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THE Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ) has saluted the plans by the Government to reintroduce the national airline next year.
TCZ chairperson Alexander Mutali said the reintroduction of the national airline was a bright idea as it would boost both domestic and foreign tourism activities.
Mr Mutali was speaking in an interview at Royal Livingstone Hotel on Wednesday during a wine tasting ceremony.
He however urged the Government to seek ways of introducing planes which would be able to carry many local and international guests to sustain the airline.
“The biggest challenge which we must examine is on what type of an airline are we thinking of.
“If it is the luxury type of an airline, then it is not good for the country. If it is that type of an airline which will move great numbers like the Ethiopian Airline and even go to Dubai where most Zambians go to do their shopping, then that will be a better airline,” Mr Mutali said.
Mr Mutali, who is Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) chairperson, also said there was need to ensure that the national airline promoted domestic tourism by introducing domestic flights.
“You can imagine that it takes close to two days for one to drive to the Coppebelt Province from here in Livingstone.
“But if you have an airline which will be cheaper, may you only spend K50 to travel from Livingstone to Copperbelt , many Zambians and other tourists will be travelling by plane and in turn this will sustain the profitability of the airline,” Mr Mutali said.
He said the tourism industry was looking for an airline that would move greater number of tourists like the case was in other countries which had national airlines.
“We don’t want prestigious planes which are very expensive. These planes must move many numbers from one point to another.
“We want an airline which will also promote domestic tourism because such an airline is missing in Zambia currently,” Mr Mutali said.
The Zambian Government has announced plans to reintroduce the national airline during the course of next year.
Zambian E-commerce Company, Dot Com Zambia is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Dennis Mwansa as its new chairman of the board. Dr. Mwansa born and raised in Zambia is an experienced financial and telecommunications industry technology executive and trading platform solution architect with more than 25 years of IT experience, most notably in the Investment Banking Industry and is currently the Head of Technology Infrastructure at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
Dr. Mwansa received his first degree in electronics and telecommunications from the University of Zambia, before moving to Japan and obtaining a Masters, followed by a PHD in Information Engineering with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence. Notable positions once held by Dr. Mwansa before his appointment at the JSE, include Vice President of Infrastructure Services for Goldman Sachs Japan, Head of Trading Infrastructure for the Asia division of Royal Bank of Scotland. Dr. Mwansa is a globally recognized financial industry IT expert with regular speaking engagements at industry forums and publications in IT industry International Journals
Speaking in Lusaka, Dr Mwansa states, “Dot Com Zambia is one of the companies that is really driving the development of e-commerce in Zambia it is an honor for him to be associated with this company as well as supporting a talented young Zambian Entrepreneur” He further explained, how he believes that ICT and the internet in 5 years can do more for our economy and its development, to touch the lives of people and solve the challenges we face, than 50 years of AID.
Speaking in Lusaka, Mawano Kambeu, founder and CEO of Dot Com Zambia, states, “I am truly inspired by Dr. Mwansa and what he has accomplished professionally in the IT field. I am honored to have an individual of his caliber sitting as our chairman of the board, providing his expertise and council to our company.
Dot Com Zambia has recently drawn media attention for their e-commerce solutions for the Zambian market, which include online shopping and an innovative intercity electronic bus ticketing system called Bus Tickets Zambia. The company recently received an investment of $500,000 from Kukula Capital a leading Zambian venture capital investor, and eVentures Africa Fund, a leading Dutch venture capital fund specializing in E-commerce in Africa,
Denny Kalyalya
IT is wrong to insinuate that the Zambian economy has collapsed as there is no way it can breakdown when it still has great unexploited potential for economic growth, says Bank of Zambia (BoZ) governor Denny Kalyalya.
Dr Kalyalya said in an interview that the Zambian economy would only collapse if nothing was done to exploit the available potential in different economic sectors.
He said it was impossible for the economy to collapse when the country was still recording economic growth even if it was slow.
“Those who are speaking positively about the economy should continue being optimistic because this economy has not collapsed; we are still talking of growth and, yes, it’s low growth but it is growth nonetheless,” Dr Kalyalya said.
He said there were unexploited potential in economic sectors such as agriculture and energy which when exploited would bring about economic growth.
“But I think there are still opportunities within what is happening; we still have unexploited areas when we talk of agriculture, agro- industry.
“And we have to go beyond maize in agriculture; there are other things such as livestock and fisheries, all these are areas where Zambians can do a lot better,” Dr Kalyalya said.
He said Zambia boasts of having 40 percent of the water in the sub-Saharan region and yet it was not being utilized in the energy sector.
Dr Kalyalya said Zambia had to learn from other countries which depended on one river and yet they were performing a lot better in the energy sector because they exploited the available opportunities.
“Talk of energy, we boast of having 40 percent of the water resources. There are countries depending on one river and they are doing a lot better, why? So I think we can take lessons from that.
“What I am saying is that the economy will collapse if we all do not do anything about it but I can assure you that with these challenges, a lot better can come out of it but we have to seize those opportunities,” he said.
Dr Kalyalya said there was need to be fully focused and apply the knowledge on the many opportunities Zambia had to grow the economy.
He was optimistic that something better could come out of the current economic challenges.
Meanwhile, Dr Kalyalya said BoZ was aware of shopping malls which were charging customers in the United States dollars and that the central bank would soon visit them to understand their reasons because their actions were not helping banks’ efforts to stabalise the kwacha.
He said the actions by some people who charged in dollars contributed to the depreciation of the kwacha.
“We will pay those colleagues a visit to understand why they are doing that because they should also help us to bring that stability because if we become stable, there will be no need for that.
‘‘This is not helping the efforts to get the stability that we are looking for in the economy.
“I can assure you that if tomorrow the kwacha appreciated they will dump (the dollar) again and go back to the other side. You can’t always be on the winning side, so please this is a matter which is important to the economy,” he said.
MMD National Youth Secretary Bowman Lusambo says he is still a committed member of the former ruling party contrary to perceptions that he has divided loyalty between the MMD and the PF.
Mr Lusambo said the statements he has been issuing in the media in support of President Edgar Lungu stem from the fact that Zambia can only have one President who deserves support.
He said he is still a member of the MMD of good standing and pledged his support to MMD leader Dr Nevers Mumba.
Mr Lusambo who has also declared his intentions of contesting the vacant party Vice Presidency said President Lungu deserves commendation whenever he does something good.
‘In the same token, he deserves to be condemned if he implements wrong policies. These are the checks and balances we have been providing and we will continue.’
Mr Lusambo was speaking when he featured on the Assignment television programme on Muvi TV last Sunday.
He also revealed that late President Michael Sata offered him a job in an attempt to silence him.
‘I have never asked for a job from President Lungu, infact late President Sata is the one who offered me a job shortly after the 2011 election but i refused to take it. I practice politics of principles.’
‘There is no way the youths of MMD could abandon our project, Dr Mumba is our project, we started campaigning for Dr Mumba whilst he was still in Canada and we ensured that he became President and we cannot just abandon him like that,’ Mr Lusambo said.
Mr Lusambo said people have not forgotten the role that the MMD Die Hard movement which he leads played in stabilising the MMD.
‘Post 2011, the MMD was in shambles and as patriotic youths in the MMD, we had to step in and helped to stabilise the party.’
He also appealed to the youths in Zambia to engage themselves in active politics.
Mr Lusambo who is vying for the Kabushi parliamentary seat in Ndola said time has come for young people to venture into politics.
‘The time when young people were used for throwing stones is long gone. Our engagement in the political arena has to be more valuable than that and that time is now,’ he said.
He also explained that he has decided to run for the Kabushi seat after several appeals from the residents of Kabushi.
‘I am not imposing myself on the people of Kabushi, i am just heeding to their cries. They feel the current and past MPs have failed them and they have decided to deposit their trust for improved service delivery on me and i will not let them down,’ Mr Lusambo said.
Zambia are unchanged on the latest FIFA rankings released today Thursday, November 5 in Zurich.
Chipolopolo stay put for another month at number 71 in the World.
In Africa, Zambia are 16th and the highest ranked team from the Cosafa zone ahead of South Africa who are 75th in the World and 18th on the continent.
Zambia’s 2017 Africa Cup Group E qualifiers opponents Congo-Brazzaville are 52nd in the World while Kenya and Guinea Bissau are 125 and 141 respectively.
Meanwhile, Cote d’Ivoire are Africa’s highest ranked team at number 22 in the World while Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde and Senegal round-up the continental top five in that order.
Zambia face DR Congo on Friday in Angola at the Torneio 40 anos de Independência Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.
The match is part of a four-nation tournament Angola is hosting as part of its 40th independence celebrations.
Namibia are the fourth team at the two-day tournament.
Zambia coach George Lwnadamina is using the tournament to pick his nine home-based players to join the nine foreign-based call-ups for next weeks 2018 World Cup qualifier away to Sudan on November 11.
Lwandamina has taken a home-based team that recently qualified to the 2016 CAF African Nations Championship in Rwanda.
The match will also see a new face in the form of Zesco United midfielder Clatous Chama.
Chama is likely to get his debut Zambia cap following an impressive season in which he played an instrumental role in the Ndola club retaining the league title.
Chama also scored 7 goals for the five-time champions this season.
Meanwhile, this will be Zambia and DR Congo’s second meeting this year since January at the Africa Cup in Equatorial Guinea that ended 1-1.
Winner will face victor of the late kickoff between Namibia and Angola at the same venue in the final on Saturday.
Victoria Falls.Picture taken in 2013 by Venture co
The African Travel and Tourism Association says the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls does come close to dying up with just a small amount of water flowing over in some places, just before the rainy season.
Association Chairman Ross Kennedy says this is a result of the Falls being slightly lower on the Zimbabwean side.
Mr Kennedy said media speculation that Victoria Falls may be drying up is entirely false.
He said according to local river experts, there would always be water in Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side between the Livingstone statue and Livingstone Island.
“Victoria Falls is at its driest at this time of year and, often before the rainy season begins, the Zambian side does come close to drying up, with just a small amount of water flowing over in some places. This is simply because the Falls are slightly lower on the Zimbabwean side,” said Mr. Kennedy.
Mr Kennedy added that, due to exceptionally low rainfall in the catchment area during the last rainy season, the water level was at its lowest since 1996 and the water levels would continue to drop as usual until the rains started in the catchment area north of Victoria Falls.
“Victoria Falls will never become ‘Victoria Walls’, as locals self-deprecatingly joke,” said Mr Kennedy.
And Chief Marketing Officer at Wild Horizons Shane White said despite the lack of rain at Victoria Falls, the low water levels are not out of the ordinary.
The rainy season normally begins in mid-November and the river this year is tracking the same levels as 1998.
Shane said that neither Wild Horizons, nor any other operator, had cancelled activities at the Falls due to the water levels. “It is normal for the river to be at its lowest at this time of the year, just prior to the arrival of the rains. Normally the river starts to rise again between November 12 and November 20, this is obviously dependent on rain in the catchment areas.”
All activities are continuing as normal, including white water rafting confirmed Shane.
Fourth Revolution President Erick Chanda has described the move by the Central Bank to raise the policy rate to 15.5% from 12.5% as murderous.
On Tuesday the Bank of Zambia announced a rise in the base lending rate from 12.5% to 15.5% in an effort to curb the inflation that has spiraled. The current inflation rate is 14.3% year on year.
Mr. Chanda said it is very clear in the minds of the Zambian people that the PF came to destroy the country’s economy once and for all.Mr. Chanda said that the move by the Bank of Zambia to raise the policy rate to 15.5% from 12.5% in an effort to curb soaring inflation which hit double digits in October is a wrong resolution.
[pullquote]I don’t see Zambians voting on load shedding, I don’t see Zambians voting on mine closures, I don’t see Zambians voting for high mealie meal prices[/pullquote]
‘This policy measure, as much as it is aimed at arresting inflation will only go to hurt the poor people because companies will increase prices to pay back the loans or close shop,’ he said.
Mr.Chanda charged that the PF will not rule Zambia beyond 2016 because of its loss in popularity.He said the social and economic challenges the PF has brought since 2011 will make it difficult for Zambians to give them fresh mandate.
Mr.Chanda said PF leaders are now blinded by power and are now enjoying and failing to see the misery they have caused.
‘I don’t see Zambians voting on load shedding, I don’t see Zambians voting on mine closures, I don’t see Zambians voting for high mealie meal prices, so the only way for the PF is to go out in 2016’ Mr Chanda said.
The Energy Forum Zambia has commended Minister of Energy and Water Development Dora Siliya for calling for investments in converting garbage to energy.
Energy Forum Zambia Chairperson Johnstone Chikwanda said the Minister of Energy deserves commendation for the calls to invest in waste to energy technology as it will create employment at various levels such as at garbage collection, transportation and at the level of sorting garbage.
This is according to a statement released to the media by Energy Forum Zambia Chairperson Johnstone Chikwanda from Johannesburg in South Africa.
Mr. Chikwanda said the councils should seize the opportunity of the technology which he said would significantly contribute to the, “Keep Zambia clean and health campaign” that was re-launched recently.
“The significant and viable investment opportunity in this regards lie at mini waste to energy technologies capable of generating up to 10 megawatts (MW). Depending on the ability to collect garbage, one can do even a medium size power plant,” Mr. Chikwanda explained.
He noted that even if it means producing one mw, it would still translate into a lot of money at the current proposed tariff of $0.1 per KWh adding that even councils that are struggling to raise revenue would benefit significantly.
He observed that entrepreneurs have scarcely considered investing in small power plants because they like looking at huge power projects that would produce over 100 MW.
Minister of Energy Dora Siliya is reported to have called for investors to invest in waste to energy technology during the energy consultative meeting held in Lusaka recently.
Mr. Chikwanda said the opportunity that Ms. Siliya has talked about must be seized by individuals, communities, companies and municipalities saying the quantity of the garbage lying around Lusaka for instance can support at least a MW plant.
He noted that Zambia as a country has not done well in terms of diversifying the energy mix adding that even the sewerage lake in Garden compound can produce electricity.
He has since called on the members of the public to support policy statements and seize opportunities.
Mr. Chikwanda further said the power crisis the country is facing has brought significant business opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the energy sector.
Millers are purchasing maize at 1.8 kwacha per kg from local farmers, translating to K45 per bag. The government is however proposing a selling price of K45, the price it has fixed for the cooperative produced mealie meal. If Millers were to sell a K25 at kK5, they would instead be operating at a loss.
The threats by the head of state to introduce price controls will only mean Millers will pull out of the business as it will no longer be profitable, leaving many milling employees out of employment and farmers with no ready markets for their produce. Despite the honorable Kambwili declaring that the recent Kwacha debacle doesn’t affect the milling chain, small scale farmers are buying a bag of fertilizer at K500, from K180 to K250, last farming season. It is therefore difficult for farmers to sell a bag of maize for less than the current selling price.
Millers are also strained, because auxiliary requirements like cleaning chemicals, maintanance equipment, spares are all affected by the dancing currency. Further, loadshedding means Millers have had to rely on a more expensive alternatives in gensets. Government should discuss tangible solutions and target the weakest link in the milling chain as opposed to campaign rhetoric and threats that do not translate to any meaningful solution.
My Proposal
Government should consider permitting Millers to sell their mealie meal to DRC, as was in the past before mealie meal exports to DRC were banned. The price in the Congo is over three times the Zambian price.This can be done on condition that they can sell to Zambians at reasonable prices
Government should look at the best way to cushion fertilizer pricing, the FISP program can also include sensitization campaigns on natural manure and compost
Government should encourage diversification away from nshima as the staple food, thereby creating less demand for maize and lowering its price of mealie. This may in turn improve the health of the nation as a more diverse diet will provide better nutrition.
Government can add Millers as a priority industry when it comes to energy rationing on condition that they provide us with reasonable pricing.
The government must first provide alternatives before rushing to threaten business owners. Our country is already limping and we should ensure that we work at fixing it together, because working antagonistically with Zambian business men will only cripple us further.
Student dancing on the street with a grandmother to make some money in view of the unavailability of bursaries support and Russian laws not allowing students to work part-time. For us students it is very psychologically disturbing as fellow Russian students laugh at us when in class after they saw an African dancing just as shown in the picture for money
Letters from Zambian students in Russia
I would like to thank you for standing firm in your beliefs to give correct information to the Zambian people even at the time when everyone is praising failure so that they can be employed.
I trust you to convey this to HE Edgar C. Lungu, president of the Republic of Zambia, to the ministry of Education (specifically deputy minister-Chairperson of Bursaries Committee), the minister of finance and national planning, secretary to Bursaries Committee and to all authorities it may concern.
Zambian students in Russia have not received their top up allowances. The Bursaries Committee was supposed to pay students at the beginning of the academic year, it has, however, been 2 months now.
At the beginning of every academic year, students are required to pay for visa extension, medical policy and accommodation. While failure to pay for the latter leads to eviction from hostels, the former are offenses that lead to expulsion and deportation.
“These months have been hard for us. We have exhausted all our sources of income. We are starving, and we cannot borrow anymore- our Zimbabwean creditors are waiting for us to settle our debts. We have no money for bus fares anymore. It is affecting our performance in the university. The situation is bad.”
When student representatives contacted the secretary to the Bursaries Committee, she said that the BC has not been funded and she has no idea as to when the funds will be made available.
I have no idea who is sitting on the funding. However, I plead to HE Edgar C. Lungu, president of Zambia to look into the welfare of foreign students. Whether funding is coming from the ministry of finance or education, I appeal to the president to help us. I ask you to show us love as your children, as children of Zambia who are suffering abroad trying to acquire an education that they could not probably get in our motherland. I, sadly, remind you that most scholarship students abroad are coming from poor families and they completely depend on the top up allowances for their survival.
I would like to stress that if students do not pay for their hostels, they will be evicted from hostels. If they do not renew their visas, they will be deported. If they are discovered that they do not have medical policies, they will be deported. If they do not have money for their bus fares, they will be missing classes and that will lead to expulsion. If they starve,…while I do not know what happens to them.
Thank you.
By Zambian student in Russia.
Dear Editor,
I write this letter with so much sadness, anger and frustration that mere words cannot reflect. The extent to which the Zambian ministry of education has neglected students studying outside the borders of Zambia can no longer be ignored. It’s for this reason I write to you.
Zambian students in Russia have not been paid their keep up allowances (stipend/BC) for over 3 months. For the past week we have been seeing pictures and reading news articles about UNZA students who are rioting for an increase in their BC. Sadly, we as Russian students can not riot as we are located in a country that’s not ours and we are obliged to follow the rules and regulations of the country. So we are forced to stay silent like slaves and not do anything about it.
But truth be told, we have remained silent too long. We are suffering! We go to lectures hungry with no food to eat because the government has not paid us. All the food we have to eat is boiled. The other day, a friend of mine from Estonia asked me why we Zambians are always boil our food, he asked if it was a traditional way of cooking. With so much shame, I answered “yes” hiding the fact that is due to the extreme poverty we are going through that we cannot afford to buy cooking oil and fry some food. Some of us have forgotten the taste of chicken. This may seem exaggerated but it’s true. Students can’t go for lectures because they feel dizzy when thy walk from lack of food. Our diet has been reduced to boiled potatoes and salt which are the most affordable commodities. Winter is her and it’s cold, we can’t even but warm jumpers to keep us warm, so we are forced to bombasa 4 layers of clothing which forces us to walk like penguins. We are contantly asked why we are thin, and this is very shameful.
When students come to Russia, they are from different backgrounds, some come from families that can take care of them, some come from families that can’t send them money. In fact they are the ones who send money back home. So when money is held for over three months, one starts to wonder how people will survive. We have a lot of things to pay for, hostel fees, medical policy, visa fees, registration fees and personal up keep. Things are very expensive now in Russia with the fall of the Ruble and one is left to wonder how people survive. Students are forced to do humiliating and degrading things to survive instead of going for lectures, like working in grave yards, giving out fliers in markets, lifting boxes, giving massages to old women, dancing in public, cheat english to little kids just for a sack of potatoes in order to survive.
When we contact our government officials, nothing is done about it. Mwebantu twafwa. Please we need help.
Motor rally driver Jassy Singh and four others have pleaded not guilty in the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court to assault, resisting and obstructing an immigration officer.
Before magistrate Munalula Mubita was Singh, 32, Joshi Kishor, Naidoo Logendra, Kumaren Naidu and Ramakrishna Naidu, charged with one count each of resisting, obstruction and assaulting officers on duty.
The five told the court that they understood the charge but denied committing the offence.
It is alleged that on October 27 this year, the men resisted, obstructed and assaulted an immigration officer and a police officer on duty by physically manhandling them and making it impossible for them to conduct their work in Lusaka.
The five will appear for mention on November 23.
We should not be diverted away from the developmental agenda of our country by discussing immaterial things as a citizens.It is always heartbreaking that we politicians are sometimes in the forefront bringing up petty issues in our political discourse each time we fail to lead our people or have runout of ideas on governing.
Zambia has serious economic challenges at the moment which should ideally preoccupy the debate arena on how best we can solve them in short term, medium term and long term.With the onset of rains in various parts of the country at the moment, we must be asking ourselves whether farmers have received their seeds and fertiliser for planting this season and at what cost are they buying these farming inputs instead of dwelling on personalities in order to hide our failures.
These are the issues that preoccupy some of us on a daily basis and we make wide consultations with various stakeholders to find an amicable solution to our country’s economic challenges that has brought massive poverty and hunger in our homes.
Like we have said before, Zambians are now too clever to accept any empty rhetoric and sloganeering with false promises. We are depressing our masses, especially the jobless youths if, for example, we wake up one morning and announce recruitment of more than 5000 or so teachers only for the programme to be abandoned without any reasons.
These are the issues that are causing a lot of mistrust by citizens that is now rubbing on all of us in the public service as politicians. Citizens now think we are all the same despite our different backgrounds where some of us have achieved a few things in our own small way through hardworking which is now being ridiculed.
And the moment we shall accept to take the blame for our current situation is the day we shall realistically start dealing with these challenges.Ridiculing others, blaming everything on others, threats and violence will not solve our economic challenges such as saving jobs and creating more opportunities for our people.
The current economic hardships, especially among our youths, are real and these go beyond one’s political affiliations, hence the need for unity of purpose in confronting them.
Anyway, at the end of the day, as Zambians we hold the destiny to ourselves through the leadership choices we make and our prayers and request this time around is we consider merit and not any other considerations for the betterment of our country and future generations.
Pastor Reuben Sambo of Rivers of Joy Ministries in Lusaka has charged that it is time for the church in Zambia to take courage and come out of its comfort zone and be relevant to finding solutions to the dire state that the nation has been plunged in.
Reacting to a statement in the Post of 2nd November 2015 in which Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) President Dr. Nevers Mumba has been quoted as lamenting the lack of support from the church in his political pursuit to be President of Zambia, Pastor Sambo has agreed with Dr. Mumba that most of the church in Zambia has taken a back-seat and chosen to be irrelevant on-lookers while secretly complaining about the state of the nation which they only voice in prayer meetings.
“I am saddened how we Christians, particularly the Evangelicals, conduct ourselves. We have taken the safe position, choosing to keep quiet and not come out in the open. We Tumbukas have an adage to describe this mentality which is translated as ‘The coward hyena lived longer’. This is the kind of attitude we Evangelicals displayed even towards Dr. Frederick Chiluba before he became president. Later when he ascended to the presidency, many of us suddenly became frequent visitors to State House,” said Pastor Sambo.
This is the kind of attitude we Evangelicals displayed even towards Dr. Frederick Chiluba before he became president. Later when he ascended to the presidency, many of us suddenly became frequent visitors to State House
Pastor Sambo has advised the church to take a leaf from the biblical story of Moses, who in spite of living a a life of luxury and privilege in the Egyptian king’s palace, a time came when he had to choose to leave that comfort zone to take up God’s chosen and perilous assignment to deliver millions of Jews held in bondage in Egypt and lead them to the promised land. Pastor Sambo said Dr. Nevers Mumba has demonstrated a similar pattern and is viewed by many as a courageous and fearless pioneer in many fields.
“He was the very first Zambian preacher on TV with his hugely successful ‘Zambia Shall be Saved’ series on national television. Dr. Mumba became the very first minister of the gospel to hold the Victory Ministries Conferences at Mulungushi Conference Centre with renowned international preachers, giving an opportunity for many Christians to step into the limelight, some for the first time.
“But many pastors criticised him and said he would fail. I am not sure if it was because of jealousy. He was the first Zambian to hold national crusades across Zambia and abroad with most of us pastors looking on with wonder and intrigue at such boldness and success. Most of us at the time had no courage to venture out like that and I am grateful to Dr. Mumba for opening the way for the rest of us and several of us are now holding conferences at Mulungushi.
“With his pioneering spirit, Dr. Mumba stepped into the political realm. His appointment as Republican Vice-President surprised the entire church and the nation at large. He suddenly became Guest of Honour at almost all Christian events but when he was fired, many church leaders began shunning him and they cannot even invite him to speak at their churches nowadays.”
Pastor Sambo said Dr. Mumba is a source of inspiration to a lot of progressive pastors and has inspired even him personally to also enter politics. He said Christians cannot continue to sit on the fence to first wait and see what will happen.
He paid tribute to Dr. Mumba for being a great source of encouragement for the up-coming young pastors not only in Zambia but in Africa and the world at large that a Christian can venture into politics to influence the world with Christian values. He wondered how Christians continue saying politics is a dirty game but as the “salt of the earth”, they still choose to stay out.
“We should not join the chorus of ignorant and vision-less voices with their tired song of ‘Nevers go back to the pulpit’. I think it is only right that we as Christians give him our support. It is time to give meaning to the declaration of Zambian as Christian nation. Let us seize this moment given to us by God and begin to actualize the declaration for the betterment of mother Zambia.”
