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SOME of the roads in Choma district, which is now Southern province Headquarter, have been upgraded to bituminous standard. On the picture the contractor is now working on the drainage system before the onset of the rains.
CHOMA Municipal Council engineers have been taken to task for
allegedly certifying completion of unfinished projects under the
Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
UPND Mbabala Constituency Member of Parliament Ephraim Bbelemu, on
Monday at a council meeting, castigated the engineers for certifying
that construction of Namuhila dam in Mbabala ward, at a cost of
K70,000 was completed, when in fact not.
The visibly angered MP claimed that certification of incomplete
projects citing the Namuhila dam funded under CDF, was tantamount to
fraud.
“Don’t run a council on a desk and indicate that projects are being
completed, you must visit these projects and get first-hand
information, “he said.
Mbabala and Choma Constituencies, receive K1.4 million each from
Government’s disbursement of CDF annually.
Mr Bbelemu admonished the engineers for allegedly making no attempts
to inspect CDF projects in areas of implementation.
“Anybody who wants to abuse CDF, we shall sort each other and I want
measures to be taken on these officers who are certifying incomplete
projects without seeing them, “he said.
He also castigated the council management for allegedly not monitoring
CDF projects and wondered how it could work if given a K10 billion
project.
He said the law enforcement agencies should take interest in the
manner CDF projects were being implemented.
His Choma Central counterpart, Cornelius Mweetwa described this year’s
use of CDF on community projects in his area as being disastrous.
He was not happy that some projects in the constituency, had delayed
to complete due to wrong building materials procured citing door
flames bought to upgrade Mbole health centre.
He said, Government should not always be blamed on completion of
projects when, in most instances, such delayments were caused by
officers procuring wrong materials.
Town Clerk Timothy Mambalakata said the local authority was doing its
best to ensure CDF projects in various communities were completed in
line with people’s expectations.
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
THE Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has helped consumers get redress of about K40, 000 from business houses engaging in unfair trading practices in Southern Province over the last six months.
CCPC chief investigator in charge of consumer protection Moses Musantu said the presence of Commission in Southern Province for the last six months had helped consumers get redress amounting to a total of K39, 599.00 of which K28, 980.00 were refunds.
Mr Masantu also said K10, 619.00 were replacements of defective products with the ones that were functioning properly.
He was speaking in Livingstone on Wednesday at Chrismar Hotel during the CCPC organised inception workshop for head teachers in Southern Province.
Head teachers from Livingstone, Kazungula, Kalomo and Zimba districts as well as some journalists from the Livingstone Press Club attended the meeting which was hosted to share knowledge regarding Government’s competition and consumer protection policy which is key to every citizen.
“I would like to share with you some successes that the commission has scored since establishing its provincial office for southern province in April, 2015.
“The presence of CCPC in the province for the last six months has helped consumers get redress amounting to a total of K39, 599.00 of which K28, 980.00 were refunds and K10, 619.00 were replacements of defective products with the ones that were functioning properly. This is the monetary value of goods and services consumers would have lost had it not been for the intervention of the commission,” Mr Musantu said.
He said the Commission had also conducted sensitisation activities in all the districts in the province as well as radio and television (TV) programmes.
Equally, CCPC has brought positive change in the conduct of some of the business players who previously had no regard for consumer rights.
The Commission in June 2015 hosted a media and business stakeholders workshop in Livingstone which was aimed at enlightening the identified stakeholder’s about the competition and consumer protection law and policy.
He said the Commission has also been conducting regular inspections on trading premises so as to check out for expired products as well as no return no refund notices which are against the law.
“As we head towards the festive season, we urge the consumers to take time to check for expiring dates as well as getting receipts for any purchase so that they could be used as evidence in an event that they have been sold an expired or defective product by the trader.
“We also wish to advise the traders to desist from misleading consumers in buying products that are almost expiring or already expired. In an event that there is a promotion of a product, the commission is advising traders to fully disclose to consumers that the products are being reduced due to them nearing expiring. This will enable the consumers to make well informed decisions,” Mr Masantu said.
ZDA Director General Patrick Chisanga
THE Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is set to launch a new strategic plan to outline among other key areas, implementation of its decentralisation policy.
The agency is mandated to among other areas, foster economic growth and development in Zambia through promoting trade and investment, and coordinated private-sector led economic development strategy.
ZDA director General Patrick Chisanga said in Choma on Wednesday that the agency would unveil its comprehensive strategic plan next month.
Mr Chisanga said, when he called on deputy Southern Province Permanent Secretary Douglas Ngimbu, that the new plan would highlight ZDA’s decentralisation policy in line with the Government’s desire.
“ZDA is not represented in most provinces and Government is emphasising on the decentralisation policy, so we are launching a new strategic plan next month to outline key areas such as implementation of this decentralisation policy by the agency, “he said.
Through the decentralisation policy, he said it would enable ZDA set up more offices in provincial town such as Choma to bring services closer to communities.
The policy would help accelerate the marketing of local investment opportunities to local and foreign investors thereby creating jobs.
On the other hand, the strategic plan, would outline more investment opportunities, enterprise development, trade and exports, and the Public Private Partnership (PPP
Mr Chisanga said ZDA was focusing on empowering the Zambian people through enterprise development aimed at promoting the growth of local enterprises through capacity building, business and market linkages.
He said Zambia has rich areas of investment citing priority sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, agriculture, energy, and mining industry.
Earlier, Mr Ngimbu said the province was in need of investors because each district had more untapped investment opportunities which could help in local job creation.
We wish to inform the Zambian public that some statements recently released in the media by Mr Moses Mumba, Mr Obby Mwansa, Ms Faustina Sinyangwe and Mr George Kangwa who are purporting to be Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) party officials are a clear case of impersonation of our real party office bearers and this is an offence under Zambian law.
Mr Mumba is claiming to be our Copperbelt Chairman, Mr Mwansa claims to be Copperbelt Province Secretary, Ms Sinyangwe the National Women’s Chairperson and Mr Kangwa the Central Province Vice-Chairman. Mr Kangwa was expelled from the MMD last year and worked with the Patriotic Front (PF) in the January 2015 election. Ms Sinyangwe was expelled on 31st January 2015 with 19 others.
Mr Mumba was Copperbelt Chairman in 2005 under Levy Mwanawasa and became PF Provincial Chairman in 2006 after defecting from MMD. Mr Mumba was succeeded by Mr Terence Findlay, Charles Chilambwe, Peter Zulu and Denson Chisunka in that order. So how can Mr Mumba claim to be the Copperbelt Chairman today, ten year later? And Mr Mwansa has never been the MMD Copperbelt Secretary.
We wish to officially inform all media houses and the public and our Copperbelt Chair is Mr Denson Chisunka. Our Copperbelt Acting Provincial Secretary is Peter Phiri who is also the Information and Publicity Secretary. Our National Women’s Chair is Lisa Passi. Anyone else speaking on behalf of MMD other than our confirmed party officials is an impostor. Anything they say, no matter how believable it sounds, should be ignored.
We wish to remind our friends in the media to make it a habit of always requesting for a reaction from us when they receive controversial statements concerning our party as per journalism ethics. By just publishing statements without fact-checking them, the media inadvertently become conduits of incorrect information to the public. Had we been contacted over the statements by the aforementioned impostors, we would have set the record straight. (See our contact details below).
Finally, we wish to put it on record that some of these people who are attempting to bring confusion in MMD do not have the interests of the party at heart and should be ignored by all genuine members of the party. Our party officials shall henceforth be on the lookout for impostors who we shall not hesitate to have cautioned or arrested by the Police.
We shall decisively deal with any trouble-makers within our ranks who cause trouble. I shall use the powers vested in my office to suspend them and the Disciplinary Committee shall swiftly deal with their cases and the National Executive Committee shall thereafter ratify any recommendations.
It is time we focus and prepare for the 2016 Elections.
Mwansa Mbulakulima MMD National Secretary
MMD Secretariat Plot 44/1B Kasala Road (Off Kudu Road & Alick Nkhata Avenue) Private Bag E365 Kabulonga Lusaka
FILE: Energy minister Siliya unveils the plaque during the official opening of Solwezi Fuel depot
Almost the entire Zambia is in darkness after a fault at Kariba dam caused the tripping of Kariba South-Kariba North tie line.
Energy Minister Dora Siliya confirmed that the outage which started around 23 Hours on Thursday has affected all provinces except for western and southern provinces which are supplied through the Victoria Falls power station.
The blackout was experienced even at key institutions such as the University Teaching Hospital, Levy Mwanawasa Hospital and the University of Zambia.
The blackout led to some UNZA students protesting outside the Great East road campus, blocking traffic and stoning some vehicles that were passing by.
‘We lost power supply to entire country except for Western and Southern provinces after the tripping of Kariba South-Kariba North tie line which was carrying our imports of about 560 MW. This triggered the trippings of generators at kariba north and later Kafue gorge on overload. Restoration is in progress and Lusaka should be back on supply in next 30 minutes,’ Ms Siliya said.
However, around 05 Hours on Friday morning, most parts of Lusaka and Zambia were still in darkness.
FILE: INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Chishimba Kambwili (r) and Choma Central Member of Parliament Conelius Mweetwa stand together as matchers (not in picture) pass. This was during the Youth Day celebrations at Choma stadium
Choma Central UPND Member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa says it is very clear that most stakeholders who supported the move by the PF Government to take the constitution amendment bill to Parliament are now regretting.
Mr. Mweetwa said that stakeholders who mean well for the nation opposed the parliamentary route knowing too well the damage the PF would cause to the final document.
Mr Mr. Mweetwa said that it was now apparently clear that the PF has duped and deceived the Zambian people on the constitution making process.
Last night, Parliament overwhelmingly agreed to remove the mixed member proportional representation clause from the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment Bill) National Assembly Bill (NAB) Number 17 of 2015.
The House voted 110 in favour of pending the proposal with 39 objecting and 1 abstaining.
This followed protracted debate by members of parliament (MPs) on whether or not the clause must remain on the bill.
The Proportional Representation Clause sought to increase the number of members of parliament by 94.
Overall the Amendment Bill number 17 of 2015 seeks to amend non-contentious issues in the 1996 Republican Constitution such as 50 percent plus one Presidential Electoral Threshold and Vice Presidential Running Mate Clause.
Minister of Justice Ngosa Simbyakula in proposing an amendment to the bill meant to remove the proportional representation (PR) clause said this was necessitated by the need to provide for further consultation.
“We are proposing that the proportional representation be packed for the time being for further reflection and consultation to a later stage. The Patriotic Front is not discarding this principle of PR. We thought the people of Zambia should further reflect on this proposal,” Dr Simbyakula said.
Fighton Simukonda on Wednesday was the fall guy for Zambia’s miserable showing at the 2015 CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations.
The news was clearly broken a senior source at Football House authorized to speak just 48 hours after the team arrived from Dakar where they suffered three straight defeats to make a forgettable tournament debut and headed back home with dreams of Brazil totally shuttered.
Simukonda’s position on the senior team bench too was not spared.
‘Suicidal’ was the rather disparaging word used by the source to describe keeping Simukonda on in the job that was basically redundant for the next three years.
But with Simukonda’s gone but why keep an inactive bench that will wait to return to action for the 2019 All-Africa Games and 2020 Olympic Games qualifiers?
They should all go: Tennant Chilumba, Kampamba Chintu, the lot.
What happens to the technical adviser George Lwandamina?
No reprimand for his input in Dakar? No ultimatum for next months CHAN?
It is sad that the source’s thinly- veiled attack on Simukonda was unfortunate.
This is the man who has saved a cash-strapped Nchanga Rangers full of on loan players afloat for the last two seasons.
He came with a track record too, with two league titles with Zanaco and one with Zesco United and was the first coach to qualify a Zambian club to the group stage of the CAF Champions League with the latter club in 2011.
He also led an unfancied Konkola Blades to a second place finish in the 2000 BP Top 8 final where they lost to an unstoppable Nkana.
Simukonda, for those that do not know, is also a winner with Zambia.
He was the second coach to lead Zambia to Cosafa Cup triumph in 1998 as interim coach.
Back to the team, claims that eight of the Under-23 players were outstanding in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Sudan were baseless.
Unless we were watching a Martian version of Zambia in November, we all know that it was the hard toil of veterans Collins Mbesuma and Winston Kalengo including Nathan Sinkala who put some gloss on the team against a shockingly average Sudan side.
Meanwhile, Christopher Katongo’s class of 2003 coached by Peter Kaumba that didn’t even have a Rainford Kalaba in its ranks remains a Zambia Under-23 benchmark for over the last decade.
None of the last three teams that have come along have shown the kind of kick-ass football Katongo, Isaac Chansa, Kennedy Mweene, Jacob Mulenga, Billy Mwanza, Felix Katongo and Mbesuma did despite falling short on the road to Athens in 2004 and finishing fourth in Abuja the previous year.
THE Kitwe High Court has sentenced two brothers of Solwezi to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour for murdering an old woman on suspicion that she was a witch.
Ms Justice Chilombo Phiri on Friday sent to jail Isaiah Kalimukuya, 37, and Tyson Kalimukuya, 34, both of Solwezi, after finding them guilty of murder.
The brothers murdered Lizzy Kasusute on February 24 this year.
Reading the sentence, Ms Phiri said cases of this nature are on the increase in Solwezi and that it was the court’s duty to ensure that perpetrators are punished.
She said citizens should not live in fear because of criminals.
Ms Phiri said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that she found the two brothers guilty of murder, and convicted them of the offence.
“I sentence the two convicts to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour, and if you are not happy with my conviction, you can appeal to the Supreme Court within 14 days,” Ms Justice Phiri said.
During trial, Miriam Kasusute, 38, testified that on the material day, she was with her grandmother when Isaiah and Tyson appeared and accused her of bewitching their child and demanded that she goes with them to go and heal the juvenile.
Ms Kasusute said the Kalimukuyas dragged her grandmother to their home while beating her.
She narrated that before they reached the house, they received information that the child had died, and that it was at that point that the two convicts started kicking her in the stomach and broke all her ribs.
Ms Kasusute said when they reached home, Isaiah and Tyson placed the child on her grandmother’s laps and later smashed her head against the wall, killing her instantly.
The matter was later reported to the police who arrested the Kalimuyas and took them to court for murder.
President Edgah Lungu arrive at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015
President Edgar Lungu has expressed concern at the prevalence of hate speech being peddled on social media, which he says violates the rights and freedoms of others with impunity.
And President Lungu has reaffirmed government’s commitment to respecting fundamental human rights and freedoms as enshrined in the International Bill of Rights and in the Zambia’s constitution.
Speaking during the commemoration of the UN International Human Rights Day in Lusaka today, Mr. Lungu says as the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the existence of the International Bill of Rights; the nation should not be oblivious to the emerging disturbing culture of hate speech and political violence in the nation.
President Lungu has called for self-restraint in the exercising freedom of speech and expression saying this is in order to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of others.
He says there is need to use the conducive legal and political environment for freedom of expression to advance the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
The Head of State has also reiterated his appeal to the Zambia Police Service to apply the Public Order Act in a transparent and fair manner, saying he expects no form of discrimination in the protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms.
He has further appealed to all political party leaders, supporters and sympathizers, to strictly adhere to the requirements of the Public Order Act in order to maintain law and order in the country.
Speaking at the same event, Human Rights Commission Director, Florence Chibwesha says though Zambia has recorded positive strides in the promotion of human rights, more needs to be done.
Ms Chibwesha says the commission will continue advocating for the criminalization of torture in the country because of its negativity on human beings.
Speaking earlier, United Nations Governance Advisor Michael Soko reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to continue protecting human rights of all people despite their political standing, race or religion.
And Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) President George Chisanga says his association is committed to promoting human rights in the country as highlighted in its Strategic Plan launched in 2013.
This year’s International UN Human Rights Day is being commemorated under the theme “Our Rights, Our Freedoms, Always”.
President Edgah Lungu greets Mr Kakoma Kanganja Police IG at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015President Edgah Lungu with Florence Chiwesha Humans Rights Commission Director t at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015President Edgah Lungu with Florence Chiwesha Humans Rights Commission Director t at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015President Edgah Lungu with Florence Chiwesha Humans Rights Commission Director and Mr George Chisanga LAZ President at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015President Edgah Lungut at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015President Edgah Lungu with Florence Chiwesha Humans Rights Commission Director at Commemoration of United Nations International Humans Rights Day at Government Complex in Lusaka , Picture by EDDIE MWANALEZA/STATEHOUSE.10-12-2015
Patriotic Front (PF) Secretary General Davies Chama has dismissed claims that he insulted the people of Southern Province, reports Pan African Radio Journalist Hermit Hachilonde.
The PF Secretary General has been making news headlines following his controversial tribal remarks which disparaged the Tonga Speaking people of Southern Province.
It is alleged that Davies Chama made a demeaning statement that Tonga women must bear their polygamous husbands many children so that one of them can be president after 100 years.
The remarks annoyed Southern Province traditional leaders that made them petition President Edgar Lungu to fire the PF Secretary General and his Deputy Mumbi Phiri for their divisive language.
Officiating at a PF Southern Province mobilization tour at Chikankata Primary school on Tuesday 8th December 2015, Mr. Chama protested that as a cultured person raised in a Christian family which upheld morality and Christian values, he cannot utter sentiments that discriminate a human being on account of one’s tribe.
He said accusations are aimed at scandalizing him for political mileage by some political opponents.
The PF SG further predicated that the accusation will be given prominent in the runner up to the 2016 general elections by his competitors.
“I want to talk about something that I was accessed about, I was accused that I insulted the Tongas, “babeja” where I come from, the mother who taught me was a Christian, I don’t insult, and I don’t insult, but these are politics! People are politicking! No Mr. Chama has insulted the Tongas, I don’t insult! I cannot insult my fathers, I cannot insult my mothers, Tongas are my fathers and my mothers, Chama said”
Vice President Wina launching the 2015 Global Nutritrion report, looking on is Hon. Given Lubinda, Minister of Agriculture and CSO-SUN National Coordinator William Chilufya
Vice President Inonge Wina has called for a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the high levels of malnutrition in Zambia.
Mrs Wina said Zambia’s nutrition status is by almost all measures still in a dire state.
She noted that it her duty to connect what all sectors of the government can do to improve food and nutrition security of the Zambians.
Mrs Wina said this on Tuesday during the launch of the Global Nutrition Report in Lusaka.
The launch was organised by the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Civil for Society for Scaling up Nutrition (CSO-SUN) Alliance.
‘We can argue about differences in methodologies but the fact remains the same Zambia’s nutrition is worrying. The 2013/2014 Zambia demographic and health survey data show that 40 percent of children under age 5 were considered to be stunted. This is a reduction from the 2007 figure of 46 percent but is still high,’ she said.
Zambia aims to reduce stunting by 23% by the year 2023.
The Vice President said that the PF Government is concerned about the problem of malnutrition hence it is putting up measure to address the problem of malnutrition in Zambia
‘Government has established a cabinet steering committee on nutrition which is meeting regularly to agree on service delivery channels and track progress against targets. We would also like to revitalize the community welfare centres, as focal points for mothers and young children, to access a range of social welfare and nutrition service,’ Mrs Wina said.
She said Government is also revising the National Food and Nutrition Commission Act and strengthening accountability of the national food and nutrition commission (NFNC) to adequately coordinate across key sectors.
‘I am happy to let you all know that a decision was made at the 23rd Cabinet meeting held on 19th October 2015 to approve the introduction of a bill in parliament to amend the current NFNC no. 308 of 1967,’ she said.
The launch was also attended by Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda, his Deputy Minister and two permanent secretaries.
Speaking earlier, Mr Lubinda said that it was embarrassing that Zambia has such higher levels of malnutrition and that it is time to ensure effective diversification of Agriculture for the production of diverse foods.
And in his presentation of the highlights of the Global Nutrition 2015 CSO-SUN Country Coordinator William Chilufya urged the Government and all stakeholders to elevate nutrition across the 7th National Development Plan that Zambia is developing.
He also appealed to the Government to strengthen ability of the NFNC to fulfil its mandate.
‘We need to enhance the NFNC’s ability to coordinate the national nutrition agenda. This includes changing the placement of the NFNC within the Government structure, so that it has the authority to call all stakeholders to the table and hold them accountable to their responsibilities and commitments’ Mr Chilufya said.
He appealed to the Government to ensure that at the next nutrition for growth summit in Brazil, Zambia makes smarter commitments and above all implement them.
Veep Inonge Wina and CSO-SUN National Coordinator William Chilfya
When new Rhodes scholars first visit the prestigious Rhodes house at Oxford University they are inspired by portraits on the walls of some of the great students who have preceded them.
There is the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, the former US president Bill Clinton and pioneering Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield.
Women scholars will have had a trickier time being inspired, however. Until now there hasn’t been a single portrait of a female former Rhodes scholar.
That has all changed thanks to former student Kelsey Murrell, whose campaigning means that the first ever portrait of a female Rhodes Scholar has been unveiled, more than a century after the scholarship was founded.
Zambian activist Lucy Banda Sichone’s image will take her rightful place among the other luminaries who went on to achieve great thing in the world of politics, science and the arts.
Described as “a voice of conscience” and “a great daughter of the nation,” Ms Sichone made a name for herself by vigorously challenging and chastising government officials before her death in 1998 aged just 44.
The scholarship was founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1902 to enable foreign postgraduates to study at Oxford. Widely considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, it was only opened to women in 1977.
The following year Ms Sichone became the first female Rhodes Scholar from Zambia.
Ms Murrell told The Independent: “She wasn’t wealthy or the head of state. I think it’s powerful to have a portrait of someone who made a difference in ways that aren’t always traditionally celebrated.”
After becoming a Rhodes Scholar in 2012, Ms Murrell noticed there were no women depicted on the walls of the University’s prestigious Rhodes House.
“I saw only, mostly white men,” said the 25-year-old who hails from the US state of Kansas. She added that she spent a lot of time in Milner Hall, where the painting of Ms Sichone will be placed.
“It’s the centre of everything,” she said. “It’s where you have balls and dinners so it’s really important that now when you walk in, you will immediately see a portrait of a woman.”
After leaving Oxford last year with two masters degrees, Ms Murrell became a deputy director at the Rhodes Project, a research charity that aims to promote gender equality through education and research.
Working with the charity and The Rhodes Trust, which awards the postgraduate scholarship to selected foreign students, her dream to have women immortalised in the halls too, became a reality.
“The Scholarship showed Lucy that life could be different,” said Ann Olivarius, her friend and Chair of the Rhodes Project, which jointly commissioned the portrait, painted by another Ms Sichone’s friends, Deidre Saunder.
Ms Olivarius added that “it encouraged her to feel that she had a responsibility to make the world better, that she was worthy and could make a difference.”
Ms Sichone went onto hold a number of government positions in her home country and founded the Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) in 1993.
A widow, who lost her husband early, she left four children and a number of foster children when she died aged 44 in August 1998.
The portrait is chance to “honour her life and legacy,” said Ms Murrell. “I know that for the rest of my life I’ll be coming back to Rhodes House and I’ll know that my community values the kind of work that Lucy did and that it values women and it values black women.”
The Zambian parliament last night overwhelmingly agreed to remove the mixed member proportional representation clause from the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment Bill) National Assembly Bill (NAB) Number 17 of 2015.So what is this mixed member proportional representation that Zambians initially wanted to be included in the Constitution?
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION VOTING SYSTEMS
Proportional representation voting (PR) is the main rival to plurality-majority voting. Among advanced western democracies it has become the predominant voting system. For instance, in Western Europe, 21 of 28 countries use proportional representation, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The basic approach of proportional representation is simple: legislators are elected in multimember districts instead of single-member districts, and the number of seats that a party wins in an election is proportional to the amount of its support among voters. So if you have a 10-member district and the PF win 50% of the vote, they receive five of the ten seats. If the UPND win 30% of the vote, they get three seats; and if MMD gets 20% of the vote, they win two seats.
The mixed proportional systems were devised to solve the many problems caused by plurality-majority voting systems. As a rule, these voting systems provide more accurate representation of parties, better representation for political and racial minorities, fewer wasted votes, higher levels of voter turnout, better representation of women, greater likelihood of majority rule, and little opportunity for gerrymandering(manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favour one party or class)
Still don’t understand? Watch this clip.
Script
Queen Lion of the animal kingdom is looking to improve her democracy. She recently allowed citizens to elect representatives to the Jungle Council which governs the kingdom.
However, she recognizes that her citizens are not happy with the voting system. Let’s watch an election on one of the small islands of her Kingdom to see why:
On this island there are three political parties: the two big ones: Kea and Tuatara, and a small third party, Kakapo.
On election day, the citizens each cast one vote for a local candidate they want to represent the range they live in. The results are as follows:
With the average across the island that Tuatara gets 49%, Kea gets 48% and Kakapo gets 3%.
The election is run using First Past the Post, meaning that candidate with the most votes wins. Because Tuatara got the most votes in each range, they get to control 100% of the seats on the council.
And this is why so many citizens are unhappy. The majority of them, the 51% who voted for other parties, get no representation on the council at all.
This seems unfair to Queen Lion but she’s not sure how to fix it. The citizens like having local representatives and don’t want to change the range boundaries.
But luckily Kiwi, one of the citizens of this island, has a suggestion for Queen Lion on how she can make the system better while keeping local representation and leaving the ranges as they are.
The idea is called Mixed Member Proportional or MMP and it makes two changes: the number of seats on the council is doubled and each citizen gets two votes, not one.
Here’s how it works:
At first, election day for Kiwi is just the same as before.
He gets a list of candidates running to represent his local range on the council. Kiwi picks one and the winner will be the candidate with the most votes.
So far the system is no better Tuatara again wins all the local elections and still more than half of the citizens don’t have any representation. But here’s how Kiwi’s second vote and those extra seats on the council fix this.
Kiwi uses his second vote to pick his favorite political party.
These second votes are tallied up and show the percentage of support that each of the political parties has among the citizens as a whole and reveals how imbalanced the council is so far.
To fix this imbalance, members of the political parties are added, one at a time, to make the council more proportional.
Tuatara is the most over-represented and Kea the most underrepresented, so Kea gets the first empty seat.
This continues, adding one Kea at a time until both Tuatara and Kea are over-represented and Kakapo is under-represented, so they get the final seat.
Now, the jungle council represents, as close as possible, the actual preferences of the citizens which is a huge improvement over the old, first past the post method.
There is, however, one interesting question that should arise at this point:
Exactly who decides which members of the parties get those extra seats?
The way it works is that, before the election, the political parties make a list of their favorite candidates in the order that they want them to get on the council.
So, if there is only get one extra seat, the name at the top of their list is chosen. If they get two seats, the first two are chosen, and so on.
This makes MMP a bit different from other voting methods in that it makes political parties an official part of the way the election works.
This may give the party leaders greater control over their members because they can reward or punish their actions by changing their placement on the party list.
While this may be a disadvantage of MMP there are a number of other benefits that Queen Lion, in particular, likes.
Because fewer votes are wasted, it mostly Eliminates Gerrymandering and prevents minority rule.
It also gives more choice to the citizens by encouraging political diversity.
This point is worth expanding on.
Notice how, with MMP, the percentage of votes for the local representatives isn’t the same as for the parties. This is because in the local elections, citizens have to vote strategically.
For example, Kakapo voters don’t like Tuatara at all, but they can tolerate Kea. Since there are so few Kakapo voters they know that their candidate doesn’t have a chance of winning the local election, so it’s really a race between the two big parties. Thus many of the Kakapo will vote Kea in the hope that he might win and be their representative.
However, when it comes to voting for their favorite political party, this strategy doesn’t matter. The more votes a party gets the more representatives it has on the council.
So citizens are free to vote for smaller parties they like like knowing that every vote counts.
Queen Lion reviews her options and decides to switch her Kingdom to MMP. Now, for the first time, the Jungle Council is a true reflection of what her citizens want.
Conclusion
The mixed member proportional representation was about making sure we are all repersented in Parliament.
Subject to clause (1) of Article 78 of the Constitution of Zambia the central function of the legislature is to make, amend or repeal laws. So to effect policies into law they pass through a legislative process which is summarised below for translating a policy or legislative proposal into law. Also all legislative proposals come to the National Assembly as the legislature in the form of a Bill and a Bill cannot become law unless it is goes through the necessary approvals plus the assent by the Presidency as the last step. Both the Constitution of Zambia Bill N.A.B Number 16 and the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill N.A B Number 17 have been presented to the National Assembly as government legislative proposals and the process is described herein below.
2.Understanding the legislative process vis a vis the Constitution making process
A diagram has been used to illustrate the ongoing legislative process in a simplified manner so that we know where we are coming from, where we are and where we are going.
Generally government instructions are sent to Drafting Department at the Ministry of Justice. Within Justice there is an Internal Legislation Committee chaired by the AG (the PS, SG and drafters are members). Once they approve a Bill, it goes to the Cabinet Legislation Committee and then to Cabinet. Cabinet approves it for publication in the Gazette as a Bill before it goes to Parliament. In the case of the Constitutional Bills there was a technical team appointed by the Republican President to consider all the past reports of the four Constitutional Review Commissions and on that basis draft a Constitutional Bill and a Report thereon. The Constitutional Bills were drafted as an outcome of the Report of the technical committee.
The Stages that a Bill passes through to become Law
First Reading: A formal presentation is made by the sponsor to introduce the Bill at this stage there is no debate but an objection can be made for example if, in the case of a constitutional amendment, thirty (30) days have not elapsed since it was published in the Government Gazette as prescribed by the Constitution. (See paragraphs (a) and (b) of clause (2) of Article 79 )
Second Reading: The Minister concerned as the sponsor of the Bill opens up this Stage by undertaking a second reading speech outlining the purpose and the general principles of the Bill. A general debate ensues and the debate process is broken down in two parts after which there is a vote that channels the Bill to Committee stage which is the first part of the Second Reading. These two parts are :
(We are here)
PART ONE • Committee Stage: Most Bills are referred to the standing committee with a mandate closely related to the subject matter of the Bill in issue. So in this case the Constitutional Bills have been referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs, Governance, Human Rights and Gender to consider the text of the constitutional Bills and to make recommendations in the form of a Report which contains comments and proposals on each clause of the Bills after hearing witnesses and experts that appeared before it. This Report containing the comments and proposals is referred back to the Main House and is subjected to what is known as the report stage in the legislative process.
In the current scenario, the Committee on Legal Affairs, Governance, Human Rights and Gender matters has recommended that the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment ) Bill should be withdrawn reasons being that most of the witnesses and experts that appeared before it to give evidence could not reach a consensus on most of the critical issues in the Bill. The Committee also reported on the link between the two Constitutional Bills and how it would be an academic exercise to consider the non-contentious one without taking into account the relationship between the two Bills especially noting that the contentious issues were contained under the Schedule to the Constitution of Zambia Bill.
Despite the committee’s recommendation to withdraw the Bill government wants to proceed to enact what they are terming as the “non–contentious clauses of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment ) Bill and yet again they have not given any position or explanation as to which clauses these are out of the whole text. Nor have they provided an explanation on the implications for the distinction between contentious clauses and non-contentious clauses. The significance of the failure by government to identify and distinguish contentious from non-contentious clauses and their implications is that it is actually a good way for government to conceal how far they have departed from the rational for seeking a new Constitution in the first place. Thus taking us back to the same place we were with a political document rather than a development document and if that is the case one has to ask the question why bother with the amendment if there is no change? The government knows very well that by identifying the contentious from the non-contentious clauses the people will soon establish we are back at square one and we have not moved forward. See the note below on the importance of revisiting at every stage the reasons for seeking a new Constitution.
Part 2 • Report Stage After debate and agreement on clauses and the whole Bill, the Clerk reports on the Bill to the plenary, usually just stating (addressing the Speaker) that, the Bill passed “with amendment” (without giving the details) or “without amendment”.
Third Reading: there is no debate at this stage. The Speaker puts the question to the whole House that the Bill be read a third time. Once it is passed, the clerk prepares the copies for assent. According Clause (2) of Article 78 no Bill can be sent to the President for assent unless it has gone through the Third Reading
• Presidential Assent or veto subject to clause (3) of Article 78 If the President assents the Bill becomes a Law when the President signs the first of the copies. Coming into effect is another matter of course and depends on what the Act itself provides or does not provide, since the default position is that it becomes a Law upon publication in the Gazette. publication in the Gazette – clauses (6) & (7) of the Article 78
3. The Public Interest Issues that need to be addressed
Basically if the Bill passes the Second Reading there is no more debate and at the moment we are one more stage away from the Third Reading yet there has been no debate on each clause to justify why each clause should stand. Why would that be a problem? Since there is a recommendation to withdraw the Bill and this is what the Committee has taken to the House the most reasonable and logical thing to do is to debate the merits for either withdrawing the Bill or proceeding to the next stage.
In the event that government and other supporting MPs insist on proceeding to the next stage it is recommended that opposing MPs particularly opposition MPs must insist, in the public and national interest, that:
Clarification and identification of the contentious and non-contentious clauses and the implications of the distinction on the overall product should the Bill go through; and
The mode of debate should constitute a thorough and exhaustive clause by clause public debate to justify why the clauses have been adopted and the public interest purpose they would serve in strengthening democracy and the democratic institutions of our country. Because the focus for all should not be politics but public and national interest that serves all Zambians and not just a few people.
It must be pointed out that we do not support the current mode of adoption of the Constitution which in effect is virtually absent as it does not involve the people because the process of enactment of the new constitution champions the prioritization of politics over the national and public interest. A clause by clause debate is supported followed by a referendum for the whole Constitution Bill. However under the circumstances the vital point to note is that a clause by clause debate even in this unsatisfactory process will help among other things to:
Carry and keep the people updated on the proceedings that are a determining factor of their legal, social, political and economic destiny in this country rather than keeping them uninformed on the issues being discussed. This crucially provides the basis for justifying a referendum because people would go to a referendum fully informed and aware of the value of the overall constitutional text and the spirit behind the principle of each clause that is debated. In the absence of such a debate how will people make an informed choice to vote on the Constitution at the referendum? So this process would help Zambians recognize they to have a major role in this process and have a responsibility to ensure the outcome is the desired one;
Focus and direct MPs and the general public to the reason why we are seeking a new constitution in the first place. We need to keep asking ourselves at every stage why we want the current Constitution changed. The answer is rather simple to move away from a constitution as a political document that serves a few people on the basis of patronage by adopting a constitution that is a development document that embodies a collective development agenda for a more equitable and democratic society that benefit’s all Zambians;
Clarify the meaning of the clauses to be adopted and reveal how the clauses individually and collectively work together to achieve the original purpose for seeking a new constitution. We cannot lose sight of this;
Remind MPs that a Constitution should prioritize development and national welfare over politics; and
Provide tangible evidence that there is a mechanism in place for MPs and the government to be transparent and accountable to the people of Zambia in the Constitution making process which is important for establishing the legitimacy of the new Constitution.
The other issue is also on the aspect of Government stating that it has no position in the matter, this is a matter that needs to be addressed and solely so before we reach the Third Reading Stage. The moral aspect of this is that the sponsor of a Public Bill not having a standpoint view on the legislative smacks of a dereliction of duty especially that they are also supposed to provide policy guidance on how they intend to shape future legislation. Furthermore the question of how they can engage in a meaningful debate on an issue where they have “no position” also arises. The far reaching logical consequences of such a statement could derail the process or even corrupt it. The point being made is that if you have no position on the Bill that could amount to abandoning the Bill and if a Bill has been abandoned how you can proceed to the next stage.
This is a very critical time in the governance of our country and all relevant stakeholders are urged to take the up the mantle by engaging their Area Members of Parliament so that citizen justice is not only done but seen to be done in the quest to enact a new people’s driven and people serving constitution for the Republic of Zambia.
President Lungu Swearing New Police IG Kakoma Kanganja
PRESIDENT Lungu has warned that Government will not shield anyone serving in public office once found wanting for corruption.
He has also urged the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to guard against “merchants of malice” who want to use it for vengeance against others.
“I have never, and will never, shield anyone serving in public office once found wanting by the law on charges of corruption,” he said.
President Lungu said this during the commemoration of the United Nations International Anti-corruption Day under the theme ‘Break the Corruption Chain’ at Government Complex in Lusaka yesterday.
The head of State has also warned public officials and contractors that should they siphon public funds or any other public resources intended for projects, they will face the law.
President Lungu urged the ACC to always remain vigilant so that it can resist overt and covert attempts by some people who seek to use it as an instrument to settle scores.
He directed that all public institutions that have not yet created integrity committees to do so because this is now a requirement by law.
President Lungu urged Zambians to break the corruption chain by exposing corrupt acts and reporting these to relevant authorities with confidence that they will be protected against unlawful reprisals.
“This year’s theme demands of us, individually and collectively to exercise high moral integrity in order to fight corrupt practices. This entails that we should be responsible and patriotic citizens always willing to blow the whistle whenever and wherever corruption manifests its ugly face,” he said.
He said there is no better way of describing corruption any more than that it is a social problem which leaves devastating effects on governments globally.
He said corruption also robs the poor of their right to enjoy public goods and services.
“Corruption is simply an evil that fuels greed and self-interest because individuals charged with positions of authority abuse their positions for personal gain thereby doing a dis-service to the poor in society,”
“My government re-affirms its commitment to zero tolerance to corruption and will continue respecting the autonomy of operations of the law enforcement agencies, to enable them exercise professionalism and diligence,” he said.
And ACC chairperson Justice Timothy Kabalata said the commission will continue devising ways aimed at breaking the corruption chain in the country.
Justice Kabalata said corruption is devastating on the country’s economic growth, and that if left unchecked, can do the nation more harm.
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Lee Habasonda challenged political parties to tell the nation where they get their funding during campaigns as a matter of transparency.
He also called on political parties to avoid corruption during the 2016 election campaigns to avoid losing public funds in court cases.
Mr Habasonda also called for a stop to the harassment of the ACC, saying it must be allowed to operate independently.
And African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption (APNAC) Zambia Chapter chairperson Cornelius Mweetwa called on President Lungu to see to it that the Access to Information Bill is speedily enacted in a bid to promote transparency and accountability in the running of public institutions in the country.
