By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a Political/Social Analyst

At the height of the Patriotic Front (PF) sweep to power back in 2011, I found myself in the thriving Bulangililo township in the company of hardcore cadres desperately trying to ‘entice’ me to join PF so that I stopped “writing negative things about their beloved leader.” We were in the area to devour the mouth-watering goat meat the place is renowned for. A number of people were already milling around waiting to have their own fair share of the succulent dish.

“How come our order is taking long to be ready!” one of them snapped. “And you call yourselves investors…..”

“Sata is coming soon to sort out all this nonsense!” another one added, rather brusquely. “You can’t come all the way from West Africa to cook goat meat!”

I immediately took keen interest in the tall, gaunt bearded old man in the fading robes turning around generous portions of meat on the barbecue stand. Was it necessary to keep harassing or berating the man. I couldn’t stomach it any longer! I reminded the rascals that whereas we seem to be intent on pursuing white collar jobs and making fast money at the Black mountain or indeed as suppliers to the mines, our friends have no qualms getting dirty to generate income.

“Look at the goat he’s cooking for instance …..did he come with it from West Africa?” I challenged them. “What about the charcoal he’s using……did it come from outside the country? Negative! While you seem to be comfortable in white shirts and jeans while posing around in fancy cars; apparently, our friends have no problem making forays into the bush to secure materials to work with.”

This brings me to our so-called investors we have around. What do they possess that we don’t? Simply, tenacity and willingness to endure pain and suffering in the most severe environment!

Not so long ago, some of them came in laden with nothing but wheelbarrows, shovels and picks and settled amongst the villagers in the most of unlikely places. They wasted no time working the soil to either produce food, timber or unearthing the minerals God hid there. As we keep on languishing not sure where our next meal will come from; today, they are multi-millionaires laughing all the way to the Bank to remit money abroad!

Apart from this, we have another group that choose to stick around the city and rent or construct makeshift facilities. These are now stocking groceries from our very own Trade Kings or ZAMBEEF and we now have to queue-up and buy from them while we still have to frequent their restaurants to eat our own food at great cost for our pockets. As though this isn’t enough, the beds we sleep on and the chairs we use are crafted from our timber.

Africa is endowed with enormous natural resources and yet we still remain stuck in absolute poverty, not because our Almighty God created us inferior or less intelligent. The reason is simple! Most of those who have offered themselves as our leaders in the past be it as presidents, members of parliament or councilors have either been greedy or selfish, let alone devoid of vision and the inspiration to motivate our people to work their socks off!

Lately, some amongst have observed that there’s too much rhetoric coming from this president as opposed to action. They are dead wrong!

This country deserves a leader who is not only going to constantly remind us of our abundant resources, but equally motivate us and whip us out of our comfort zones so that for a change, we can start thinking of unlocking our wealth which is buried in the goldfields of Kasenseli, Mpika and Lundazi; begin populating the vast plains of Barotse and Lungevungu with cattle; embark on restocking our rivers with different species of fish; consider unearthing the rare Sugilite mineral in Luapula and of course, take keen interest in utilizing our fertile soils in different parts of country to produce enormous tons of maize so that we don’t have to dodge the police exporting the commodity to Congo DR under the cover of darkness!

By Mwizenge S. Tembo, Ph. D. Emeritus Professor of Sociology

Zibalwe was a sprawling village of 500 people on the banks of the Lundazi River in the Eastern Province of Zambia in Southern Africa. Hundreds of villages at the time were located in the middle of the African savannah wilderness amidst wild animals such as Thomson gazelles, mbabala or elands, impalas, lions, leopards, elephants, hyenas, cape buffaloes and many more. Prides of lions frequently roamed and migrated from the Luangwa Valley over the plateau to Malawi. Zibalwe Village was located in the lion migrated zone.

One early evening, Headman Zibalwe addressed all the village residents. Lions were in the area and had already attacked and killed cattle in neighboring villages. He told everyone that they should not venture out at night for any reason and to stay in their huts. He explained that the lion modus operandi (m.o) was to for one lion to harass one hut household and they then attack anyone who comes out of their huts to help the potential victim. The Headman emphasized that that’s how lions hunt in the wild. Everyone went to bed securely bolting the hut doors the best they could.

In the middle of the night, a woman everyone in the village knew was a widow began to scream for help.

“Help!!! A lion is bashing at my door!!! Please help me!!!!”

No one was coming out as the woman continued to scream. Headman Zibalwe could not stand it anymore. He grabbed his muzzle loader and carefully emerged out of his hut. He stood on the edge of his hut chiwundo corridor to load his gun as his eyes were adjusting to the pitch darkness of the night. Suddenly a lion pounced on him violently grabbing his upper thigh and lower abdomen. He yelled for help. Knowing the headman’s voice all the men rushed out of their huts armed with spears hollering as the lion was trying to drag him into the bush. The lion was scared off escaping into the bush, dropping him.

The men carried the wounded Headman Zibalwe on a tree branch made stretcher 21 miles to the small hospital in Lundazi where he died. His wounds were fatal. A lion mauled Headman Zibalwe Tembo to death in 1942. Legend has it that all the men of the village hunted the lion that had mauled him until they killed it. It was believed that once a lion had tasted human flesh, it ate nothing else as human flesh has salt. It is believed this is how humans as a group survived lion attacks for over 150,000 years of evolution.

Lions are attacking 330 million Americans today in form of gun deaths from mass shootings, suicides and other gun related-deaths. There are a total of 433.9 millions guns in America. There are 120.5 guns for every 100,000 residents. There are 81 million gun owners of 330 million Americans. The next country is the small country of Yemen which has a per capita of 52.8 guns per 100,000 people.

In 2021, 48,830 people died from gun injuries. There have been over 200 mass shootings so far this year. If you are already yawning at this with your standard about a dozen responses, may be that is just the problem; everyone needs guns for self-defense against violent criminals, mental illness, the second amendment, it is the fault of Democrats or Republicans, violent gun crimes in urban democrat controlled cities especially in black South Chicago, guns don’t kill people it is people who use guns that kill people, violent gun videos and movies have nothing to do with mass shootings and gun violence, we can’t have any gun control because of the slippery slope, etc. etc. None of these justification will solve or reduce the epidemic. America has faced existential threats. One of them was the Second World war during which the country led the allies to defeat NAZI Germany and Japan. Americans realized the existential threat to the nation and acted in unison to defeat the threat in spite of internal social divisions.

If all the 330 million Americans do not come out of their huts in the middle of the dark night as the lion that is gun violence is attacking many of our fellow citizens, many Americans will continue to tragically needlessly die. The residents of the Zibalwe Village could have responded by saying someone else was going to chase the lion or they could have employed a dozen excuses not to act.

This means that gun manufacturers, the National Rifle Association (NRA), Republicans, Democrats, Maga members, all citizens must unite to defeat the epidemic of gun violence. Gun violence does not discriminate. We are all either gun victims today or tomorrow.

By Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya

“How dare he speak ill of the President? Stay in your lane! Aba nabo!” That’s the tone I expect as feedback from this article; largely because the country is incredibly polarised and quite heavily politicised. This is actually quite fair, seeing as most of the country’s leadership is either by politicians or people close to politicians. As a consequence, supporters of said people tend to defend their own, and passionately so.

This will certainly not stop my article. I was fortunate to be one of the people that attended President Hakainde Hichilema’s presser at State House on the 18th of May, 2023. But no, I must add that I have actually attended all of President HH’s (as I like to call him) briefings. I have had the further privilege of being given the chance to ask him some questions, alongside other journalists.

At all his briefings, President HH seems to spend a decent amount of time registering his successes – which like anything else are quite arguable, but he can have that. Dare not ask him about his predecessor! Unfortunately, this incredibly reduces the chance for the press to ask their critical questions as there’s little time, but even if they did, it’s not like the President will give definite answers. With decades of experience, President HH has very solid experience as a politician and this tends to work well for him in evading questions with rather very general responses that for some reason seem to impress his supporters.
While this is the case, it might appear that President HH is living a different reality. It is important to mention that unlike what the President may believe, Zambia is certainly not a utopia, after he assumed office. Quite the contrary if we’re keeping it a hundred (pardon my slang, I’m trying to keep my young friends in the loop – like the President often does).

In examining President HH’s tenure, it is important to acknowledge his achievements while recognizing that they alone are not the solution to Zambia’s challenges. One notable accomplishment is the commendable Napsa 20% partial withdrawal initiative. However, it is crucial to question whether this measure aligns with the President’s perception. Despite this withdrawal option, the majority of Zambians still struggle to afford housing even with their entire NAPSA pension, let alone with a mere 20%.

Meanwhile, as the President and his health minister focus on allegations of drug theft and engage in political battles, the non-functional state of the Cancer Diseases Hospital continues to claim lives. Since mid-last year, the hospital has been without a functioning Linear Accelerator. While the minister of health is occupied defending herself against criticism, people are losing their lives.

An overarching issue lies in the President’s inconsistency. His words often outweigh his actions. Last year, his administration promised to procure new linear accelerators by the year’s end, yet no progress has been made. Similarly, he assured the nation that the issues surrounding KCM would be resolved by the first quarter of 2023, yet the situation remains stagnant.

Mining plays a vital role in Zambia’s economy, and any disruptions in this sector have far-reaching consequences. Despite the President’s promises of a swift resolution to the challenges faced by the mining industry, several months have passed with no tangible progress made.

Furthermore, senior government officials are disregarding media freedoms by giving uninvited interviews, a matter the President has chosen to ignore completely.
While the President believes that the lives of Zambians have significantly improved, it is vital to question this narrative. As a journalist interacting with numerous individuals, their experiences don’t always align with the President’s assertions. It raises the question: Is the President residing in a different reality altogether?

At the first briefing, I raised a crucial question to the President regarding a leaked audio involving two high-ranking officers within his administration. The conversation revealed a plot to undermine the independence of an opposition political party, which has effectively been reduced to insignificance. The President assured that an investigation was underway, but to this day, no progress has been made. It appears that the matter has been conveniently forgotten, perhaps reflecting our collective tendency to have a short memory.

In the beginning of 2022, the President and his government pledged a seamless farming season with timely and sufficient delivery of agricultural inputs. Regrettably, this turned out to be a catastrophic failure. How can the President’s assurances of timely input delivery be trusted now, considering his past bold statement during a BBC interview, where he claimed his choice for the Bank of Zambia governor would astonish citizens, only to ultimately appoint Edgar Lungu’s former candidate?

Speaking of Edgar Lungu, it begs the question: When will President HH move beyond his feud with his predecessor? This ongoing rivalry serves no purpose for the nation and is rather tiresome. It is time for the President to focus on substantive issues and prioritize the needs and aspirations of the Zambian people over personal animosity.

In conclusion, while recognizing the President’s commendable achievements, it is essential to critically evaluate his actions and the realities experienced by the Zambian people.

Unaddressed concerns regarding the leaked audio, mining challenges, failed promises in the agricultural sector, and an incessant feud with his predecessor highlight the need for a more consistent and proactive approach from President HH. Only by confronting these issues head-on and aligning rhetoric with concrete actions can Zambia truly progress and achieve a brighter future for all its citizens.

The Author is is a multi-award-winning Zambian journalist, winner of the BBC Komla Dumor Award 2022 and television presenter at Diamond Television, a leading private TV station in Lusaka Zambia