The trio include Kelvin Cornhill, Ackson Miyoba, and Lawrence Sakala were arrested on Friday March 18, 2016 after they surrendered themselves to the Police appeared in Monze Magistrates court for plea on Wednesday March 22, 2016.

All the three being represented by Muleza Mwiimbu and Company pleaded not guilty to the charges of assault of occasioning bodily harm (OABH) while Cornhill was also charged for robbery also denied the charge.

The Monze magistrates court has since granted the trio cash bail of K6, 000 each but were taken to Mazabuka State Prisons were they were remanded in custody until they paid.

Southern Province Police Commissioner Godwin Phiri said the trio were released after they fulfilled the bail conditions.

“The trio who have since been released from Mazabuka State Prison were briefly remanded, but managed to pay the said cash amounts,” he said.

Ms Kapata said events LICAF were key in uniting the country as they brought people from all walks of life regardless of their tribe.

Speaking upon arrival at Harry Mwaanga NKumbula International Airport yesterday, Ms Kapata said events that promote cultural values should be able to unite people regardless of their tribe.

“The spirit of one zambia one nation should be promoted as such events unfold and am happy that foreign countries have responded very well to our invitation,”she said.

And Chinese Ambassador to Zambia,Yang Youming said China and Zambia would continue engaging each other in promoting tourism, culture and education.

Mr Youming said the two countries needed to continue promoting cultural exchange programmes.

” We would like to show support in promoting Livingstone as a destination of choice and this collaboration will continue.

“That is why early this year I brought a group of Chinese cultural groups to Livingstone in a bid to enhance the cultural values for the two countries,”he said.
China has the largest numbers of foreign performers to this year’s LICAF.

Ms Kapata, who was in Livingstone to officially open the LICAF festival, was accompanied by Ms Youming and was welcomed by Southern province minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu, Livingstone District Commissioner Omar Munsanje, ZTA Managing Director Felix Chaila, LICAF officials and Patriotic Front (PF) officials.

Seven international countries namely Namibia, India, Seychelles, Egypt, Rwanda, China and Zimbabwe are attending the conference.

First Lady Mrs. Esther Lungu has urged Zambian diplomats to unite, love one another and serve the country well.

According to a statement released to the media by Zambia’s First Secretary for Press and Public Relations, Chibaula D. Silwamba, Mrs. Lungu left New York on Friday after the conclusion of the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60), where she addressed several High-Level panel discussions, with messages emphasizing empowerment and protection of the wellbeing of women and girls across the globe.

Talking to Zambian diplomats accredited to the United Nations, who saw her off at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Columbus Circle, Mrs. Lungu urged the diplomats to continue promoting the ethos of “One Zambia One Nation”.

“Thank you very much for the hospitality. You looked after us very well. We are now going back home. May God continue blessing you!” said Mrs. Lungu, on Good Friday. “Let’s remain united and continue loving one another. One Zambia One Nation!”

Mrs. Lungu was a high-level speaker at several panel discussions during the CSW, an annual meeting on the UN calendar that is exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The priority theme for CSW60 focused on women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development.

Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Her Excellency Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota, led the diplomatic staff in seeing off the First Lady and her delegation.

Ms Kamukoshi noted that lack of knowledge by police officers had contributed to illegal termination of pregnancies by women, which had at times resulted in deaths and other long-term health complications.

She was speaking in Kabwe yesterday when she officially opened a two-day workshop on reproductive health with special emphasis on abortion facilitated by IPAS Zambia.

IPAS-Zambia, which has worked in Zambia since 2006, seeks to expand access to safe and comprehensive abortion services and has been providing training and equipment at more than 40 healthcare facilities.

The training of police officers in Kabwe was aimed at imparting knowledge to law enforcement officers to help effectively deal with abortion cases in their respective stations.

Ms Kamukoshi said the Constitution had rightly provided ways in which a woman could terminate a pregnancy, but that the manner officers interpreted the same laws left much to be desired.

The Penal Code indicates that the bottom line was upon a doctor to determine who should terminate a pregnancy and under what circumstances such as when the life of a mother was in danger.

She noted that unsafe abortion was a violation of human rights, especially for the unborn baby.

Ms Kamukoshi said many women and girls had died from complications arising from unsafe abortions, while others had been left with serious injuries.

She was confident that the workshop would help police officers understand the law on abortion and help them educate others.

THE illegal tapping and hacking of phones has become widespread and some media organisations including online publications are callously hacking into private and institutional phone numbers and lines, listening in and intercepting text messages which they are publishing to either scandalise or blackmail their victims.

And now a governance activist Stanley Mhango has warned Zambians with smart mobile phones to be wary of either calling certain media houses or visiting certain online publications or sites because they risk having their numbers illegally registered with such organisations to facilitate eavesdropping and data capture.

Some media houses including online publication which have hacked into phones are now reproducing transcripts whose ‘whatsup’ dialogue of chat groups.

Victims of hacking include ministers, politicians, church leaders, medical officers and private individuals of interest.

Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu has charged that the tapping of citizens’ phones and listening to their private conversations was a gross violation of the right to privacy which was a constitutional right.

Dr Kaingu said it was criminal for any organisation of individual to invade the privacy or citizens and that State installations such as Zambia Information Communication and Technology Authority (ZICTA) should immediately launch investigations into the matter. He said ministers and civil servants were no longer safe with their phones and would now be wary who was calling them or on how to use certain applications on mobile phones such as whatsup.

And Mr Mhango said in an interview yesterday that it was worrying that there had been inertia on the part of State security institutions such as ZICTA and the police to act on the illegal tapping and recording of citizens’ private conversations even after citizens had complained.

He said recent revelations that some individuals and organisations had been snooping and spying on citizen’s privacy by listening into their private conversations should be aggressively investigated because such acts bordered on treason as it was a breach on the peace and stability of the country.

Mr Mhango said it was a notorious fact that some known media houses had fabulously invested in criminal activities such as spying into the privacy of citizens and selected political leaders whom they were either blackmailing or scandalising for both economic and political reasons. “The recent revelations that individuals and organisations are spying and snooping into citizens’ conversations are an affront to the right to privacy.

But unfortunately in this country, those who commit such crimes often get away with it with glee at their victims. The right to privacy of citizens should never be compromised because that is a constitutional violation but we are deeply concerned that there seems to have been inertia on our State security agencies to act on these criminal acts even when the individuals and organisations are known,” Mr Mhango said. Mr Mhango said in advanced democracies such as the United States and United Kingdom, newspapers were forced to shut down for phone hacking and that Government investigation agencies should therefore take an interest in such matters.

He said it was unacceptable for media houses to continue infringing on citizens’ rights and that there was evidence where citizens had complained but there had been no action against erring organisations.

SEVENTEEN UPND cadres who were arrested together with Chongwe Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo for unlawful procession have been discharged by the Lusaka Magistrates Court.

Alfred Habeenzu and 16 others were discharged yesterday after the State entered a nolle prosequi against the accused persons in a matter they were charged with unlawful procession after Magistrate Kenneth Mulife made a ruling on whether or not he should refer the matter to the High Court for constitutional reference because the defence objected to a nolle.

In his ruling on the defence’s objection to the nolle, Mr Mulife said the subordinate court had no powers to overrule the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) concerning any instructions and to seek reasons why a nolle was issued.

He said it was only the High Court which had powers to change the DPP’s decisions on such matters.

Mr Mulife said if the defence had asked the court to quash and discharge the charge on the indictment before the State had entered a nolle, the court could have made other decisions.

He said he could not question the DPP why a nolle was entered as he had powers which were vested in him to enter a nolle in any case and at which ever stage of the court’s proceedings.

Mr Mulife said in accordance with Article 56 of the Constitution, the DPP has powers to discontinue a case before judgment is delivered, adding that once a nolle is entered the accused shall be discharged.

Earlier defence lawyers, Keith Mweemba and Martha Mushipe, objected to the State’s application for a nolle, stating that the State could not enter a nolle in a charge that did not exist.

The lawyers told the court that they had submitted that the charge should be quashed and that a nolle could not be entered because the charge lacked merit.

They asked the court to refer the case to the High Court for constitutional determination whether the accuseds’ freedom of movements were infringed or not.

Mr Mweemba said the charge was unconstitutional as it was contravening Article 22 of the Constitution which guarantees the protection of freedom of movement.