mr. Hakainde Hichilema (HH) on the spot to show that the party does not tolerant hooliganism, especially from its top leadership by disciplining GBM for his violent behavior and insolence. If Mr. Hichilema, and the party at large, does not discipline Mr. Mwamba, they would be showing to Zambians that they are a party that will compromise leadership quality and our democracy and therefore should not be voted in power by Zambians.
HYPOCRISY BY THE OPPOSITION
There has been shortages mealie meal which has caused prices of the commodity to go up subjecting poor Zambians into more suffering. The opposition, especially the UPND top leadership, have insensately been accusing the PF government of having exported all the maize leaving Zambians with nothing.
Unfortunately, our investigations revealed that the Veep of UPND GBM, has also been one of the people exporting Maize to Zimbabwe. GBM confirmed our findings when he was challenged on the phone and went further to reveal that he has stacks of Maize of about 10,000 metric tonnes ready to be exported. GBM even expressed frustrations at ban of maize export.
The act of stacking maize by GBM and yet blaming the PF government is one of the waste political hypocrisy and selfishness. It shows that GBM cannot implement policies that will help people but his pocket.
Zambians should watch against leaders who pretend to love them and yet they only care for their welfare. GBM gives us that example of such pretentious leaders.
We also want to warn Zambians that political defections does not change the character and behavior of politicians, they just change the political uniform to disguise their crookedness in depriving Zambians of their resources.
CSO ACTIVISM
The role of civil societies in the Country is to stand in between the people and the Government. They are supposed to relay information or advocate or lobby from the people to the Government and vice versa. This can only be done in mutual respect and positive engagement with the government otherwise dialogue will not be there.
Therefore, as Zambian Voice, we encourage positive engagement other than being in conflicts with the Government as if we are a political party.
We urge all those who feel we are not helping people to come forward and check want we are doing and render advice where possible.
Grand Coalition Demands Clear Direction on Referendum for Bill of Rights
The Grand Coalition on the Campaign for a People Driven Constitution has demanded a clear direction from Government on holding of the a national referendum to adopt the draft expanded Bill of Rights.
In a statement released to the media, Grand Coaltion Chairperson, Sara Longwe, said that he Grand Coalition demanded that , as a matter of priority, an authoritative pronouncement from the President, clearly outlining what the government be made.
Below is the full statement
Grand Coalition Demands Clear Direction on Referendum for Bill of Rights
Lusaka, 12th April 2016:
The Grand Coalition on the Campaign for a People Driven Constitution has noted, with great concern, the announcement that a national referendum to adopt the draft expanded Bill of Rights will be held alongside the general elections. The Grand Coalition is concerned that this announcement is not backed by clear pronouncements of the practical measures to ensure the success and credibility of this exercise.
The Grand Coalition maintains its principled stance that holding the referendum alongside the general elections is inappropriate for a non-partisan issue like the Bill of Rights because it will be over-shadowed by the highly partisan charged elections. A referendum is a very critical and historical process in any country’s political dispensation that requires ample time for mobilising the citizens to participate from an informed position and its importance should not be sacrificed on expedience such as holding it alongside general elections.
The Grand Coalition therefore demands, as a matter of priority, an authoritative pronouncement from the President, clearly outlining what the government has done or plans to do to seal the loopholes that could be used to discredit the referendum in future. We further demand the following:
1. That the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) issues a statement stating whether the voter registration exercise captured more than 50% of eligible voters to meet the threshold required by Article 79 and taking into consideration the apathy trend.
2. That the government outlines concrete steps with clear timelines for the adoption and enactment of the Bill of Rights, and a legal framework to protect both the content and the process.
3. That the government must publish the Bill of Rights they are subjecting to the referendum.
4. That a national multi stakeholder civic education campaign on the referendum is immediately developed and implemented.
The Grand Coalition further calls on all political parties and civil society to sensitise, engage and mobilise citizens to participate in the national referendum for the expanded Bill of Rights.
The Grand Coalition strongly cautions all politicians, especially those serving in the government, against turning a blind eye to the people’s wishes. It is such disregard for the people’s wishes which brought us to the current state of affairs where the constitution was amended in a piecemeal fashion without an expanded Bill of Rights.
We further wish to remind the government that the delay in holding the referendum to adopt the expanded Bill of Rights is daily negatively impacting on the groups of people such as persons living with disabilities, children, the aged, the youth and women who are usually marginalized in society and whose rights usually go unfulfilled and ignored to their detriment and that of the development of Zambia. The PF government once again has an opportunity to facilitate a referendum in which the people of Zambia will assert their supremacy by adopting the Bill of Rights whose provisions has been articulated by them since the attainment of independence.
We urge all Zambians not to leave the demand for a stand-alone Referendum to non-governmental organizations lest what happened in Parliament towards the end of 2015 and sealed on 5th January 2016 repeats itself. We therefore ask each citizen to ask the government: ‘When is the referendum?’
Issued by:
Sara Longwe
Grand Coalition Chairperson
Marijuana to boost Zambia’s revenue base – Green Party
GREEN Party adopted candidate for the Livingstone Constituency, Teddy Andrew Mulenga, has said that his party’s plans to legalise marijuana will help to boost the revenue base for the country.
Dr Mulenga, who is an obstetrician by profession, said marijuana would be promoted as a cash crop to raise the much needed revenue for Zambia.
He was speaking at Livingstone Lodge at the weekend during the Livingstone Press Club (LPC) Public Debate Forum for aspiring parliamentary candidates in the August 11, 2016 General Elections.
Earlier, a Livingstone based political analyst, Paul Lipova, had asked Dr Mulenga on how safe the country would be when his party legalised marijuana.
In response, Dr Mulenga caused laughter when he said that the proceeds from marijuana sale would be used to repay the debt which the current Government had accumulated.
“Marijuana is a cash crop which we want to promote and not for smoking purposes. We will need to grow marijuana to boost the country’s revenue and repay the increasing debt.
“I am a medical doctor with 30 years of experience and I can’t promise something that will bring harm to you. Mariana never kills anybody,” Dr Mulenga said.
He said there were more people who were dying from alcohol and that he had never heard of people who were dying from marijuana.
“Alcohol is danger to society than the medicinal marijuana which we are trying to promote.
“Money is on the surface in Zambia and outside the box. As a Member of Parliament for Livingstone, I will ensure that we grow the green stuff (marijuana),” Dr Mulenga.
GBM challenges CHishimba Kambwili to a “Beauty Contest”
UPND Vice President for Administration Geoffrey Mwamba on Tuesday made the audience witnessing the defection of some members of PF and other political parties uncontrollably burst into laughter when he challenged information Minister Chishimba Kambwili to a beauty contest to determine who was more handsome between the two.
Mr Mwamba said he was challenging Mr Kambwili to a contest because he believed that he was ugly and that the judges should all be women to prove who was more handsome.
Mr Mwamba said that the Information Minister has both a bad heart and an ugly face.
Mr Mwamba, who is proving to be infamous with his sharp tongue, further attacked PF deputy Spokesperson Frank Bwalya, whom he described as “ka fatherless Bwalya.”
He said “ka fatherless Bwalya” has been going on TV to lie to the people of Zambia that PF was popular when the ruling party’s popularity had diminished due to the bad leadership of the party.
Meanwhile Mr Mwamba said that he refused to work with President Lungu because, as an insider of the PF, he knew that he would not deliver on the promises he was making.
He said there are so many things that President Lungu has promised which are yet to come to fruition and would never come to pass because President Lungu lacked the capacity to deliver.
He said President Lungu and the PF promised among other things 500,000 jobs for the youths but all that has turned into is a song as no single job has been created by the PF.
Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda in US for IMF/World Bank Spring meetings
Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda has arrived in Washington DC to attend the 2016 World Bank/ International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings.
This is according to a press statement released to the media by Patricia Littiya , the First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the Zambian Embassy in Washington USA.
Mr Chikwanda who arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC, USA was met by Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Zambia Mr. Joseph Chilaizya.
The Minister is expected to engage in high-level meetings under the Africa group 1 Constituency consisting of Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Mr.Chikwanda is also expected hold several strategic meetings with key stakeholders on the sidelines of the meetings. Among them will be a meeting with World Bank’s Vice President for its Africa region Makhtar Diop.
The Minister who is accompanied by Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba and Bank of Zambia (BOZ) Governor Dr. Denny Kalyalya is also expected to meet with US Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa Eric Meyer. The Minister and his delegation are also expected to pay a courtesy call World Bank Executive Director Louis Rene Peter Larose and IMF Executive Director Chileshe Kapwepwe.
Later Mr. Chikwanda and his delegation are expected to meet with PTA Bank President Dr. Admassu Tadesse, IMF mission team and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Two Post Journalists arrested for defaming President Lungu
Post Newspapers Managing Editor Joan Chirwa-Ngoma and Reporter Mukosha Funga have been arrested and charged with the offence of defamation of the President.
The duo was arrested and jointly charged this morning with 4th Revolution Party leader Eric Chanda over alleged defamation of the President.
They were detained briefly and later released on a K20,000 bail each in their own recognisance.
This was after Police issued fresh summons for Chirwa, Funga and Deputy Managing Editor Joseph Mwenda including Chanda to appear for interview at 09:00 hours today at Lusaka Central Police Station.
This was in connection with a story published by The Post on May 9, 2015, authored by Funga, where Chanda said “President Edgar Lungu should be the last person to warn his aides against clubbing because the first assignment he undertook after taking over office was to go to Mfuwe to socialise and play pool”.
Last week, police recorded warn and caution statements from Chirwa-Ngoma and Funga when the latter appeared for interviews.
Following Chanda’s arrest on March 21, police summoned Funga to appear for an interview, but the officers decided to also record warn and caution statements from Chirwa-Ngoma, who had accompanied her.
The Defamation of the President clause is contained in Section 69 of the Penal Code.
The maximum penalty under the law is three years and there is also a provision for fine.
But Fourth Revolution leader Erick Chanda said the arrest is the worst persecution of citizens by a sitting President.
He vowed that he will be silenced and that he is ready to go to jail for speaking on behalf of Zambians.
Seven key political parties pledge to fight malnutrition
Seven political parties that attended a recent workshop organised by the Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) have pledged to fight malnutrition in Zambia.
Officials from the Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development, National Restoration Party, Forum for Democracy and Development, Alliance for Democracy and Development, Movement for Multiparty Democracy including the Zambia Direct Democracy Movement committed to nutrition development if they form government after the August elections.
CSO-SUN organised the workshop to explore how political parties can effectively contribute to improving nutrition in Zambia.
Speaking during the workshop held in Chilanga with various political parties, CSO-SUN Head of Advocacy and Communications Eneya Phiri said issues around nutrition are of vital concern that need to be addressed holistically.
In urging political parties to commit to nutrition, Mr Phiri insisted that political parties need to know that their ascension to power is directly affected by the promises they make to Zambians.
“We believe every political party is a government in waiting. So we decided to have this meeting so that we could know what different political party manifestos say about nutrition.
During the meeting we have agreed that malnutrition is a huge problem in Zambia that something needs to be addressed,” Mr. Phiri said.
Mr Phiri urged Zambians to listen carefully to what the potential leaders were saying about nutrition.
“When that time to vote comes, you are going to make a decision based on the commitments made by different political parties and should they form government, we are going to use the same commitments that we are going to vote them on to hold them accountable,” said Mr. Phiri.
He said CSO-SUN working with the different political parties during the workshop looked at issues of malnutrition and what could be done to address it.
“We learnt for example that stunting in children under the age of five is at 40 percent which we all agreed is unacceptable. We are talking about children who will not be able to reach their full potential in life and whose education and ultimately contribution to society is going to be hindered,” he said.
“And in the end we are looking at an economy which is going to be weak because we have a devaluation of the human capital.”
Mr. Phiri said CSO-SUN and the various political parties also agreed that issues of nutrition required a collective response and that tangible commitments to nutrition were needed.
And Alliance for Democracy and Development Secretary General Mwangala Mbangweta said malnutrition could only be tackled through education.
“We are going to prioritize education because we know that an educated society is teachable and so we are going to provide free and compulsory education to all especially to the girl child,” said Mrs. Mbangweta.
The UPND on the other hand committed to approach nutrition from a multi-sectoral perspective and to mainstream nutrition while NAREP made a sound commitment to adequately funding nutrition programmes and the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC).
At the same event, the MMD pledged to increase nutrition action through the decentralization implementation plan.
Meanwhile, PF Secretariat Director John Phiri said his ruling party had learnt a lot from the workshop saying the event had come at an opportune time when the PF was revising the party manifesto and its constitution.
“We want to assure you that as PF, as we draft our new constitution, we will incorporate nutrition issues. As a party in government, we want to assure everybody that the PF has been doing a lot but with what we have learnt today, we will definitely build on it and do more,” said Mr. Phiri.
The Church should be concerned with Ritual Killings-Nevers Mumba
MMD President Nevers Mumba says the Church should be concerned with the recent ritual killings and unusual road accidents.
Dr Mumba said the country has gone through such shedding of blood before prior to elections and that if the Church does not step up to the challenge the country could face more deaths.
Below is statement from Dr Mumba’s Facebook page.
The MMD is deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives in the recent accident which took place in Kabwe. I wish to send my deepest condolences on behalf of the MMD to all the bereaved families. May the Lord give you strength and comfort during this very trying time.
I wish to call on the Church to take recent ritual killings and the unusual accidents as a matter of great concern. Zambia has gone through such shedding of blood and deaths prior to elections before. If the Church does not step up, we could face more and more of these unusual deaths. In the next thirty days, we shall see a combination of greed, desperation and fear push some politicians to involve themselves in dark and evil activities.
To politicians who may wish to indulge in these evil and disparate activities, please remember that, you may even win an election, but your life will be cut short. This is a biblical principle.
I urge all Zambians to unite in prayer and stop the spirit of death which has been unleashed on innocent citizens.
Nevers Mumba says Gaston Sichilima has no right to suspend anyone in MMD
Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) President Nevers Mumba has said that MMD founder Member Gaston Sichilima has no right to suspend any member and place the party under the leadership of the Trustees.
Reacting to news that he has been suspended and that the party has been placed under the trustees to call for a convention, the MMD leader maintained that the party will only go to the convention in 2017.
Earlier, MMD founder Member Gaston Sichilima has announced the suspension of party president Nevers Mumba.
Mr. Sichilima who served as deputy minister in six different ministries including in the office of the vice president under the MMD government told QFM in a walk-in interview that he has further given Dr. Mumba seven days in which relinquish his position as President of MMD as his term of office has come to an end.
Mr. Sichilima further called on the party trustees to take over the running of the party and call for an extraordinary convention usher in a new leadership.
Mr. Sichilima who is also former Mbala Member of Parliament has since called on all well meaning members of the MMD to come forward and support for a convention.
Blackpool will catch up- Mumba
Mufulira Blackpool coach Weston Mumba says his promoted FAZ Super Division side will recover from their slow start to the 2016 campaign.
Win-less Blackpool are second from the bottom of the 18-team league table with two points from four matches played.
The Kamuchanga outfit launched the Super Division season with two straight losses before recovering with two draws in their last fixtures.
“The draws we have recorded in the last two matches are a turning point for us.The league is still on this is just week five, we will still catch up,” Mumba said.
Blackpool have so far scored only one goal – that came in the 3-1 thumping they suffered at the hands of Nkana on April 2.
“I have been telling my boys that there is no big team in the Super League they can still do it. I have upcoming guys with potential and have a bright future,” he said.
Blackpool are competing in the Super Division for the first time since 1999.
CBU and UNZA to reopen on 17th, 24th April respectively
The Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia Great East Road Campus will reopen on 17th and 24th April respectively.
Higher Education Minister Dr Michael Kaingu made the announcement in Parliament this afternoon.
Dr Kaingu said the decision to reopen the two higher learning institutions was arrived at after assessment showed that four of the five conditions attached to reopening the universities have been met.
He revealed that the fifth condition was has not been met involves the conclusion of the disciplinary process against those students who were identified as ring leaders.
Dr Kaingu reiterated that students with disciplinary charges will not be allowed to report for school.
He also advised students to refrain from getting involved in politically influenced protests adding that their right to participate in politics should start and end with their right to vote.
Dr Kaingu further revealed that Government will present the Student Loan and Scholarship Scheme bill to Parliament before the current sitting adjourns sine die.
He also disclosed that there are 14 CBU students that are facing disciplinary charges while 9 UNZA students at UNZA have been identified as ring leaders of the recent riots.