Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Fredrick Chilukutu is concerned with the increasing population of inmates in all its facilities countrywide.

Mr Chilukutu said the increasing population of inmates is proving to be a feeding cost burden to the institution.

Speaking during a courtesy call on Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Paul Thole yesterday, the Zambia Correctional Services Chief said the increased number of inmates has been contributed by the continued influx of illegal immigrants entering the country from various points including Eastern Province.

“The increase in inmate’s population is growing in the country. Here in the Eastern Province, we have a lot of illegal immigrants entering the country and the State has put up security interventions,” he said.

Mr Chilukutu said the increased inmate population in correctional facilities compromises the health and feeding programmes of the inmates as well as the reformatory policy.

And the Commissioner General said the Service has planted 250 hectares of maize, 200 hectares of soya beans and an average of 50 hectares of other crops like sunflower and sorghum in the province.

Mr Chilukutu said works on the milling plant in Petauke have reached an advanced stage adding that the plant may be completed in May this year.

“The works on the milling plant have been kind of slow due to the cash flow. In a few coming weeks there will be a lot of activities in order for us to meet the target,” he said.

The Commissioner General also stated that plans to construct housing units for its officers in the province are on the cards.

Meanwhile, Mr Thole commended the Zambia Correctional Service for implementing programmes that are reforming inmates in all its facilities in the Eastern Province.

The Permanent Secretary said the issue of illegal immigrants needs a collective effort from all stakeholders if it is to be effectively addressed.

Some parts of Lusangazi district have gone for three days without power.

The power outage has been caused by a fault on the power utility company ZESCO distribution line that supplies the workers’ residential area and government administration offices.

According to reports, the power line developed a fault on Wednesday this week but ZESCO has not yet been to the area to establish the fault causing the power failure.

The power blackout has affected operations at Ukwimi Rural Health Center, Ukwimi Trades Training institute, Ukwimi Primary school, Ukwimi A Resettlement market.

The government housing area has also been plunged into blackout due to the electricity fault.

And Lusangazi District Commissioner, Mike Tembo has expressed disappointment over the delay by ZESCO to travel to the district to restore supply to the affected area.

Mr Tembo said it is surprising that ZESCO officers in Petauke are complaining of lack of transport when they are an essential institution that requires an operation vehicle to promptly respond to reports.

The District Commissioner is not happy that the ZESCO office in Petauke has continued to subject people in Lusangazi to power blackouts due to rectifiable faults in the midst of the load management.

“I’m very disappointed with the behaviour of ZESCO management at Petauke because they are always slow to attend to reports of power outages caused by technical fault and yet they are a big company so they must improve in those areas,” the District Commissioner said.

When contacted for a comment, ZESCO Area Manager Fedility Mapulanga, complained of not having a vehicle to carry out field operations as the only available transport is a big truck that cannot access Ukwimi due to the poor road network.

He has, however, promised that his office will before the end of today find means and ways of attending to a power fault in Ukwimi and establish what caused the power outage.

“As ZESCO Petauke we have a challenge of not having a van to respond quickly to such reports as we rely on transport from other districts because the field vehicle we currently have is a big truck which cannot manage to move on that bad road,” Mr Mapulanga said.

Police on the Copperbelt have arrested a 35-year-old woman from Kitwe’s Kamakonde area for assaulting her seven-year-old biological daughter using a metal bar.

Copperbelt Police Commanding Officer Peacewell Mweemba confirms the suspect Neddy Chisanga, also a businesswoman injured her daughter for visiting her maternal grandmother whom she is not on good terms with.

Mr. Mweemba said the juvenile sustained a bruised forehead, cut on the upper lip, a loose tooth, swollen hands and legs and general body pains.

“Evans Mumba aged 31 of House Number 114 Kamakonde reported on behalf of his niece female juvenile Angela Neddy Chisanga, aged 7 that she was assaulted by her biological mother Neddy Chisanga, aged 35 of house number 2714 Kamakonde, also a businesswoman, who caused her to sustain a bruised forehead, cut on the upper lip, a loose tooth, swollen hands and legs, and general body pains. A metal bar is alleged to have been used to inflict the injuries,” Mweemba said.

He said the child has since been admitted to Kalulushi General Hospital while the mother was apprehended by the police and detained.

“Brief facts of the case are that on 22nd January, 2023, Angela Neddy Chisanga went to visit her maternal grandmother Bertha Kyatabankana. The mother of the victim is not in good books with her mother and became upset and waited for her to get home and sleep. When the victim went back home, her mother said nothing to her but waited until she was asleep. At around 04:00hours the victim was awakened by beating her hard with a metal bar. She continued beating her with the metal bar till she sustained the above injuries. After this the mother locked her up in the house and went for her daily business. It was only until her aunty F/Maureen Mumba, a sister to her mother, went to visit her sister and found her in that state. The aunty took her to her brother’s place who later reported the case to the police. Police verified the report. A docket of case was opened, and the child was taken to Kalulushi General Hospital, where she was admitted. Later the mother was apprehended by the police. Arrest made and more to follow,” Mr. Mweemba stated.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mweemba has confirmed that a man of Ndola believed to be in his 50s who went missing for days has been found dead at Kantolomba Cemetery in Ndola.

He said the man was found hanging on a tree at the cemetery in a suspected suicide case.

Mr. Mweemba said Police visited the scene and found the body hanging on a tree in the cemetery in a decomposed state.

“Mwango Davis of house no 7203 Lubuto west Ndola, a community chairman for Kantolomba ward reported to have found an unknown male person aged about 50 hanging to a tree in Kantolomba cemetery using a rope. Brief facts are that the said chairman received information that there was an unknown male person who hanged himself using a rope within Kantolomba Cemetery. Upon receipt of the information, the reporter rushed to the scene where he confirmed the incident. He then reported the matter to the Lubuto police post. Police visited the scene and found the body hanging on a tree in the cemetery in a decomposed state. A write up to Ndola city council Public health department has been made for possible fumigation and burial at the site as the deceased body is in a decomposed state, unfit to be kept in the mortuary and the public health dept for the city council has arranged for burial tomorrow morning. Inquiry file opened and more to follow,” Mr. Mweemba said.

In Chingola, Police have launched investigations into a vandalism case in which unknown people cut and stole a Zesco Limited cable valued at K12, 950.

“Vandalism occurred on 24/01/2023 around 02:30hours at Substation number 263 pole mounted transformer (PMT) of Chingola Central Old Senior Police camp (Mutelo) Chingola District, in which Ristone Kaniini aged 43 of house number 58 Mulamba road Nchanga South, a Zesco security manager reported on behalf of Zesco that unknown criminals (vandals) did cut and stole a 120mm x 4 core x14 metres cable valued at k12, 950 property of Zesco. Brief facts are that the criminals dug the said cable, which was coming from the transformer to the medium voltage cable line which supplies power to the Office of the President Offices and part of the Old police camp.The police and Zesco personnel visited the scene, docket opened, and investigations instituted,” Mr. Mweemba stated.

Makungwa Ward Councilor Alexander Miti has expressed concern with the delay to disburse empowerment loans under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) by the Kasenengwa Town Council.

Speaking during the ordinary full council meeting held yesterday, Mr Miti wondered why the funds that were allocated towards the disbursement of loans under the 2022 CDF for Kasenengwa Constituency were still laying idle in the banks.

He said there is a need for the local authority to quickly disburse the funds to the clubs and cooperatives that applied for the loans so that they boost various business activities.

Mr Miti said the loan component under the CDF was meant to help clubs and cooperatives facing financial challenges in achieving their goals hence it should be disbursed without delay.

“I’m concerned with the delayed disbursement of empowerment loans under the CDF to the cooperatives that applied, since the funds were already released by the central government and are laying idle in the banks,” he said.

And in response, Council Secretary Caroline Mphande said the clubs and cooperatives that applied for the loans will receive the funds soon as some modalities that the local authority wanted to put in place such as opening a revolving fund account among others are done.

Mrs Mphande, however, mentioned that only four clubs and cooperatives were considered to receive the funds by the CDF committee as most groups that applied failed to meet the requirements.

The Inspector General of Police, Lemmy Kajoba, has expressed concern over the recent increase in the number of murder cases involving ritual killings, commonly known as “kikondo,” in the North-Western Province. Kikondo, which translates to “moving coffin,” is a ritual practice by local people in certain parts of the province, believed to help identify the killers of their relatives in suspicious circumstances.

According to police records, there have been nine cases of kikondo reported between January 2022 and January 2023, with only one arrest made so far. The incidents are particularly rampant in Solwezi and Kasempa Districts. All the recorded cases involve elderly people aged between 60 and 90, who are alleged to have been behind the death of someone in their communities.

The perpetrators, including the relatives of the deceased, often abandon their villages immediately after practicing kikondo, knowing that police will be looking for them. It is alleged that the villagers join in by beating the victims with various weapons once identified by the “moving coffin.”

In response to this situation, Mr. Kajoba, who is currently on a familiarization tour in the North-Western Province, has instructed officers to round up all suspects and hold them accountable for their actions. “Your target should be the Pallbearers and the relatives. Arrest and charge them for murder,” he directed. Additionally, he has ordered the deployment of additional paramilitary officers to Solwezi and Kasempa Districts, to assist in the manhunt for suspects currently on the run.

The Police Chief emphasized that the new government, elected under the backdrop of the rule of law, respects human rights. He stated that the Zambia Police will ensure that the policy directive by the President is fulfilled. “We cannot afford to see the degeneration of security situations in some parts of the country where people are brutally murdered on mere accusations of practicing witchcraft,” Mr. Kajoba said. He acknowledged that the problems of long distances where these crimes occur and lack of police transport, makes it difficult but efforts should be made at all costs of ensuring that culprits are held accountable of their actions as this will send a strong message to deter this primitive and inhuman practice by the people.

To address the problem of transport, Mr. Kajoba assured police officers that the government has bought more than 150 motor vehicles for the Zambia Police Service through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). He said that police officers will be able to respond effectively to security concerns as each constituency will have a police motor vehicle. The motor vehicles are expected to arrive before the end of the first quarter of 2023.

The Police Chief, accompanied by the Commissioner for Administration Auxensio Daka, Commissioner of Police for North-Western Province Dennis Moola and other senior police officers, interacted with officers in Solwezi, Kasempa, Mufumbwe, Manyinga, Kabompo, and Zambezi Districts.

In a recent interview with Diamond TV’s Andrew Mwansa, Ambassador Anthony Mukwita discussed international relations and the role of China and the United States in Zambia.

When discussing the current government’s relationship with China, Ambassador Mukwita said, “I said the UPND government under President Hakainde Hichilema missed the memo by not engaging the People´s Republic of China right from the beginning when they assumed office in August 2021.” He went on to explain the importance of engaging with China, the country’s largest creditor, saying, “He who pays the piper calls the tune and, it is just good diplomacy for you to engage the second largest economy in the world, set to become number 1 in a couple of years, some experts say less than a decade from now.”

The Ambassador also highlighted the long history between Zambia and China, mentioning the Tazara railway line built with Chinese funding in the 1970s after the country was cut off from sea transit by the apartheid regime in neighboring Rhodesia. He said, “China was poor then, but they still rose to the plate to help us. The saying goes, ‘those that don’t learn from history risk repeating it’.”

In light of this history, Ambassador Mukwita urged President Hichilema to engage with China at the highest level, stating, “President Hichilema should pick up the phone and ask his big brother in Beijing President Xi Jinping. Let them have a cup of te or cha and iron out our US$6 billion debt because it’s the China in the Bull Shop right now, get Uncle Sam out of the way.” He went on to say that “Ignoring China in the era of the Thucydides trap is tantamount to burying our heads in the sand.”

He also mentioned the potential obstacles presented by the United States, saying “my brother and mate brother Joe Chilaizya who was Charge D Affaires in Beijing for Zambia for a long time, he told me the US has muddied the waters by ‘condescending’ China over the debt to Zambia.”

Ambassador Mukwita, who has spent time in both Beijing and Washington D.C. and studied international relations, believes that a trip to Beijing by President Hichilema could have a positive outcome. He said, “He will be surprised how the trip will positively turn out in his ‘work after work after work’ policy, as President Edgar Lungu (number six) did in infrastructure unmatched with the dragon.”

He concluded by saying, “China means well for Zambia, as the US does, ignore them at your own peril. My forthcoming book ‘The rise of China in Africa, Zambia story’ will offer further insight on this issue, look out for it on Amazon. Having worked as a senior Zambian envoy in Berlin and actually studied International Relations, penning a thesis on the issue at university in Germany, I believe I have some views that could help answer some questions on our table today, even across party lines. God bless you folks as the dragon roars side by side with Uncle Sam. Make that Beijing call now Mr President because the IMF deal you love depends on it. Sometimes you must eat humble pie.”