Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau in The Netherland will visit Zambia this month to learn about the country’s best practices in combating child, early and forced marriage.

Government policies and political will by His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata and First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba – working with Chiefs, Civil Society organisations and the police – to end abuse of girls and women has attracted the interest of the international community to learn and replicate these initiatives.

Princess Mabel informed Zambia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Christine Kalamwina that she and Archbishop Tutu will travel to Zambia on September 15, to meet and exchange ideas with Government officials and other stakeholders in the fight against child, early and forced marriage.

Princess Mabel is the chairperson of the board of trustees of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of more than 300 civil society organisations campaigning to end child marriage.

Princess Mabel was the first chief executive officer of The Elders – a group of eminent global leaders brought together by the late Nelson Mandela to promote peace and human rights – chaired by Archbishop Tutu.

The Zambian Government has received international applaud for its best practices in combating child, early and forced marriage.

Partnership of chiefs, civil society and the Government, is one effective campaign being used to fight child marriages in Zambia. Chiefs support the campaign against child marriages, and most traditional leaders have banned child, early and forced marriage in their chiefdoms. Some chiefs are retrieving young girls from forced marriages. Chiefs and their subjects are reporting parents that marry off their young girl children to the police for prosecution. Chiefs, civil society organisations and Government officials are encouraging parents, and guardians, to prioritise education of girls.

During a General Assembly panel discussion on “Child, Early and Forced Marriage” moderated by Princess Mabel last Friday, Ambassadors of The Netherlands and Canada, and an African Union Goodwill Ambassador commended the Zambian Government for reducing child, early and forced marriage.

CHIPATA Catholic Diocese Bishop George Lungu has disclosed that the church is contemplating to exhume and rebury the remains of first indigenous Zambian Cardinal Merdado Joseph Mazombwe in the diocese.

Bishop Lungu said through Diocesan Pastoral Coordinator Fr Wilfred Bwezani at a first memorial anniversary of Cardinal Mazombwe that the Church was in the process of lifting the remains of the Cardinal from where it was buried in Lusaka to Chipata where he spend most of his time.

“As a church or diocese we are contemplating that the remains of Merdado Cardinal Joseph Mazombwe must rest in Chipata Diocese not Lusaka,” he said.

He said the process would be made known to the public after consultations were concluded in due course.

Bishop Lungu told the congregants that included Auxiliary Bishop Benjamin Phiri, Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi of the Chewa and Zambia Ambassador to France Solomon Mbuzi that Cardinal Mazombwe became a hero when he was still alive through his good spiritual works.

Bishop Lungu said Cardinal Mazombwe persevered in a lot of things despite the discouragement he received by people who surrounded him.

He said Cardinal Mazombwe did not give up because he saw a vision in his ministry in Chipata Diocese growing and producing many fruits such as female catechists in the diocese , diocesan priests and even the Good Shepherd Sisters who have spread all over the country and other countries in spreading the good news.

Bishop Lungu thanked the parents of the late Cardinal Mazombwe for the good work they did in seeing to it that their child grew up to love and fear god.

He said his parents especially his mother did a lot of work in building him to be a servant of god.

Speaking at the same commemoration, the Paramount Chief pledged to continue working with the church.

The traditional leader said he was happy that the church was working with the traditional leadership in a number of areas.

A COMBINED team of council health inspectors, police service and veterinary department officers has gunned down a total of 46 stray dogs in Kalulushi.

The stray dogs, which were gunned down in Kalulushi, Chibuluma and Chambishi areas have been killed in a cropping exercise conducted three days in a row.

Kalulushi municipal council assistant public relations manager Beauty Undi said the cropping exercise of dogs had been necessitated by an increase of stray dogs patronising the streets in the district.

Ms Undi said the stray dogs were posing a health hazard to the people as most of them were not registered and vaccinated against rabies.

She said the dogs were not confined within the owner’s premises in accordance with the requirement under the Control of Dogs Act, Cap 247 of the Laws of Zambia.

Ms Undi said with the rising cases of dog bites, notably from stray dogs, it was a great concern to the local authority especially that it endangers the health and safety of the public.

“The Council will not only kill the purported stray dogs but it will also prosecute the owners of the dogs, charge penalties of K540 or face two years imprisonment or both as stipulated by the Control of Dogs Act, Cap 247 of the laws of Zambia, for failure to vaccinate, register and confine the dogs within the owners premises,” she said.

Ms Undi warned that the killing exercise of dogs would continue until the district is rid of stray dogs

GOVERNMENT and the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have agreed to review the NGO Act number 26 of 2009 to bring to rest the contentious issues observed by the stakeholders.

Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) executive director Macdonald Chipenzi confirmed in an interview yesterday, that the decision was arrived at following the fruitful discussion held with the NGOs, Justice Minister and Attorney General recently.

Mr Chipenzi said the parties also agreed to suspend the punitive measures that Government had put in place to compel NGOs to migrate from the societies Act to the NGO department in the ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health.

“Following this decision to open consultations, the NGOs have withdrawn the court injunction against Government to allow for the fruitful deliberations,” Mr Chipenzi said.

He said a consultant would soon be engaged to commence the revision of the Act, with a roadmap agreed upon to have the law enacted by July 2015.

“We agreed that we should come up with a law that would be fair for both parties as we try to promote transparency and accountability in the operations of the NGOs,” he said.

He commended Government for heeding the calls for consultation on the NGO Act as Civil Society Organisations and the NGOs were partners in development complimenting each other’s works.

He said the spirit that Government had exhibited to engage in consultation over the NGO Act should be extended to the Constitution making process.

Luanshya central Member of Parliament Stephen Chungu has been suspended as Luanshya District Patriotic Front Chairperson , with immediate effect.

Equally suspended is his Deputy Patrick Maipambe . The duo have been given a seven days ultimatum exculpate themselves for alleged mis-conduct.

They have been accused of stopping party members in the district from joining in the recent provincial match past in consolidation of President Michael Sata’s recent stripping off of former PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba of his party and ministerial portfolios.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Chungu who confirmed the suspension in an interview in Luanshya today said he did not understand the reasons forwarded for his suspension because at the time the said activities were taking place he was out of Luanshya.

“I am not affected at all by the suspension, the reasons forwarded to me are that I stopped party members in the district from joining their colleagues in Kitwe in celebrating the removal of Wynter Kabimba from his party and ministerial positions, even when I made no such directives, truly speaking the celebrations were inhuman but the truth would prevail, ” he said.

The embattled District PF chairperson said he would continue to serve the people of Luanshya as always adding that there was a lot of MPs who were not holding party positions and were serving the people.

On his part , District PF vice chairperson Maipamba who received his suspension letter last evening said the action comes as a shock adding that the allegations leveled against him were un true.

Mr. Maipamba however said he would not challenge the party but would wait for further communication from the provincial party leadership.

“I wish to inform you that I have also received a letter of suspension from the provincial party chairperson Stardy Mwale, copied to Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili, starting my suspension and asking me to exculpate myself within seven days” Maipambe said.

He further hoped that the suspensions were not targeted to the whole district.

Council of Churches in Zambia has charged that Statutory Instrument 103 requiring NGOs and Churches to pay duty on imported equipment is negatively affecting charity work in Zambia.

In an interview, Reverend Matale said attempts to engage the Ministry of Finance over pleas to have the statutory instrument suspended or revoked have not been successful.

“You know this SI has really affected our work. We have tried to meet the meet the Minister of Finance but we have not been successful. We have written two letters requesting to meet the Minister so that we could engage him over this issue but it has been difficult,” Reverend Matale said.

She added, “From the two letters we have written, there has not been any response. When we called the Ministry, we were referred to a junior officer whom we know does not make any decisions.”

Reverend Matale observed that 40 percent of health and education services especially in the rural areas are provided by the Church and some NGOs.

She said it is important that the Church and NGOs providing charity work are provided some relief in the running of their programmes.