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Ex-Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu declared healed of his hereditary heart condition by clergyman – Zambians react

Chief Editor
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Ex-Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu declared healed of his hereditary heart condition by clergyman – Zambians react

Zambians are weighing in on a video circulating on social media that shows Former Zambian professional football player Enock Mwepu being prayed for by Pastor John Anosike from New World Faith Ministries in Cape Town. The clergyman declared Enock Mwepu healed of his hereditary heart condition. During the prayers the clergyman said that two angels had replaced Enocks damaged heart with a new one.He assured the football player he would go back to playing football.The clergyman also encouraged him to have the internal cardiac defibrillator which he referred to as “iron” removed because he was now healed.

The Ex-Brighton midfielder had his promising football career cut dramatically short, with a serious health scare that forced him to hang up his boots last year.

Mwepu narrated how he was on a plane and was given something to eat during the international break in October last year.

“A friend just gave me a sweet, and then from there I just collapsed and I had heart palpitations.”

He added that he went back to the United Kingdom where they inserted a defibrillator to prevent heart palpitations.

Before his retirement last year, he played in all six of Brighton’s Premier League games.He also made 27 appearances for the club since signing from Red Bull Salzburg in July 2021.

Mwepu had 23 international appearances for the Zambian national team, scoring six goals in that time.He now works at Brighton as an Under-9s coach.

Some reactions to the video

Nothing wrong with going to Church but if a Papa tells you Angels have operated on you and that you should get your defibrillator removed then that Papa is fake and does not mean well. Mwepu was not poisoned as claims the Papa.

Mwepu needs more counselling on his heart condition, not those dangerous lies from so called Papas.
We want Mwepu alive, get those Papas out of his way!

(Ventricular cardiomyopathy- A genetic condition )
1.Papa touches his right side of the chest as physical examination thinking the heart is on the right side
2.Papa claims angels visited right there and then and did heart transplant
3.Papa tells Mwepu to immediately go and request that the defibrillator be removed as he has a new functional heart
My country people can we not experiment with our health please think of the many people that have died of HIV/AIDS because they got healing prophecies from papas !!
Hmm .

Before any aid put in the body is removed – doctors ascertain if the organ is back to normal and possibilities of removing the aid won’t cause any possible health complications.
God is a God of order. If one was HIV Positive and went for prayer – there must be a medical report from health institution to prove indeed the person is positive. After prayer – the person must do further tests to ascertain indeed has become negative. Otherwise – on what basis is the devil going to be put to shame if there is no proof of results? This I speak to you as a man of God hoping to help someone reading.

In the case of Mwepu – doctors will assess before accepting to remove the device or not.All in all – Jesus must be honoured

As we now say..”we never left God,we left the churches”There’s no way we should be playing with people’s lives like this

Elijah Litana Backs Fashion Sakala’s Style of Play

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Elijah Litana Backs Fashion Sakala’s Style of Play

Ex-Zambia defender Elijah Litana has backed Chipolopolo winger Fashion Sakala’s style of play.

Sakala this week complained angrily that he was upset with accusations and abusive language by Zambians fans on the basis that he is a selfish footballer.

Litana has told Radio Icengelo Sports that Sakala is a young and good player who needs to be supported by fans.

He advised soccer fans against booing Sakala.

“That style of play helps him to score goals. Let soccer fans allow Fashion Sakala to continue with his style of play. Booing him that he is selfish is not good,” Litana said

The 1994, 1996 & 1998 Africa Cup star said heavy criticism will demoralise Sakala, who plays for Rangers in Scotland.

“In Zambia we have a tendency of complaining. Look at Patson Daka, people criticised him but he scored two goals last Sunday and everyone is quiet,” Litana said.

Interrogating The Authenticity Of The Agreement On The Establishment Of The Luapula River Authority

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Interrogating The Authenticity Of The Agreement On The Establishment Of The Luapula River Authority

By Dr. Henry Kanyanta Sosala

Preamble

The document in question is alleged to have been drawn by the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADAC), which comprises of the following countries: Angola, Botwana, Comoros, D.R. Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, NamIbia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Since the contents in my article involve serious interrogations on certain issues in the document, I have therefore decided to introduce myself in order to avoid diplomatic embarrassment on the Zambian government. We are two hundred and eighty-eight traditional rulers in Zambia. And out of that number, only four are paramount or superior traditional rulers: the Litunga, the king of Barotseland; The Gawa Undi, the king of the Chewa people in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia; the Nkosi yama Nkosi Mpezeni, the king of the Ngoni people of Eastern Zambia and myself, Mwinelubemba Chitimukulu Kanyanta-Manga II, the leader of the Bemba-speaking people in Muchinga and Northern Provinces of Zambia.
I also wish to state that I am a free-thinker. And two of the greatest tenets of being a principled free-thinker is, first, the strong conviction that there is a tremendous survival inner power within myself, i.e., determination and confidence. And, second, the ability to tell people what they need to know, rather than what they want to hear. This therefore means that I must maintain an active spirit of confrontation. And by confrontation I do not, of course, mean the negative way of an ugly scene of exchanging bitter words. Confrontation is speaking the truth in a personal face-to-face encounter regarding issues that need correction. Confrontation is having the courage to question and reject certain issues and more particularly those affecting the livelihood of people at the grass-root level.

In fact, traditional leadership is inherently political. This is born out of history, custom and practice, because before the present mode of governments in Africa, traditional kingship was the sole government. And indeed traditional rulers should step in when politics touches upon morals. Students of society regard politics and sociology as cognate disciplines. Clearly, a science of society cannot ignore the political context and the political theorist cannot ignore social problems and possibilities. Ideas and truths must be linked to purposes otherwise they are useless and sterile. It is therefore not difficult to see how this has furthered the links between political science and sociology, especially in the ameliorative roles.

A Mission of Deceit

In the month of February 2023, a team of professionals paid a courtesy call on me as the usual diplomatic procedure wherever senior government officials are visiting Northern Province. The team which comprised of officials from various government ministries included those from Zesco. I was told that they had come to meet and get inputs from traditional rulers and other stakeholders in respect of the proposed hydro-electric power project on the Luapula river between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.

And during our discussion I got a bit curious as to why they should get inputs from Muchinga and Northern Provinces stakeholders since the project was solely connected to Luapula Province. And to my great amazement the Northern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary said that Chambeshi river was the source of the Luapula river. But I did point out to them that the Chambeshi river’s mouth into Lake Bangweulu was about seventy-two kilometers away from the departure point of Luapula river out of the Lake, and how could Chambeshi river be it’s source!
I then sensed that the delegation had some fishy hidden agenda and I sent somebody to monitor and report to me what they were actually after. And it was not long when my agent reported that the document that was presented was: THE AGREEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LUAPULA RIVER AUTHORITY. My agent further informed me that when one alert civil servant asked the presenter why they were invited for inputs when the agreement had already been made. He reported that the presenter was taken aback and looked shocked at such an unexpected question and he simply replied shyly: ‘’It was an oversight.’’ But surprisingly nobody especially the chiefs in attendance picked up the issue of that anomaly.

It is usually at points like that where I come in, because the silence of the villagers always stays with me. Their vulnerability is the measure of their disadvantaged position. They seem to have no public identity and in what some political extremists refer to as ‘’militant political philosophy,’’ it is said that in algebra, one does not work out X, but operates with it as if he knows it. In politics of exploitation, X stands for the anonymous poor masses and this accordingly means operating with or using X without worrying about its actual nature.
Here are a people lacking a union obviously, but dependent entirely upon the tricksters who are adequately trained in their deceiving and cunning thoughts and who cleverly put to use their serpent tongues and whip the groaning masses towards a theoretical future happiness, which never comes. And for such persons lacking alternatives, they are victims of every exploitation that appears on the horizon. And as a result of deliberate policy of poor education in rural areas, the people are unable to defend their interests; to somewhat unionize; to petition; to speak out; to challenge and demand. Their silence stays with me and it is a constant prick on my conscience. The persistent nagging gnaws away at my brain and flirting around my head like a mosquito. There is something uncanny about it. Its compliance. Vulnerability.

And upon scrutiny of the document I discovered that they had included stakeholders from Muchinga and Northern Provinces and why the mis-informed DPS and said that the Chambeshi river was a source of the Luapula river was based on Article 14 (b): ‘’The Authority shall establish a Platform for data and information exchange and Decision Support in relation to the shared water resources of the Luapula River and Lake Mweru and the associated catchment areas, And so in this subtle dimension all water basins of Muchinga and Northern Provinces were cleverly included in the associated catchment areas.

Here are other shockers: Annex 1 Environmental Impact Assessment and article 8 states: ‘’The construction and operation of large dams, reservoirs or hydro-electric power schemes on any part of Lake Tanganyika or on any river that forms part of the Lake Basin or that flows out of the lake. And article 9 further states : Large scale water abstraction from Lake Tanganyika or any river that forms part of the Lake Basin…….

The serious implications in the above articles can only be clearly understood with reference to what had happened during the colonial rule as regards water rights held by the British Southern Company (BSA), and, as was recorded by Richard Hall in his book The High Price of Principles: Kaunda and the White South: ‘’…….it was not permitted for Africans to dig sand from a river bank without special permits from the Chartered Company. And some remote villagers who earned little money from locally produced salt (called chibwa in Mpika District) were subjected to the company’s severe regulations.’’ (ibid p.72).

And deducing from this document, it means that no one, for example, can even dig a furrow in a village in Chinsali District without the permission of the Luapula River Authority whose offices might even be based in the Democratic republic of Congo. It is certainly thinking of ‘’boiled ice’’ for anyone to automatically conclude that we the Bemba people can blindly surrender our water basins to an unstable foreign government.

On the other hand, indeed, Lake Mweru and Lake Tanganyika have common borders with DRC but they are several kilometers far away from the Luapula river and normally one wonders why these have been included in the Luapula River Authority. But on the other hand, the Kafue water basin was not included in the Kariba Dam hydro-power electric agreement!
And you can see how a group of totally corrupt technocrats or professionals in the civil service can conspire and come to deceive and rob poor people out of their God-given natural resources in a day-light robbery. How true are the words of former South African President, P.W. Botha who said: ‘’ …. the white man will continue to use the African’s love of money to destroy himself. Here is a creature who lacks foresight.’

These are traitors who are ready to sale our country and how true were words of Mr. Simon Kapwepwe on 22nd August 1971: ‘’This is a very historic moment. ….the revolutionary spirit adopted before independence has gone. Independence is good, but it is meaningless and useless if it does not bring fruits to the masses. Most of the leaders have turned opportunists. We have lost the love for the people and political direction. We have fallen victims to flattery from imperialists….we no longer mind what happens to the people of Zambia or to their children’s future. We have lost our national objectives. We have lost the revolution, it may be there in name, but it has no spirit and has got no strength. Revolution demands sincerity, dedication, selflessness, devotion and pure sacrifice.’’ (The Kapwepwe Diaries by Godwin Mwangilwa p. 135) (emphasis mine).

I believe the foregoings fall entirely within the passage from Atkins Court forms, 2nd ed., Vol. 25, which states: ‘’… the scope of the defence of justification does not depend upon the way in which the plaintiff pleads his case, but on the meaning or meanings which words are capable of bearing’’ And therefore the very deceitful element or conspiracy to cheat the people renders the THE AGREEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LUAPULA RIVER AUTHORITY NULL AND VOID. However, our brothers in Luapula province can continue with the project if they so wish and the document must be adjusted accordingly by removing such wordings as associated catchment areas. And must be strictly confined to their province.
I must, however, make it abundantly clear that the discussions about the Luapula hydro project originated during the MMD administration and therefore, this conspiracy is the total manifestation of the corrupt civil servants and does not in anyway involve the New Dawn Administration..

The History of Civil Service

The state is a hierarchical, centralized organization that holds a monopoly on legitimate force over a defined territory. The civil service reforms were promoted by academics and activists like Woodrow Wilson and Max Weber who distinguished between politics and administration. Politics was a domain of final ends, subject to democratic contestation, whereas administration was a realm of implementation that could be studied empirically and subjected to scientific analysis. Many of the Progressive Era reformers sought to import scientific management into government, arguing that public administration could be turned into a science and protected from the irrationalities of politics.

In Zambia in order to prevent political appointees, a career service track required the adherents to be subjected to examinations to secure tenure for some job categories and this was meant to protect excellence. In Zambia, these civil service examinations were called ‘’efficiency bars.’’ This was meant to be a strict separation between politics and administration. It was to professionalize the civil service by making it nonpartisan.

After we attained our independence in 1964, Zambia was considered to have had the best civil service on the continent of Africa. And indeed, the civil service professionalism was clearly and vividly displayed by how Dr. Sacika (then Secretary to the Cabinet), effectively, efficiently and professionally handled the government affairs when the MMD came into the corridors of power in 1991. But, alas, only six months on the line and the entire administration was taken up by the shrewd, the daring and the most crooked.
An international organization, the National Citizens’ Coalition reported in Social Watch Report 2002: “When former President Chiluba took office from President Kaunda in 1991, the poverty rate was 56 per cent. When he left the government after ten years, poverty had risen to upward of 80 per cent. Large-scale corruption had diverted resources meant for the people of Zambia, while they watched in sorrow and desperation as their country headed towards becoming the poorest in the world. A characteristic feature of Zambia’s poverty is that the government and the international institutions bred it. Zambia’s poverty did not just happen; it was caused…..Former Chiluba’s government was the most corrupt in the history of this country. Resources that should have been used to improve the people’s quality of life were misappropriated in grand corruption episodes..” (ibid. p. 176)(emphasis mine).
Isaac Chipampe wrote: ‘’Indeed after 1991, I saw few of the original wealthy people maintaining their riches. To the contrary, a new crop of wealthy people emerged. They never borrowed from financial institutions; they never discovered anything comparable to Bill Gates’ Microsoft; they never owned any business that had a workforce or machinery or even buildings to show for, and never invested in anything apart from being co-opted in government…….. Government became their major source of wealth. If one was not in government, one became poor…….’’ (Zambia Daily Mail 10th September 2002)

And let me also invite President Mwanawasa to speak to you: ‘’ On 7th February 2007, President Mwanawasa disclosed that three trillion kwacha had been stolen by public service workers. The national budget for 2006 was 10.5 trillion and the stolen money amounted to 30% of the national budget. And no arrests have ever been made. This proves that there is a cartel in government.
Today civil servants are the richest and hold every aspect of government information and since information is power they can hold political appointees like ministers, permanent secretaries and deputies on hooks. And as a result they have become so arrogant that they have even refused to declare their assets. The Diggers newspaper reported: ‘’Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Board Chairperson, Musa Mwenya has questioned why it’s difficult for public officers to declare their assets, further wondering why declarations are not lodged with the Commission.’’ (ibid 23rd February 2023)

We Are Progressively Creating One African Market

Chief Editor
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We Are Progressively Creating One African Market

By Albert M. Muchanga

At the time of the creation of the Organization of African Unity in May, 1963, some of our leaders there called, in their statements, for the eventual establishment of an African Common Market.

The call was heard, but could not immediately be acted upon. This is because, at that time, many of the African countries lacked inter-country connections in the strategic sectors of transport, communication and energy.

However, the idea did not die. It started being acted upon in the 1970s, with the creation of regional economic communities across Africa. Today, we have eight regional economic communities recognized by the African Union, successor arrangement, since 2002, to the Organization of African Unity. These are: Arab Maghreb Union (UMA); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN—SAD); East African Community (EAC); Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD); and, Southern African Development Community (SADC). These regional economic communities are at different stages of regional economic integration. Some are still developing inter-country connections while others are the stages of either free trade area or customs union/common market.

Building on this, our leaders signed on June 3, 1991, in Abuja, Nigeria, the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (also referred to as the Abuja Treaty) which entered into force on May 12, 1994. The Abuja Treaty has a six-stage process of attaining the vision of creating the African Economic Community over a period of 34 years from 1994.

The stages are: strengthening of existing regional economic communities and establishing new ones in regions where they did not exist then (in a period of five years); elimination of tariff and no-tariff barriers (in a period of eight years from the first stage); establishment of inter-regional free trade area (in a period of 10 years from the second stage); establishment of continental customs union (in a period of two years from the third stage); establishment of an African common market and adoption of common policies (in a period of four years from the fourth stage); and, ultimately, establishment of the African Economic Community with an African Central Bank and single African currency, leading to the creation of an African Monetary Union and a legislative Pan-African Parliament.

Life is not linear and because of this fact, there has been a dynamic process of moving towards one African Market. We currently have a deliberative Pan-African Parliament based in South Africa which will eventually evolve into a legislative Pan-African Parliament.

With respect to the establishment of an African Central Bank and single African currency, our leaders, in 2021, adopted the macroeconomic convergence criteria. The criteria will facilitate economic policy harmonisation and convergence among African economies.

We are also in the process of establishing the African Monetary Institute to be based in Abuja, Nigeria. The Institute will review progress and submit annual reports on the implementation of the macroeconomic convergence criteria; and, when all benchmarks in the macroeconomic convergence criteria have been met, evolve into the African Central Bank that will facilitate establishment of a single African currency.

In 2012, our leaders decided to start the process of creating an inter-regional economic community free trade area by adopting the action plan on boosting intra-African trade. Within this action plan was commitment to negotiate an agreement establishing, what was then called, a continental free trade area. After three years of preparatory work, our leaders, in 2015, in Johannesburg, South Africa adopted principles and roadmap for the negotiation of the continental free trade area, with a deadline to conclude the negotiations by 2017.

To implement the roadmap, we established a team of chief negotiators from all the member states of the African Union and these were receiving policy guidance from the African ministers of trade. The negotiations were largely completed by December, 2017, in Niamey, Niger and in January, 2018, our leaders decided to have an extra-ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government on March 21 in Kigali, Rwanda to sign what was now called the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

As we stand now, the AfCFTA is not a theoretical construct. It is an institution that is operating, backed by policy and legal instruments.

The Secretariat of the AfCFTA has been in existence in Accra, Ghana since 2020, with staff, annual budget and work programme focused on growing intra-African trade under the policy guidance of the Council of Ministers of Trade and Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government.

Other than the framework Agreement, there are also protocols on trade in goods, trade in services and newly approved protocols on intellectual property rights; competition policy; and, investment. In addition, there is an African Quality Policy which has facilitated our work in coming up with a Made in Africa standard.

Before proceeding further with the issue of quality standards, it is also important to point out that after signature of the AfCFTA Agreement, sustained advocacy for signature and ratification was mounted. This was led by the then President of Niger, His Excellency Mahamadou Issoufou, who still continues as Champion of the AfCFTA.

This advocacy resulted in reaching the minimum threshold of 22 ratifications required for the Agreement to enter into force in a period of one year, one month, one week and one day.

On average, it takes five years for African Union legal instruments to enter into force. We currently have 54 signatory states and 46 ratifications.

Eritrea is the only African Union member state which has not yet signed the AfCFTA Agreement. The following African Union member states are yet to ratify the AfCFTA Agreement: Mozambique (Southern Africa); Madagascar, South Sudan; Sudan (East Africa); Liberia; Benin (West Africa); Morocco; and, Libya (North Africa).

This record number of ratifications reflects the vision and passion that our leaders have in transforming our small, fragmented and uncompetitive national markets into a large, competitive and unified continental market.

This is also reflected in the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is: ‘Creating One African Market.’

Let me come back to the issue of quality standards. This is pertinent because at the end of the day, the AfCFTA market will fully operate if business takes centre stage and this can only happen if the private sector that is investing in Africa supplies quality goods and services. There are three broad criteria for a company to qualify to make use of the Made in Africa standard which is still under development. These are: quality of products; conformity with AfCFTA rules of origin; and, conformity with intellectual property rights protection. Quality standards organizations from across Africa, with expert guidance from the African Organization for Standards (ARSO), are currently working to develop substantive criteria for the Made in Africa standard in these three broad areas. Once the Made in Africa standard is in force, consumers will be assured of harmonised safety and quality standards of products across Africa.

At the level of industrial development, only companies who, in addition to the quality criteria, meet the provisions of the rules of origin negotiated under the AfCFTA Agreement, will have their products meet the next broad criteria of qualifying to use the Made in Africa standard.

Furthermore, they should also meet the standard of intellectual property rights protection. So, quality will be a key feature of the AfCFTA market in addition to suppression of dumping of industrial goods through transhipment or trade deflection as well as suppression of counterfeit industrial goods which, if left unchecked, can undermine our industrialization drive. As for the counterfeit goods, some are harmful to human health.

At the end of the day, the Made in Africa standard will also contribute to the elimination of technical barriers to trade, bringing us closer to one African market, and in the process, creating a competitive market capable of attracting investments.

The attractiveness will be enhanced by the fact that the Protocol on Investment, earlier mentioned, will facilitate the creation of one African common investment area.

In 2018, our leaders approved the Protocol to the Agreement Establishing the African Economic Community Related to Free Movement of People, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment. This Protocol, which is undergoing signature and ratification, will, as the title states, facilitate free movement of the African people across our continent (ultimately with an identify card issued by the African Union); freedom for an African to reside and set up business in any country across Africa as well as mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications of Africans.

The Protocol is, in this regard, a key ingredient to the establishment of an African common market. This Protocol may for now look like a far-fetched idea. However, when the African economy grows, and this will be very soon, demand for labour will increase and many African governments will, in response, move towards signing and ratifying this Protocol to meet that demand for labour.

For now, however, we are advocating to member states to facilitate visa-free or issues of visas on arrival to business people investing and trading across Africa as a way of contributing to reducing the cost of doing business.

In a spirit of not taking a linear approach to the establishment of an African Customs Union/Common Market, we are, in collaboration with the European Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa working on readiness assessments towards an African Customs Union/Common Market. We plan to finalise the studies by the end of this year. Once a customs union/common market is established, the national external tariffs which currently exist under the African Free Trade Area will be replaced with a Common External Tariff, thereby, again, bringing us closer to a single African market.

This will also be the stage at which we will commission another study on how to incorporate the institutions, staff, programmes and knowledge resources of the eight regional economic communities into the African Customs Union/Common Market. As we live in the digital era, we have also started work, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, to develop a digital single African market.

Africans, especially those in business should take note of these developments. Through these developments, we are creating a large market of 1.4 billion people with huge potential to grow, both in terms of size of the population and market value. The key message to business people here is that to thrive in business in the emerging African environment, each and every business person on the continent should target this market and not individual national markets.

It is in this respect that I always characterize the AfCFTA as the new domestic market for Africa. To leverage this large continental market requires scaling up investments across Africa in production, warehousing and, among others, distribution. And this also means developing partnerships. Working with the African Business Council, we are facilitating partnerships among African businesses which want to expand investments and trade across Africa or export manufactured and agro-processed goods to the rest of the world.

Already, the management of a cashew nut processing company in Tanzania, which has gained a foothold in exporting to the United States of America, recently came to see us, with a request that we facilitate their partnering with African businesses involved in the processing of cashew nuts and other agricultural products.

This pursuit of partnering is driven by the large size of the global cashew nut market. The current global value of the cashew nut industry is one trillion US dollars and will grow as populations around the world expand, compounded by increasing demand for health foods like cashew nuts. In this connection, I invite other African businesses to appreciate that to compete effectively in a large market like the AfCFTA, scale matters and that this can effectively be leveraged with strategic partnerships.

There are other huge growth prospects for growth and partnerships in other sectors such as manufacturing anchored on green minerals which Africa has in great abundance. Furthermore, we have come up with programmes of women in processing and African youth start-ups to leverage the entrepreneurial spirit of these hitherto marginalized but highly productive members of the African society, from which partnerships can emerge.

From the foregoing, it can also be pointed out that one of the common refrains in market analysis is that demography is destiny. Africa is well positioned here. We are a young continent with a median age of 19 years. We currently account for 17 percent of the global population.

The rates will rise to 25 percent and 38 percent in 2050 and 2100 respectively. This positions Africa to be a major consumption hub of the future. Already, demand for industrial goods in Africa is 1.5 times of the global average.

Therefore, it is not just investors within Africa but also foreign investors who should take advantage of the huge and growing opportunities offered by the emerging African market. Indeed, when we bring in the vast natural resource endowments of Africa, it is only capacity to exploit them that limits the scope.

Let me end by saying that way back in 1963, our leaders imagined an African common market. Building on this, future generations of our leaders designed a roadmap towards an African common market.

The process of creating an African common market continues. The current generation of our leaders is executing that roadmap, with appropriate pragmatism and adjustments; and at each stage, amplifying the impact and progress with action, in order to, as, in the words of the Constitutive Act of the African Union: ‘accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.’ This journey, as indicated, continues. Inter-generationally, the task of creating one African market is shifting to the young Africans, our present and future leaders.

The author is African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals

Cyber security law will be applied without hesitation-Mutati

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Cyber security law will be applied without hesitation-Mutati

Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati, has said the improved cyber security law will be applied without hesitation to cramp down on those involved in cybercrimes.

Mr Mutati said the government, through the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA), and with support from law enforcement agencies, is now able to track fraudulent activities in the shortest period of time.

He disclosed that just last year, about two million sim-cards were deactivated and criminals exposed in cybercrime related cases.

Mr Mutati said this during the launch of the first ever Liquid Intelligence Technologies Cyber Security Fusion Centre in Zambia.

He commended Liquid Intelligence Technologies for investing in digital infrastructure that will enhance best cyber security practices in the country.

Mr Mutati said the expansion of competences and skills for cyber professionals will help address the cyber-attacks and threats among people.

He said it gives a clear vision of connecting everyone as well as empowering businesses by delivering technology that is suitable to transform people and communities.

“We live in a world that has been remade by technology, hence everyone needs to adapt to the consequences of the new world,” Mr Mutati stated.

The minister further observed that Zambia and Africa as a whole continue to keep information in isolation, thus risk being exposed to cyber-attacks.

Mr Mutati has since recommended that in order for the country to develop, there is need for information sharing.

He said individual institutions should concentrate on upgrading their technology to avoid threats.

Mr Mutati advised Liquid Intelligence Technologies to consider collaborating with ZICTA, where threats can be reported and the response be instant.

And Liquid Intelligence Technologies Zambia Chief Executive Officer, Mark Townsend, said the launch is critical in safeguarding the country’s digital economy.

Mr Townsend observed that with 10 million cyber-attacks reported on citizens and businesses in 2021, the company hopes to support a safe technology transformation in Zambia.

He said while the digital sector grows, threats are also increasing, hence the need to have access to real-time intelligence-driven alerts and advisory services.

He noted that adding the cyber security fusion centre to the country’s cyber security infrastructure will strengthen the ability to protect vital businesses from the increasing cybercrime threats.

Vehicle battery manufacturing project delights stakeholders

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Vehicle battery manufacturing project delights stakeholders

The agreement between the governments of Zambia and of the Democratic Republic of Congo to start implementing the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries has delighted many in Zambia.

A local economist, Trevor Hambayi, has expressed joy that the agreement has been finalized.

Mr Hambayi told the media in Lusaka yesterday that the implementation of the agreement between the two countries will stimulate the economic growth of the two countries through the utilisation of the mineral resources that Zambia and Congo have.

He proposed that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should be given contracts in the processes of manufacturing electric car batteries in order to empower them.

“We are happy that the project has finally reached the implementation stage. We hope this is going to benefit the economies of the two countries,” he said.

And BuyZed Campaign Founder, Evans Ngoma, said the agreement between Zambia and DRC to begin to add value to magnesium and lithium will spur economic growth of the two countries through job creation.

Mr Ngoma said economically, the project is reassuring because it will clearly create decent and sustainable jobs.

He said this will arise from all the value chain, the mining of minerals and processing it into electric vehicle batteries.

He has meanwhile advised that there is need to critically assess the environment in order to guarantee the safety of the environment and the people living in Ndola where the plant will be situated.

Mr Ngoma said this is because lithium and lead have negative environmental effects to surroundings.

“I only hope all the necessary environmental assessment programmes are done before production commences. On this one we are talking about the environmental impact assessment,” he said.

He recalled that Zambia has had challenges of lead pollution in Kabwe that affected the health of the people living near the mines.

Now Dr Musokotwane demands K50 million compensation, apology and retraction from Munir Zulu

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Now Dr Musokotwane demands K50 million compensation, apology and retraction from Munir Zulu

Finance Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane is demands K50 million and unqualified apology from Lumezi Independent Member of Parliament Munir Zulu over his alleged defamatory statement accusing Dr Musokotwane of having received a bribe of USD250, 0000 from the contractors awarded the contract on the Lusaka – Ndola Road.

Dr Musokotwane is also demanding the immediate retraction of the defamatory statement in its entirety within 24 hours.

This is according to a demand letter by the Minister’s Lawyers, Keith Mweemba and Company, dated 24th March 2023 and received by Mr. Zulu’s Lawyers, Messer’s Makebi Zulu & Co, on Wednesday, 29th March 2023.

“We refer to the above captioned matter and advise that we have been consulted and retained by Honorable Dr. Situmebeko Musokotwane (our client). Our client instructs that we write you in relation to the false, malicious and libelous statement which you made at a media briefing held by concerning our client on or about 21st March, 2023 whereat you uttered and caused to be published false and malicious allegations against our client in the following words, thus:
“Right now we have received information, solid information, that the current Minister of Finance Honourable Musokotwane, together with the current Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development Honourable Milupi have been appearing at the Anti-Corruption Commission secretly. Initially, when the call outs were sent to the two senior cabinet ministers, they avoided going to ACC so that they could be questioned,” reads the letter in part.

The letter further reads, “And our associates are telling us that they are being investigated for having received USD250, 000 each from a named firm. That money went through a bank transfer and we know that State House is aware of this investigation, but we do not know why ACC is not updating the nation on where they are with the investigation. Fellow citizens and colleagues we have also received very disturbing news that Engineer Kutawala is involved in having transferred some amounts of money two days before his appointment as Board Chair through a bank transfer again to Honorable Milupi and the ACC are following up the matter.”

According the Minister’s Lawyers the statement or words were understood to mean that the Minister is a corrupt man who abuses his office, “a man without integrity and a criminal who is unfit to hold the position of Minister of Finance.”

“Your uncouth and defamatory words were published to a wide audience on Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms and have caused our client great prejudice, distress, reputational damage and injury,” reads the letter in part.

Dr Musokotwane is therefore, according to the letter demanding that the Lumezi MP issues a clear and unqualified public apology to him in a similar fashion to retract the defamatory statement.

The Lawyers have demanded that the Lumezi MP further stops issuing any further statements against the Minister.

“Furthermore having regard to our Client’s position as Minister of Finance, the gravity of the allegations and published to the wide social media audience and considering also that your malicious statements were made at a time when our client was meeting with officials from the International Monetary Fund and other development partners seeking a resolution to Zambia’s external debt, we demand the payment of Zambian Kwacha Fifty Million (K50, 000, 000) sum as compensation for reputational damage and distress

ZANACO bank records revenue growth of K3.94 bn, declares K421m dividend

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ZANACO bank records revenue growth of K3.94 bn, declares K421m dividend

By BENEDICT TEMBO

ZANACO Bank Plc has declared a dividend of K421 million to shareholders after recording total revenue growth of K3.94 billion, growing it from K3.5 billion in 2021 .
During a post – annual general meeting media today, Zanaco board chairperson Patrick Wanjelani said 2022 was another great year for Zanaco as the bank recorded revenue growth of 11 percent year on year to K3.94 billion.

”With the performance that we recorded in our 2022 financial year, we are pleased to announce that we have declared a dividend of 29 ngwee per share. This is a 16 percent increase from the 25 ngwee per share we declared in 2021,” Mr Wanjelani said.

In 2021, dividend per share was K25 ngwee.

In 2022 financial year, Zanaco declared K361 million.

“Our performance was attributed to the bank’s focus on delivering on our strategy as well as our participation in key growth sectors as we continue to position ourselves as a key partner for our customers’ growth,” Mr Wanjelani said.

He said sustainability has become a cardinal focus in the bank’s strategy.

“We have developed a sustainability framework and taken deliberate steps to achieve the targets set within the framework. In 2022, we made progress in our branch and ATM (automated teller machine) solar implementation programme as part of our climate resilience agenda and were further accredited to the Global Climate Fund,” Mr Wanjelani said.

Mr Wanjelani said additionally, the bank established an agreement with the British International Investment for the extension of funding to Small and Medium Enterprises, women, and climate initiatives.

“We continue to realize value from innovation and harnessing identified growth opportunities in the market by constantly repositioning the business in line with our mandate. We believe the bank is well positioned to deliver the promises of its ambition to be the top transaction customer-centric bank by the year 2025,” he said

He said as the bank reflects on its five-year strategy, it is proud of the progress it has made in realising the key aspects of its plan and exceeding in several of the initial performance metrics as set out initially.

“We owe our performance to our four million account holders, who have been loyal to the bank that has been in existence for over the 53 years. As we look to the future, I am confident that the bank will not only maintain its leading position on the market, but build on the successes achieved so far, for this home-grown bank to attain greater milestones,” Mr Wanjelani said.

And Zanaco chief executive officer, Mukwandi Chibesakunda reiterated that 2022 was another exciting at Zanaco as the bank continued to receive both local and international awards that recognised the achievements the bank continues to make in driving its digital agenda, improving service delivery, solutioning for key segments such as the SME and female economy, advancing our sustainability agenda, focusing on sound corporate governance and consistent financial performance.

Ms Chibesakunda said for a second year Zanaco recorded the highest profit after tax in the industry, as per Prudential results published, allowing the bank to maintain its leading position in the market.

“We continue to make steady progress with our digital transformation journey. And we have enhanced our Xpress agency model with the introduction of instore presence in retail stores such as Shoprite, Choppies and Cheers. Our Xpress agent footprint has grown from 16,758 in 2021 to over 22,000 at the end of 2022,” she said.

Ms Chibesakunda said some of the key strategic initiatives delivered during 2022 included embedding of sustainability into its strategic plans and initiatives; expansion of our product suite for the appropriate solutioning to match customer needs and improvement of customer touch points to enhance service delivery.

“We further delivered on service quality monitoring to improve our customers’ journey. To support the growth in our client base, we continued to evolve our approach to client experience by repositioning the model for effective impact,” she said

Ms Chibesakuna said the growth in its client base to four million customers from 2.5 million in 2021 is a demonstration of what Zanaco stands for, the diverse mix of it serve and the positive impact it is having on millions of people and businesses in the country.

She said in terms of performance, the bank’s balance sheet presented a growth of 37 percent supported by a 54 percent growth in deposits.

“We further maintained market leadership in loans and advances which closed at K12.12 billion at year end. For our future outlook, we remain focused on delivering on our mid-term plans to maintain our leading position on the market. We will continue to drive our digital agenda and make sustainability integral to our operations by embedding it across our business segments,” Ms Chibesakunda said

She believes the future of financial services is digital and green and prioritising digitisation and sustainability will help drive the bank’s future growth.

Average income in Zambia estimated to be K1000- K3000 – JCTR Satellite Home Survey report

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Average income in Zambia estimated to be K1000- K3000 – JCTR Satellite Home Survey report

The 2022 Satellite Home Survey (SHS) conducted by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflect (JCTR) has estimated that most bread winners in Zambia have an average monthly income ranging between K1000 and K3000.

The average cost of living for a family of five across the 16 towns JCTR monitored in February 2023 stood at K6, 637.

The 2022 SHS report discovered a number of key issues, including a revelation of 64% of households being headed by men who earn less than K4000.

“Earlier today, we held an engagement with stakeholders during the launch of our SHS Report. JCTR is renowned for tracking the cost of living in Zambia. And one way of monitoring the cost of living has been through the Satellite Home Survey (SHS). This bi-annual report of the living conditions of high-density areas in Lusaka highlights the living conditions experienced by households,” JCTR wrote in a media statement.

“The 2022 SHS report revealed a number of key issues, including a revelation of 64% of households being headed by men, these heads (breadwinners) had an average monthly income ranging between K1, 000.00 and K3, 000.00,” the Catholic faith based organisation stated.

JCTR is expected to release more findings of the 2022 Satellite Home Survey (SHS).

Meanwhile, some Ndola residents say they are struggling to manage three meals a day due to the prevailing high cost of living.

The residents complained that the rising cost of living has forced them to buy pre-packed mealie meals in small plastics commonly known as Pamela.

They said most households in low income communities are failing to buy essential commodities, including mealie meals due to the current high prices of goods and services.

JCTR Executive Director Fr. Alex Muyebe recently lamented the prevailing high cost of living in the country.

Fr. Muyebe said the upward movement in the cost of living is attributed to increased prices in food items such as rice, kapenta, cassava flour and fruits.

Fr. Muyebe said the JCTR observed that during the month under review, the Energy Regulation Board pump price of petroleum products rose significantly while the local currency continued to depreciate against major currencies such as the dollar.

“Furthermore, the month of January saw an increase in mealie meal prices, which resulted in an increase in the prices of substitutes such as rice and cassava flour in the month of February.
It is worth noting that the prices of other fruits, such as mango, apple, orange, and guava (price based on the cheapest fruit in a given season), increased as mangoes went out of season.

JCTR remains concerned about the high cost of living. Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the impact of rising cost of living. This becomes especially important as the JCTR prepares to join the rest of the world in commemorating International Women’s Day. JCTR recognises that women continue to play an important role in economic development. However, despite them comprising more than 50 percent of Zambia’s population, women and girls still lag behind their male counterparts in terms of economic, social and political participation,” Fr. Muyebe stated.

Fr. Muyebe bemoaned the impact of the high cost of living on women and the poverty situation in the country.

He urged the Government to address the cost-of-living head on by increasing the minimum wage and increasing social protection allocations.

UPND government makes positive steps towards improving the health sector

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UPND government makes positive steps towards improving the health sector

Minister of Health, Sylvia Masebo, says government has made positive strides towards improving the health system in Zambia.

Ms Masebo said the UPND government has increased the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Health from K1.4 billion in 2021 to K1.6 billion in the 2023 national budget.

She also disclosed that government plans to recruit 3,000 health workers this year.

She said Zambia and Angola are prone to similar public heath challenges such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and Covid-19 among others, which have overwhelmed the health care system of the two countries.

Ms Masebo said this when Angolan Health Minister, Silvia Lutucuta, paid a courtesy call on her.

She said other health challenges facing the two countries are limited access to health care services due to long distances, lack of referral and counter referral systems and shortage of human resource system especially in rural areas.

Ms Masebo also said government is in the process of decentralising the Ministry of Health in a phased manner.

And Angolan Minister of Health, Silvia Lutucuta, says issues of infectious diseases, especially epidemics and chronic diseases, are becoming a burden in her country.

Dr. Lutucuta stated that her country has a shortage of specialised health personnel and nutritionists.

Over 3000 bags of mealie meal suspected to be destined for smuggling ,impounded

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Over 3000 bags of mealie meal suspected to be destined for smuggling ,impounded

Over 600 bags of mealie meal suspected to be destined for smuggling to neighboring DR Congo have been impounded by Police in Ndola over the past two days.

Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer Peacewell Mweemba disclosed that the first batch of mealie meal containing 400 by 25 KG bags branded Diamond Milling was confiscated on 27th March in the Masala Industrial area.

201 by 255 KG more bags of mealie meal branded as Diamond Milling as well were impounded in Chiwala area by the anti smuggling team of the Zambia Police Service.

Mr. Mweemba said in the Chiwala case the driver together with the other two occupants fled away from the vehicle and abandoned it after noticing that police were following them.

“The truck was intercepted by the team, and after seeing the vehicle for patrols, the driver, together with the other two occupants, ran away from the vehicle, leaving it abandoned. The truck was searched, and an unknown number of Diamond bags of mealie meal were found loaded in the truck. The truck was later escorted to Ndola district police HQ. The counting of the bags of mealie meal was done on 28.03.23 and 201 bags by 25kgs were found. The same will be disposed of through the court while a manhunt has been launched for the driver since the owner of the motor vehicle has already been identified through details obtained from Rtsa,” Mr. Mweemba said.

In the Masala Industrial area case, Mweemba said two suspects have been detained over the matter involving 25 KG bags of mealie meal branded Diamond Milling.

In a media statement, Mr. Mweemba said police have since launched investigations into the matter to establish whether or not the mealie meal was to be smuggled.

“Assembling for the purpose of smuggling occurred on 27/03/23 between 1330 and 1430 hrs at Miami garage Masala industrial area Ndola in which Police at Masala Station received information through an informant that there was a blue Scania light truck Reg No. AJE 3655 loaded with a mealie meal suspected to be heading to DRC. Acting on the said information, police moved in and have since managed to impound the truck, which was found loaded with about 400 bags of diamond mealie meal. The truck was driven by male Boyd Simukonda, aged 58 of plot No 64 Mukulungwe area Ndola. Brief facts of the matter are that on 27/03/23 between 1330hrs and 1430 hours officers at Masala police station received information from an informant and to that effect officers went to Masala Industrial area and managed to impound the vehicle and upon searching the vehicle, they found about 400 by 25 bags of breakfast diamond mealie meal,” Mr. Mweemba narrated.
However,the two suspects claimed the mealie meal was headed for Kawama Compound Ndola at CK enterprises.

In the last two months alone, Police in Ndola and Mufulira have impounded over 3000 bags of mealie meal suspected to be destined for smuggling to DR Congo.

Lazarus Tembo elevated to national team head coach

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Lazarus Tembo elevated to national team head coach

Zambia netball national team assistant coach, Lazarus Tembo, has elevated to head coach.

Tembo, who is Lusaka City Council (LCC) netball club coach, takes over from Charles Zulu, who has been appointed as national trainer of trainers for coaches.

The team has also appointed Under-20 national team assistant coach, Martha Kafupi, as assistant coach for the senior team.

And Kapiri Mposhi based referee, Davies Sichoonga, has been appointed as national trainer of trainers for umpires.

The appointments are with immediate effect and are subject to review for a period of six months.

“With this appointment, you therefore cease to be the national team coach. In view of the aforesaid, you are to provide the technical committee the updated database of coaches trained and needs for each particular area,” read part of the letter sent to Zulu.

Meanwhile, Tembo has named a 16-member provisional squad ahead of April’s Pacific AUS sports netball series to be held in Gold Coast, Queensland in Australia.

The team is mostly composed of players that competed at the Africa netball world cup qualifiers tournament in South Africa last year.

The coach has also included Prison Leopards defender, Ethel Pemba, who was instrumental in making sure that her team won the netball Zambia open tournament.

The team is expected to have its training session today.

The defenders in the provisional squad are Besiya Katete, Memory Musonda, Esther Kunda, Gift Bunga, Juliet Kaputeni (Green Buffaloes) Ethel Pemba (Prison Leopards), Nawa Beenzu (Nkwazi).

The midcourt comprises Orient Mwanza (Prison Leopards), Justina Mwale, Carol Moono and Joyce Mwanza (Green Buffaloes) and Naomi Changwe (Lusaka City Council).

Shooters are Diana Banda, Elizabeth Bwalya (Prison Leopards), Beauty Nakazwe (Green Buffaloes) and Hellen Banda from Nkwazi netball club.

Mutotwe Kafwaya challenges law enforcement agencies to be impartial in the fight against corruption.

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Mutotwe Kafwaya challenges law enforcement agencies to be impartial in the fight against corruption.

Patriotic Front (PF) presidential aspirant Mutotwe Kafwaya has challenged law enforcement agencies to be objective and professional as they play their role in the crusade against corruption.

Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Gilbert Phiri recently threatened that his office will go for anyone involved in corruption.

Speaking when officiating at the recent training workshop on advanced techniques in asset tracking and recovery in Lusaka, Mr. Phiri said there are no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.

But reacting to Mr. Phiri’s warning, Mr. Kafwaya, the Lunte Member of Parliament, said the DPP must stick to its duty of waiting for cases to come from law enforcement agencies and assess their merit for prosecution and proceed accordingly.

He said the DPP’s role has nothing to do with going for anyone involved in corruption as Mr. Phiri remarked.

Mr. Kafwaya added that the Police, Anti Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement and Financial Intelligence Commission must be impartial in the fight against corruption.

The Lunte lawmaker emphasized that the fight against corruption must be guided by laws and establishments.

“The story (from DPP) that we will go for anyone involved in corruption by DPP looks like a very good story because no one wants to see that ugly face of corruption manifest itself near them. I don’t want corruption. But the fight against corruption is guided by law and establishments. Arising from this story, I have the following questions: what law will the DPP use to go for anyone involved in corruption? What structure will the DPP deploy to go for anyone involved in corruption? Which financial resources will the DPP utilize in going for anyone involved in corruption? Isn’t what the DPP saying tantamount to meddling in the affairs of law enforcement agencies? I remember how the former DPP, Mrs Lillian Shawa Siyuni was vilified when she asked the DEC to stop meddling in her work,” Mr. Kafwaya stated.

He urged the general citizenry to support the fight against corruption saying they should refer as many cases of corruption as possible to the DPP for possible prosecution since he has shown energy to do his job.

“My opinion is that the place of the DPP is to wait for cases to come from law enforcement agencies and assess their merit for prosecution and proceed accordingly. His place has got nothing to do with going for anyone involved in corruption. The 2023 budget which was passed for the office of the DPP has no provision for going after anyone involved in corruption. I think the law also doesn’t provide for the DPP to be going round looking for anyone involved in corruption. I urge the ACC, DEC, FIC and Police to objectively fight corruption. The general citizenry should support this fight too. Please refer as many cases of corruption as possible to the DPP for possible prosecution since he has shown energy here, provided there is merit in those allegations. Not such cases as the nonsense, personal and victimization regarding allowances of Auditor General and others,” Mr. Kafwaya said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kafwaya recently condemned the Anti-Corruption Commission’s decision to arrest and charge Auditor General Dick Sichembe for alleged corrupt practices involving over K1,000,000.

“No watchdog institution will be spared. FIC you’re next. There is no reason for your trouble but those fearing for their financial transactions will sponsor the equivalent of Theo Miyoba to destabilize Wiccan you think of it, that it is comprehensible for an entry level auditor like Theo to cause the amount of confusion she has at Auditor General’s office? Imagine that she was promoted without AG’s knowledge. Can you imagine that she is earmarked for promotion again as either Deputy Auditor General or Director Performance? If this information is true, it’s truly deplorable. But for now I just thought of saying FIC you are next,” he said.

ZNBC board’s failure to defend the recent appointment of new ZNBC Director General is disappointing

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ZNBC board’s failure to defend the recent appointment of new ZNBC Director General is disappointing

Veteran journalist Charles Chisala has said he is disappointed with the ZNBC board’s failure to defend the recent appointment of new ZNBC Director General Berry Lwando.

Some UPND members have opposed the appointment of Mr. Lwando arguing that he is a member of the Patriotic Front (PF).

Mr. Chisala, a former news editor, said since Mr. Lwando is at the centre of controversy the ZNBC Board of Directors needed to defend its decision to hire him.

He also questioned the manner in which the media has covered the story of Mr. Lwando’s appointment.

“Ever since the vicious media campaign against Mr Berry Lwando, one of Zambia’s most experienced and exposed journalists, started I have not seen balance and fairness in the stories. Or have I missed them? Media outlets have continued to project and parrot only one side of the story. Only the voices and images of those who are fighting the man’s appointment as the new director general of our national broadcaster, ZNBC, are being heard and seen. Mr Lwando has not been given an opportunity to respond or defend himself, which is, of course, not easy for him to do for obvious reasons. This is an affront to natural justice. Some media outlets and individual reporters are, consciously or unconsciously, allowing themselves to be used by people with vested interests as conduits of hatred targeted at a citizen without giving him a chance to defend himself as media ethics demand, “Mr. Chisala stated.

He continued:”What is even more disappointing is that the board of directors of ZNBC, which appointed Mr Lwando, has not come out to defend him and its decision. This has left him vulnerable as a defenceless and voiceless victim. The issue here is not whether those who are attacking Mr Lwando and calling for the reversal of his appointment are right or wrong. It’s whether we are being professional in the manner we are covering the saga as journalists. We are failing in our duty as crusaders against injustice and defenders of the weak against the powerful. I am advising my fellow journalists to tread carefully when handling serious allegations that border on defamation of character. Remember, the target has recourse to legal action against the sources, the media house and the reporter in his or her individual capacity.”

He said there was a need to defend Mr. Lwando’s human rights amid attacks on his appointment.

“Zambia is a constitutional democracy where the fundamental human rights of citizens are enshrined and guaranteed in our supreme law of the land, the republican Constitution which are reinforced by various statutes. Mr Lwando has human rights, which he is free to defend through the public justice system of our nation if no one is willing to defend them on his behalf. Successful litigation could be costly as it would entail paying the hefty damages that a court may award the victim as compensation for libel. Guys, a single judgement could shut down your media house and cause immense misery for you as a reporter. This is the main reason for which in such cases the courts tilt the pendulum of justice heavily in favour of the victim. It’s rare for the media house and the reporter to win such cases. Court libraries are replete with examples. Go out there and check for yourself. Journalism ethics demand that whenever serious allegations or injurious remarks are targeted at an individual, a group of people or organisation, the target of the attack must be given a chance to defend themselves in the same story and on the same platform,” Mr. Chisala said.

Mr. Lwando has returned to ZNBC having previously served as Director Programmes between 2012 and 2014 as well as Director Digital Terrestrial Television in 2015.

Japanese Embassy showcases culture, unveils scholarships

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Japanese Embassy showcases culture, unveils scholarships

By BENEDICT TEMBO

THE Japanese Embassy in Lusaka on Friday last week figuratively shifted operations from its chancery in Longacres to Manda Hill shopping mall where it showcased its culture.

During the Japan Day commemorations, the interaction with Lusaka started with a quiz about various aspects of Japan.

Lusaka residents were taken around the make-shift stand where they appreciated Japanese traditional clothes and food, among others.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia Kazuyuki Tekauchi was also on hand to explain the revived Japan Day, which was last held in
2019 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in December of the same year.

Japan Day falls on March 24.

“Japan Day is one of the most important days on the Japanese calendar and this is the first time we are commemorating it after the COVID-19 break and we are excited to share our rich Japanese culture with the good people of Zambia,” Mr Tekauchi said.

Japan Day is an occasion when the Japanese around the world showcase their rich culture, either traditional or contemporary, for the benefit of other people.

Mr Tekauchi said beyond showcasing culture, it was also important to remind Zambians about opportunities offered by the Japanese government through the embassy.

He urged Zambians to take advantage of the many government scholarships Japan offers to foreign students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Mr Tekauchi said the Japanese government offers both fully funded and also partially scholarships

He said Zambia is one of Japan’s most trusted allies in Africa as the two countries share warm bilateral relations.

“As Zambia will be celebrating its 58th Independence, we shall also be celebrating 60 years of cooperation with Zambia. So, we regard this country highly,” he said.

Mr Tekauchi said Japan will continue supporting Zambia’s development agenda especially in the agriculture and health sectors.

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