The Zambian National Students Union has cautioned PF Elections Chairperson Jean Kapata to stop confusing the electorates with false information in a bid to woo voters.
In a statement ZANASU Vice President Prince Ndoyi said Ms Kapata is confusing electorates with her claims that there is no alliance between the PF and the MMD when it has been reported on several occasions that there is an alliance between the two parties.
“As the Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) we would like to caution PF election Chairperson Jean Kapata to stop confusing the electorates with false hoods as they desperately try to woo voters to their side.
“We are commenting on the statement attributed to Ms Kapata last evening on ZNBC news, it is very confusing to hear the Elections Chairperson of Patriotic Front (PF) saying the PF is not in an alliance with the MMD when it is all over in the press that the MMD and PF are in an alliance to help the PF presidential candidate survive the 50%+1 threshold. Now the electorates are confused to hear a senior member of the party saying all those candidates standing on MMD must stop supporting the PF President or using the PF president’s face on their posters. These people are so disorganised and we urge them to come out in the open on what it is they are doing,” he said.
He advised the PF leadership and their friends from the MMD to clear the air so as not to mislead voters into voting for falsehoods.
“We are very disappointed with that news item, and for the sake of the electorates it is imperative for the PF leadership and their counterparts from MMD to clear the air so that electorates are not mislead into supporting falsehoods. President Lungu must put his house in order or else risks being faced with a rude shock,” he said.
He added “Finally, it is a warning to political parties that they refrain from instigating and inciting violence and unrests just for purposes of political mileage. If they love this country why are they so trigger happy. The media must also desist from sensationalising stories or else they may set this country ablaze. Let them report facts and desist from creating things that are a recipe for unrest.”
The student body’s concerns comes in the wake of candidates from the PF in a number of constituencies including Munali, Mandevu, Chitambo among others fighting candidates from the MMD who have been campaigning for the PF Presidential candidate Edgar Lungu.
“Selfish” hit maker ,Chanda Mbao , decided to surprise his fans by teaming up with Kaladoshas and Scott to make a cover of Wiz Kids latest single “Shabba” .
This is in preparation for a single he has coming with Kaladoshas called ‘My Town’ which is slated the end of the month.
The opposition UPND have once again been denied permits to hold their rallies in Lusaka’s Chawama and Kanyama Compounds.
Mr Hichilema says the police have come under pressure from PF officials whom he said want to deny his Party an opportunity to deliver their campaign message to the people in the two compounds.
“Once again UPND scheduled rallies in Chawama and Kanyama constituencies in Lusaka for this afternoon and Sunday have been cancelled at the last minute after the Police have come under pressure from PF officials, who are in a clear state of panic as elections draw closer.
“We deeply regret that we will not be able to address the people in Chawama today, or in Kanyama this weekend. During the campaign period political parties have the right to deliver their message and manifesto to the people, and our people have the right to hear those messages. If President Edgar Lungu does not want to campaign or has little to say that is not for UPND to worry about,” he said.
He wondered why the PF are denying them opportunities to deliver their message to the electorates when they claim to have delivered on their promises.
“If the PF feel they have achieved so much during their time in office then why do they feel that they need to resort to such underhand tactics? The PF has seen how the tide is turning in Lusaka Province and their response has been to stop us campaigning at all costs.
“As we have resisted their attempts to intimidate, threaten and even mutilate our supporters they have increasingly resorted to co-opting public institutions, whether it’s ZRA or the Police to deliver partisan objectives. This is unacceptable and the ECZ must quickly condemn such abuse of office,” he said.
Power Dynamos duo of midfielder Kelvin Mubanga and goalkeeper Allan Chibwe are training with Nkana at the teams ongoing training camp in Lusaka.
Nkana are in Lusaka for a week-long mid-season camp before the league resumes on July 16.
Mubanga and Chibwe are part of Nkana’s 28-member party who are camped in Saint Bonaventure area in the capital and training from Miller Grounds and hoping to join the 12-time champions during this July local transfer window.
Mubanga left Nkana in January, 2015 to join Power after spending three years with the three-time champions.
Chibwe have been at Power since July, 2015 after finding very little playing time at Zanaco.
Also with the team in Lusaka is striker Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba who has rejoined Nkana on a one year loan after modest spell at Egyptian club Wadi Degla whom he joined in January, 2015 on a three and a half year deal that included a short-term spell at Belgium club Lierse this past 2015/2016 season.
Meanwhile, Nkana goalkeeper Charles Mweemba and midfielder Hosea Silwimba have been linked with a move to FAZ Super division debutants Lumwana Radiants in the July local transfer window.
And Nkana are due back in Kitwe this Sunday following their week long excursion in Lusaka.
VVIP Presidential terminal building foundation works underway at the new KKIA
Zambia Airports Corporation says the works to expand the Kenneth Kaunda Airport are on schedule and that construction will be completed in 2019.
Corporation Communication and Brand Manager Mweembe said the biggest airport in the country would have a new international terminal, air traffic control tower, rescue and fire services as well as two hotels within the airport.
“Everything is going on schedule and we expect construction to be completed in 2019. An airport is a gateway to any destination, hence we want Kenneth Kaunda Airport to become a hub in Africa,” said Ms. Mweembe.
Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia, is undergoing a US$360 million expansion project that will see passenger-handling capacity increasing to six million.
The airport currently handles two million passengers annually.
She said the Chinese-funded project is already under way, with the foundation level complete.
Ms. Mweembe said the existing airport infrastructure would be turned into a domestic terminal.
She said one hotel located in one of the wings of the airport would be a three-star facility while the other, to be built outside the airport, would be a five-star facility with conferencing rooms.
Ms. Mweembe said the airport was being expanded to bring convenience to visitors and create direct flights with different markets.
“The new airport will be shaped like an eagle which is the Zambian trademark,” she said adding that the project was meant to spearhead not only economic development in the Southern African country, but ensure tourism growth.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mweembe said the aviation authority was working on additional projects at the country’s other airports, namely Copperbelt International Airport (Ndola) and Mfuwe Airport.
She said construction was due to begin at Copperbelt Airport later this year at an estimated cost of $397 million.
“This will be a green field airport with a new area of construction having been identified and new runways to be constructed. It will also have one hotel outside,” she said adding that the shape of the new airport was inspired by mineral exploration in the region.
The new KKIA VVIP Presidential terminal building foundation works underwayComputer images of the new KKIA terminal building under construction
Chief Government Spokesman Chishimba Kambwili has asked Scottish Actress Louise Linton to retract her article promoting her book in which she described Zambia as a war torn country with children ravaged with HIV.
In an interview Dr Kambwili said the article and Ms. Linton’s book titled ‘In Congo’s Shadow’ does not portray the true picture of the Zambian situation.
He said he will soon be engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see how Government can get Ms Linton to apologise to Zambia publicly over what he called misleading articles about Zambia.
Dr Kambwili said it is incorrect to paint Zambia as a war ravaged country when the country is known world over as a beacon of peace.
He said Ms Linton’s write up is simply a fragment of her wild imagination.
“We are very disappointed that the young lady was hosted in this country and she ended up painting a bad picture of our beautiful country in her write up. It is very unfortunate and we will ask her to retract her write up and apologise,” Dr Kambwili said.
He added, “She is a very irresponsible person and whoever gave her that information must apologise to Zambians. That writing is in bad faith and the source is not legitimate, we are extremely disappointed as Government and we will be engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get an apologise.”
Zambians took to social media to highlight factual errors in Ms. Linton’s self-published memoir about her gap-year in Zambia.
The Twitter storm broke out after excerpts of the book, In Congo’s Shadow were published on July 1 in the British Newspaper The Telegraph.
The hashtag being used is #LintonLies.
In the book, which came out in April, Ms. Linton waxes poetic about her trip to the continent nearly two decades ago.
Ms. Linton later tweeted a short statement in response to the criticism.
“I wrote this book with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia and my sincere hope of making a positive impact there as an 18-year-old volunteer in 1999. I speak at length about the country’s incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the friendships and experiences I had there. My aim has only ever been to honour Zambia.”
She wrote: “I am genuinely dismayed and very sorry to see that I have offended people as this was the very opposite of my intent. “I wrote with the hope of conveying my deep humility, respect and appreciation for the people of Zambia as an 18yr old in 1999. “I wrote about the country’s incredible beauty and my immense gratitude for the experiences I had there.”
Linton’s father, William Hay, today defended her account.
And Linton’s father has defended William Hay has defended his daughter’s account.
Mr Hay who runs the Edinburgh-based family business, said: “As far as I can remember of what she said on her return that was the situation.
“The place was raided. I think the gamekeeper was shot dead.
“They trekked into the bush a bit and I got a phone call when she got to the nearest phone.”
Discussing the lodge and area Linton was staying, he said it was a “primitive hotel” which “was certainly not a sophisticated environment”.
He denied allegations that her book degrades Zambians by painting her as a “white saviour”, saying: “She had great respect for them.”
Mr Hay did, however, suggest that the manuscript of the book was changed by the publisher “and she was not happy with the story”.
He added: “She was really quite disappointed and quite embarrassed.”
Information Minister Dr. Chishimba Kambwili when he addressed a mammoth rally at President’s Park in Kasama today. The Minister is in Northern Province to conduct a series of public rallies to explain government programmes.Roan Constituency Patriotic Front Candidate Chishemba Kambwili has apologised to his President and members of the PF for the inconvenience that he may have caused in his fight against party council mayoral aspirant Nathan Chanda.
In a statement Mr Kambwili said he has seriously reflected and prayed over their differences and has seen the need to work together as the party and country is bigger than them.
“Thanks s lot my brother Sunday for your timely advise on this issue. I have seriously reflected and prayed over it and indeed we need each other. The party and Zambia is bigger that all of us. Further, this is time to put all our differences aside and concentrate on campaigning for the party that we have suffered to build. If Christ forgave those who persecuted him, who am I not to forgive and forget,” he said.
He also said he is ready to meet Mr Chanda and that he has since invited party youth Chairperson to witness the meeting.
“I am ready to meet the young man and resolve the issue once and for all. I wish to also tender an apology to his Excellent the President for the inconvenience that this may have caused him.
“Thanks Sunday and High Commissioner Emanuel Mwamba for your timely advise. I have since requested the National youth chairman Hon Kampyongo to come to Luanshya to witness the meeting with Nathan.I also unreservedly apologise to all the PF family for my actions. We have the opposition to fight and not among ourselves. God bless the mighty PF and let campaign for the President and the party. I believe leadership is about forgiveness as Christianity requires. Our founding president forgave those you insulted and called him names. Long live PF,” he said.
Mr Kambwili and Mr Chanda have not seen eye to eye after the later accused the his friend of trying to bewitch him in a bid to clear his path to be adoption as Parliamentary candidate on the party ticket.
Mr Chanda who saved as Luanshya Mayor campaigned vigorously to be adopted on the PF ticket as their Parliamentary candidate in Roan constituency something that angered the former MP.
It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.
PROS
Great acting by the whole cast especially Samuel L Jackson who played the character George Washington William and Christoph Waltz who played the villain Captain Léon Rom
Excellent visual effects, the scenery and the animals ,particularly the gorillas , were so realistic .
It has a gripping story line that is easy to follow .
CONS
There wasn’t enough back story . If you have never heard of the Tarzan you may not get the significance of his character and how he relates to the other pivotal characters in the movie .
FAVORITE QUOTES
Jane Clayton: He is no normal man. He was thought to be an evil spirit, a ghost in the trees. No man ever started with less
Leon Rom: I need you to scream for me. Jane Clayton: Like a damsel? Leon Rom: He’s Tarzan, you’re Jane. ..He’ll come for you.
CONCLUSION
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård’s portrayal of Tarzan was not perfect but he most certainly did an outstanding job . He played the character of the man that was raised by apes with the seriousness it deserves . I was a little skeptical about the movie ,thinking it would be “cartoony” , but gladly i was wrong . It felt authentic . From his mannerisms to the way he relates to the animals and to humans . On his character Tarzan, Skarsgård said, “This is about a man who’s holding back and slowly as you peel off the layers, he reverts back to a more animalistic state and lets that side of his personality out.”
Christoph Waltz also displayed an excellent performance as Captain Léon Rom . At first glance he may feel like a cowardly villain , but he shows he can be ruthless and cunning ,and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
One disappointment I had about the movie is that not much attention was given to the origin story of Tarzan, viewers are seemingly expected to know exactly who he is .
The Legend of Tarzan is an action adventure movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family .
President Edgar Lungu with His Running Mates Mrs Wina
By Dr. Fredrick Mutesa President, Zambians for Empowerment and Development (ZED)
ENDORSEMENT OF PATRIOTIC FRONT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MR. EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU FOR THE FORTHCOMING 11TH AUGUST 2016 GENERAL ELECTIONS
INTRODUCTION
Many of you countrymen and women will recall that our party, Zambians for Empowerment and Development (ZED), fielded candidates for parliamentary and presidential elections in the September 2011 tripartite elections which brought the PF into office. We had hoped to do the same in this year’s elections, but after assessing the situation on the ground and weighing our own chances, we decided against going ahead. It is our hope that, God willing, our party will be able to field candidates at all levels in the 2021 general elections. In the absence of our own direct participation in next month’s elections, we have carefully scrutinized all the presidential candidates and their running mates to decide who to support. After careful analysis and much prayer, we have reached the conclusion that Zambia’s prospects for national unity, peace and equitable development for the period between 2016 and 2021, are brightest with the continued partnership of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Her Honour the vice-president Mrs. Inonge Mutukwa Wina at the helm of the nation. I will now briefly highlight some of the factors we have taken into account in arriving at this decision.
ECONOMY
It is a well-known fact that our nation has gone through very difficult economic times, mainly as a result of neglect by past governments and shocks emanating from the global economy. The energy deficit and low prices of copper on the world market, for example, are cases in point. We are, however, satisfied that President Lungu’s pragmatic leadership has staved off the worst effects of these difficulties upon our society. We believe that President Lungu’s government has taken the right measures to invest in new sources of sustainable energy and has pursued the necessary steps to diversify the economy and reduce its vulnerability to future external shocks. These measures have already begun bearing fruit as evidenced in the reduction in power load-shedding hours and appreciation of the kwacha. We have also observed that investor confidence in our economy has remained high, despite the troubles we have gone through. Many firms have nodded the efforts government is making and have chosen to stay and weather the storm in anticipation of an assured turn-around. We believe that with greater effort on fiscal consolidation to restore macroeconomic stability, Zambia’s economy will rebound and attract even more inflows of both domestic and foreign investments. This should create more jobs for our people and raise incomes, as well as contribute to achieving meaningful reduction in poverty.
NATIONAL UNITY
We have further noted with satisfaction that since President Lungu was elected into office, he has worked round the clock to translate the national motto of one Zambia one nation into reality. This can be seen in the quality of appointments to public office that he has made. One only needs to look at the offices of Vice President, Chief Justice, Attorney General, Bank of Zambia Governor and Inspector General of Police, to mention only a few. The high caliber of the men and women appointed to the newly created Constitutional and Appeals courts, also demonstrate President Lungu’s determination to promote integrity in the dispensation of justice in the nation. Further, in all his appointments, President Lungu has demonstrated heightened sensitivity to ensuring increased women representation in decision-making positions, as well as, involving young people in the running of the affairs of the nation. This is not all. President Lungu has also not discriminated in taking infrastructural development to all parts of the country, including the areas where he did not get majority votes. This is the kind of leader Zambia needs for national unity and equitable development.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
With all due respect to Zambia’s past presidents, none of them has matched the political will that President Lungu has demonstrated on constitution-making. Faced with a fresh election awaiting him shortly after the January 20th, 2015 elections that put him in office, many people doubted President Lungu’s resolve to deliver a people driven constitution in accordance with the promise he had made during the campaigns. President Lungu displayed rare courage and honesty in a region where many leaders are busy changing constitutions to prolong their stay in office, despite public protests. President Lungu assented to a constitutional amendment that did not give him any advantage over his opponents. In this, President Lungu showed that he is a selfless leader. This has given hope to citizens that when Zambia needs other constitutional reforms in the future, President Lungu will be a reliable ally. This is one additional reason why we in ZED have also decided to vote yes in the national referendum. We urge all voters to join us and give the yes vote the required numbers to bring this long-delayed and costly exercise to the successful completion that we have all longed for.
RULE OF LAW
We have carefully examined all the allegations leveled against President Lungu that he has been interfering in the operations of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the outcome of court cases. We have not seen any evidence to substantiate these claims. We can only infer that these allegations are stemming from fears by his opponents that are beginning to sense defeat in next month’s elections.
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
We are one of the political parties that participated in the indaba on political violence organized by the church mother bodies at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross early this year. In that meeting, we carefully observed President Lungu’s conduct and listened to all his answers to questions posed to him. We left the meeting convinced that President Lungu is sincere in wanting to rout violence from Zambian politics. We have since noted that President Lungu has consistently denounced political violence at every available opportunity, without fear or favour. Today, we are happy to note that because of his stance, the police have found fresh courage to begin to courageously combat political violence, regardless of the party affiliation of the perpetrators. There is still a lot to be done to completely stump out this scourge from politics, but we are confident that we are finally on course. What is required is concerted efforts from both the ruling PF and the opposition UPND.
CONCLUSION
In view of the foregoing, we in ZED would like to state that President Lungu has shown great promise and raised hope concerning the future of Zambia. We are thus fully persuaded that President Lungu’s work ethic and other personal virtues make him the right leader to lead our nation to higher heights. Above all, we have noted with deep satisfaction, President Lungu’s faith in God. He is a man who does not pretend that he has solutions to every human problem. He has demonstrated, with good results, that when the chips are down, he is prepared to lead the people in seeking the face of God for divine intervention in the affairs of our land. A case in point is the declaration of 18th October last year as a national day of prayer and fasting, which many Christians have come to acknowledge as the source of the rains that resulted in Zambia producing a bumper harvest in a region where other nations have experienced a severe drought and crop failures.
President Lungu has also shown that he is a pragmatic leader who is willing to consult and revisit policy positions that, though well-intended, may not be working in the best interest of the nation, like he did when he renegotiated the tax regime with the mining companies and met with the women’s movement to listen to their concerns. It is unsurprising therefore that many Zambians see in President Lungu a leader with their interests at heart, one of their own, someone they can easily identify with and a down to earth leader. This is what makes him a humble leader that many have come to recognize and love. President Lungu with his simplicity and winsome personality engenders goodwill among the majority of Zambians.
We in ZED are convinced that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s victory in next month’s elections is certain. We therefore wish to appeal to the voters to turn out in big numbers all over the country to give him a resounding victory in the August 11, 2016 presidential elections, for enhanced national unity, peace and equitable development in our great nation.
I thank you. God bless President Edgar Chagwa Lungu!
Mutati, Nakacinda and MMD Muchinga constituency candidates[/caption
MMD President Felix Mutati completed his campaign tour for MMD candidates in Central Province with a call for peaceful campaigns and unity among party members in the Province.
Mr Mutati campaigned for candidates in Serenje Central, Chitambo, Muchinga and Mkushi North Constituencies.
Speaking at a rally in Muchinga the former Commerce Minister called on the people in the area to vote for the MMD candidate Howard Kunda whom he described as a dedicated and hard working MP who had put the people of Muchinga first when he was elected to complete his late father's term in 2012.
He said Mr Kunda was incorruptible as he stood fame to overtures from the ruling party when they wanted him to dump his Party and join them because he believed that the people of Muchinga elected him to represent their interest and not his own interests.
He said Mr Kunda had among other things continued with projects which were initiated by his father and many of them are bearing fruits as evidenced by the completion of the first secondary school in the constituency and completion of over 10 clinics to ease the access of medical services.
He said there could be somewhere he could have gone wrong but that it is human for one to error and that the people should look at the many good things which outweigh the bad and forgive their "son".
In Mkushi North were he went to drum up support for Lucy Changwe the MMD President said people had seen for themselves what has happened to the projects she initiated before she was voted out.
Mr Mutati said he had worked with Ms Changwe and knows that she is a hard worker who ensured that her people in Mkushi North got their share of the cake during her time as MP.
He said Ms Changwe personally inspected developmental projects as she consistently travelled to the constituency to ensure that work was progressing well.
He said people in the constituency can easily point at what she did during her time and works on the projects like the hospital which she left at a window level has stored just like many other projects.
Mr Mutati attended a rally in Serenje Central where he told voters to remember what they were promised by the immediate past MP and point at what he has managed to deliver.
He said the former MP came with flowery promises which has failed to deliver and his MP would help create employment in the constituency using some of his experience as a former council Chairperson something he said he has already started doing through the building of a lodge and community schools in the area.
He also went to Chitambo constituency to drum up support for former MP Mushili Malama.
Meanwhile Mr Mutati paid courtesy calls to traditional leaders to consult on developmental issues in the area.
He said his visits to the constituencies would have been incomplete without finding out what challenges the people in the area were going through and taking the massage to his partner in the alliance Edgar Lungu.
He said as a leader in an alliance he wanted to consult and help take the massage to the President because the essence of the alliance was based on the development of the country.
On the political violence Mr Mutati said elections must be held under a peaceful environment to allow the flow of ideas.
He said opposing camps should not resort to violence because attacking an individual on grounds of belonging to a different party was uncalled for because doing so would be like fighting your own relative.
He said as opposed to exchanging punches elections are a time of exchanging ideas and that the only fights people should be seeing is a fight of ideas which will see the best ideas win.
Dr Banda with President Lungu at the launch of the PF campaigns at Heroes Stadium
Former President Rupiah Banda has explained that his endorsement of President Lungu was in line with his previous support for Mr Lungu in the January 2015 Presidential by – elections.
Dr Banda has maintained that President Lungu presents the country with continuity and stability, especially following the frequent changes in leadership at the helm in a short period of just ten years.
Mr. Banda further observed that holding five elections in such a short time cannot have positive impact on the economy and the unity of the nation.
He added that he is personally delighted that President Lungu has continued with the many development programmes initiated over the years, including the Mongu – Kalabo road and the Great East road from Luangwa to Chipata, the Kafue Lower Hydro – power station and social infrastructure such as schools and hospitals to mention but a few.
Dr Banda noted that all this has been achieved in a very short period of time, amidst adverse global economic challenges.
He said he was therefore convinced that given enough time, President Lungu was capable of delivering even more development to the nation.
The former president has also announced that he decided to endorse and support the candidature of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in the forthcoming August 11th general elections.
Mr. Banda said he had made this decision in exercise of his right as a citizen of the Republic of Zambia.
And on the occasion of the country’s commemoration of the Heroes and Unity holiday, Dr Banda implored the political leadership of the country, to ensure that whoever wins the 11th August elections puts in place, as a matter of priority, measures to address the feeling of marginalisation currently prevalent in the nation so that the victory will be a victory for all Zambians and the country can move forward together.
“His Excellency Mr. Rupiah Banda has joined the founding President of the Republic of Zambia Dr. Kenneth Kaunda in calling on all Zambians across political, ethnic and religious divides to embrace the peace that the country has continued to enjoy since the attainment of its independence and avoid any form of violence as the best way of honouring our fallen heroes,” a statement issued by his office says.
Mr Banda has since called upon the country’s leaders in the various political parties to emulate the spirit of the founding fathers who, when faced with the challenge of political violence in the sixties, put the interests of the ordinary Zambian citizens first and forged a united front that saw Mr. Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula’s African National Congress Party (ANC) and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda’s United National Independence Party (UNIP) merge into one united party under UNIP in the spirit of the country’s motto of One Zambia, One Nation.
Eneyah Phiri from CSO-SUN making his submission
The Zambia Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition Alliance has described as unacceptable the latest Global Hunger Index ranking which placed Zambia as the third hungriest nation in the world.
According to the 2015 World Hunger Index released this week, Zambia is ranked the third hungriest country in the world after Chad and the Central African Republic.
CSO-SUN Zambia Acting Coordinator Eneyah Phiri said the ranking is unacceptable especially that the country has been recording of successive Maize bumper harvests for close to seven years.
Mr Phiri said the latest ranking shows that Zambia still has more to do to improve the nutritious status of its people.
He has since called on Government to use the latest Global Hunger Index findings to intensify its nutrition development interventions.
“We have always said that this country has not been doing very well with respect to providing nutrition for its people, so the ranking is not shocking but it is unacceptable because if you examine the countries that are grouped with Zambia on the Index, these are countries that have witnessed civil strife in the recent times but Zambia has been peaceful for 51 years, it is unacceptable,” Mr Phiri said.
He added, “The ranking just confirms what we have always said about Zambia. We have around 40 percent of our children stunted and we hope this will serve as a call to action for all of us to do more so that Zambia can improve its ranking next year.”
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) recently compiled says Zambia is the third country in the world with highest hunger levels first been CAR and then Chad.
The GHI is compiled by International Food Policy Research Institute, a Washington-DC based agricultural research centre, with German development and humanitarian aid organization Welthungerhilfe and Irish Non-profit Concern Worldwide, scores developing countries based on four metrics.
The Index measures the proportion of undernourished people as a percentage of the population, the proportion of children under the age of 5 who suffer from wasting, the proportion of children under 5 who suffer from stunting and the mortality rate of children under the age of 5.
A staggering 52 developing countries are suffering from “serious” or “alarming” levels of hunger, according to the newly-released Global Hunger Index (GHI).
East Timor, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Niger and Yemen made up the remainder of the top 10 countries most affected by hunger in 2015, all falling in the “serious” to “alarming” categories.
“Armed conflict and hunger are strongly associated. The countries with the highest GHI scores tend to be those engaged in or recently emerged from war,” the report accompanying the index said.
“It is perhaps not surprising that the first two of these three countries have been plagued with high hunger levels, given the violent conflict and instability their people face.”
The template of the presidential ballot paper for the August 11, 2016 elections
Political parties and the civil society observing the printing of ballot papers in Dubai have described the process as transparent and professional.
And the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has disclosed that the printing of referendum ballot papers is progressing well and was at 61 per cent as at today morning.
ZANIS reports that George Phiri, who is representing the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), spoke on behalf of other political parties and said the printing process was transparent.
Mr Phiri said political parties were happy with security features which Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing has imprinted on the ballot papers.
“I can assure the people at home that in terms of security standards in the printing process, it is secure enough and that this election will not be tampered with in as far as security features are concerned,” he said.
He said the company profile of Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing was impressive and showed that the printer was capable of doing a very satisfactory job using high quality paper, a situation which should not raise any suspicions.
He further said the quality control measures were high at the Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing.
And civil society organisations have said there was nothing suspicious in the on-going ballot paper printing process because everything was done openly.
Julien Mwape from the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD), who represented other stakeholders, said everything was going on well.
Ms Mwape, who is living with a disability herself, said fears that were raised in Zambia over having ballot papers printed in Dubai should now be allayed.
She also expressed happiness with the ability of the Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company to print braille ballot papers.
Meanwhile, the printing of referendum ballot papers is progressing well with 61 per cent done as at today morning.
ECZ Commissioner, Emily Sikazwe, told journalists in Dubai today that the numbering of the referendum ballot papers was at 35 per cent while the pad-making of the same was at 19 per cent.
Dr Sikazwe said the printing was progressing well and on schedule.
The printing of referendum ballot papers, which was earlier scheduled to be completed yesterday, has been delayed because of the EID holiday which has just ended here in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E).
The political parties that are observing the printing of ballot papers in Dubai are FDD, United Party for National Development (UPND), United National Independence Party (UNIP), and the United People’s
Progressive (UPP) party.
Other political parties are the People’s Alliance for Change (PAC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), Rainbow, Green party.
The Patriotic Front (PF) representative is expected in Dubai on Saturday this week.
The other stakeholders represented in Dubai are the Islamic Supreme Council of Zambia (ISCZ), the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Zambia Police.
“My husband is irresponsible, he constantly forces me to have sex with him and then beats me ruthless”, wife begs court to dissolve her marriage.
This is in a case which Catherine Miti, 31 of Chawama Township sued her husband Bernard Miti, 36 of Chibolya compound for divorce. Bride price was paid.
The couple has been on separation for seven months now and together they have one child.
Catherine told the court that she has never enjoyed her marriage since 2013, the time when she got married to Bernard.
Catherine told the court that she wanted the court to dissolve her marriage, saying she is scared living with a man who has threatened to kill her using a hammer whilst she is sleeping.
She told the court that her husband was also in the habit of telling her that beating a wife is a sign of love.
“My husband is very ungrateful; I serve him sex but as soon as we finish having it, he will start beating me for no reason. He would bring up all sorts of accusations that I am sleeping with his best friend Gerald ,” she told the court.
She complained that her husband does not respect her feelings and emotions.
“My husband has also developed the habit of selling the household goods I bought using my hard earned monies, I am just tired living with a man who doesn’t care about my value,” she said.
She also claimed that her husband was an irresponsible man who did not care about the welfare of his own child.
But in his defense, Bernard a newspaper vendor pleaded with his wife to forgive him adding that he regrets the pain he had caused in Cathrine’s life.
He accused his wife for deliberately depriving him his conjugal rights for more than six months.
Passing judgment, Magistrate Gaston Kalala upheld claim for divorce and granted Catherine child custody.
Bernard was ordered to pay Catherine with K8, 000 as compensation with an initial installment of K800 to be followed by K500 starting July month end.
“You will be maintaining your Child K250 starting July month end,” Said Kalala.
