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Thandiwe Banda’s Eastern Province Compaign in Pictures
Ballot papers arrive in the country
Ballot papers for next week’s general election have arrived in the country from Durban, South Africa were they were being printed by Universal Print Group.
The chartered cargo plane carrying the consignment of ballot papers touched down at Lusaka International Airport at 14 hours.
Stakeholders from the church, the civil society and representatives of various political parties witnessed the arrival of the ballot papers.
Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson Justice Irene Mambilima said verification and distribution of the ballot papers will start tomorrow.
Justice Mambilima says the distribution will start with the furthest provinces such as Northern, Luapula, and North western.
Justice Mambilima told Journalists at Lusaka International Airport that all the ballot papers that were printed have arrived in the country.
Justice Mambilima said the printing process was good but noted that the only challenges were the errors recorded on one parliamentary constituency and nine local government ballot papers but that this has since been rectified.
She said the ballots which were corrected are in the consignments of the papers that have arrived in the country.
The ECZ Chairperson has since urged Zambians to ensure that they maintain peace before, during and after the September 20 General elections.
Justice Mambilima also appealed to all Zambians to turn up in large numbers and vote for their preferred candidates next week.
The ECZ chairperson revealed that the commission is more than ready to handle the September 20 elections without difficulties or challenges.
Zambia goes to the polls on Tuesday next week September 20,2011.
[QFM]
2011 All Africa Games: Nachula , Kombe Exit
Zambia’s bad showing at the 2011 All Africa Games continued with 400 meters women’s prospect exiting from the quadrennial event.
Nachula failed to qualify to the finals of the 400 meters after finishing 7th in the semifinals.
She was joined out of the All Africa Games track and field events by men’s 800 meters entrant Xavier Kombe who finished 5th in his semifinal race.
Prince Mumba is the only track representative still in the medals hunt as he runs in the 3000 meters men’s final on Tuesday.
There is hope, however, in the netball where the team is currently in third place in the round-robin tournament.
Rebounding Zambia beat Zimbabwe 51-39 to go third on table on 8 points behind Tanzania and Uganda on 8 and 12 points respectively.
Already out of the medal race are Zambia’s representatives in swimming, badminton, boxing, karate and today men’s singles hopeful Edgar Kazembe tumbled out of the event in the second round in straight sets losing 6-3, 6-2 to Sabry Sherif of Egypt.
And the chess team continues its quest for medals.
Meanwhile, Judo hope to keep Zambia’s hopes alive when they start their competitions on Thursday in what is a forgettable All Africa Games outing for Zambia.
Regulate Tujilijili – Stakeholders
The Zambia Police and several representatives from political parties have requested the government to consider regulating the sale of liquor such as Tujilijili (beer satchets) especially during this campaign period.
The stakeholders are concerned that the unregulated sale of Tujilijili is one of the recipes for violence.
During an interactive meeting for the police, political party representatives, the church and other stakeholders on Monday, the participants urged the government through the Ministry of local
Government to work closely with Zambia Police in curbing illegal
liquor trading and careless consumption of alcohol especially among the youths.
They observe that alcohol consumption among the youths is rife and are worried that if left unchecked, the overwhelming presence of Tujilijili could be a recipe for violence, before, during and after the elections.
And Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Solomon Jere says there is therefore need to control the sale and consumption of all sorts of alcohol as one of the preventive measures against violence.
“I wish to call upon the Ministry of local Government and housing to strictly enforce laws on sale and consumption of alcohol as this has been identified as one of recipes for violence,” Dr Jere said.
Dr Jere says the Zambia Police is ready to work with all local authorities in the country to implement bye-laws on liquor trading and ensure that all bar owners comply with the law.
He appealed to members of the public to report all cases of
Political violence to Police on the toll free numbers, 9010 and 9011 to enable them resolve election conflicts expeditiously.
Dr Jere further says police have identified areas of possible outbreak of violence such Lusaka, and Copperbelt.
He says police are ready to quell any violence that may erupt in all parts of the country.
“We have identified areas of possible outbreak of violence in Lusaka, and Copperbelt but I want to say here that as Police we are ready to face any penetrators of such violence with full force,” Dr Jere warns.
And a clergyman, Pastor Baster Banda says the church will continue to pray for peace as the country heads for the tripartite elections next Tuesday.
The Meeting was called to brainstorm and find ways of preventing any violence before, during and after the elections.
ZNBC
Kavindele accuse the Post Newspaper of discrediting the electoral process
Former Vice President Enock Kavindele says there is a vicious propaganda campaign by some sections of the private media to discredit the electoral process.
Mr Kavindele says the campaign carried out by the Post Newspaper and the patriotic Front is aimed at preparing the minds of Zambians to reject the outcome of the polls next week.
He told ZNBC News in a statement that Post Newspaper and PF are achieving this by making wild allegations accusing the MMD of rigging election without providing evidence.
Mr Kavindele has also questioned the authenticity of the opinion poll resulted published in Tuesday’s edition of the Post newspaper because it is inconsistent with other opinion polls which tip President Banda to win this years elections.
He says while the Post Newspaper is free to publish results of their chosen and biased opinion surveys, the newspaper and Patriotic Front should desist from inciting Zambians to violence.
ZNBC
Young voters urged to take elections seriously
United Stated ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella has urged all young voters in the country to take the tripartite elections seriously.
Ambassador Storella says it is an achievement for the country to have recorded over a million new voters comprising young people.
Ambassador Storella has advised young voters not only to pay close attention to the presidential elections but also the parliamentary and local government elections.
He says it is important to make informed judgment on all their leaders regardless of their level of participation in elections as they would participate in presidential races in future elections.
Ambassador Storella observes that once young electorates make informed decisions on all their candidates, it will also be easy to make them accountable; in case they do not fulfill their campaign promises.
[QFM]
The Youth: Investing In Zambia’s Future
By G.Mtonga
Horrace Mann, the American education reformer who also served as a representative in the country’s legislative house once said, “Education…beyond All other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of conditions of men –the balance wheel of the social machinery…It Does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility toward the rich; it prevents being poor.” Public education for most of the world was for the earlier part of the 20th century a right that the nation’s poor fought for. Much of the western word has already implemented a free public school system and suprisingly much of the developing world has yet to do that. In Zambia Iam aggressively championing for free public education from grade 1 to grade 12 and this discourse is premised on fundamentals of economic development, human rights, and progress for our country.
In Zambia, the ” Youth” is a term that is thrown around by politicians with as much ferocity as the words ” investors” and ” donors.” In fact if you put the words ” The Youth Of Zambia” in the search engine Google you will get : ” About The Youth In Zambia;” ” Alcohol Abuse On the Rise Among Youth in Zambia:” ” Youth Alive Zambia: Choose Life” ” Youth Vision Zambia.” And recently on 9/9/2011 MINISTRY of Sport, Youth and Child Development Permanent Secretary Teddy Mulonga is in the Times of Zambia saying that ” the youth entrepreneurship is a useful way to promote self-employment for the young people.” Of course our discourse about this peculiar group called the ” Youth ” is continuous and politicians and political pundits use this group as the object of their comments ( as Iam doing) and their policy initiatives as Minister Teddy Mulonga is quoted advocating. But what exactly can we do about the youth and what intelligent policies can we implement to address the problems that come from high unemployment, lack of education, and often crime among our young generation; who obviously are growing up at a time when Zambia is undergoing a multitude of transformations.
Im certain we all know about Liberia and their history of ” child soldiers.” Alot of research was done on the children there and the researchers made attempts to find reasons as to why children as young as 12 years old participated in the war. Above all the war created an environment where children had no option other than to join the chaos.The lack of options among young men and women often results in them entering into criminal activities and for women the general trend is prostitution. Kenya has become a ” sex tourist” destination for many Europeans not because of the county’s beautiful women but because of poverty; and in Zambia Chinese men of course have no problem taking an occasional Zambian prostitute. The greater concern though is what ” options ” this group called the “youth ” has and that to me is the most important question!! What options do young people in Zambia have, what has the government given them, what programs do we have that these young people can benefit from? What is our government’s role in investing in the future of Zambia?
Government’s main investment in the future of the youth should come in the form of making a free public education accessible to every Zambian child from grade 1 to grade 12! NGOs of course will always play a role in alleviating the social problems of the ” Youth ” in Zambia just like other NGOs do in the western world; but we can not let the education of our children become a concern for the Non-governmental organization world. My argument is that if we are going to invest in the ” Youth” we should cease to perform political gymnastics with words and stop making promises and simply implement the public school system in the Ministry of Education. Zambia has enough reserves and funding that can make this goal easy to realize as long as our politicians and our citizens see the intelligence in it and fight for it.
Consider this argument, If the government made public education free from grade 1 to grade 12 it will be socially, financially, and politically to the benefit of our country. A student will learn all the studies that will allow them to be productive citizens of our country and all this before they reach 18 years of age; which is the general age for finishing high school. Any university or technical training is usually done from 18 to 21 years of Age. Young people will be exposed to civics, math, geography, and history among many subjects and these create foundations for them to be productive members of our society. If it takes the government $30, 000 to educate a child from grade 1 to grade 12; there is a far much higher chance that that child will pay more in taxes and their less numerical contributions will on average exceed the initial government investment of $30, 000 from the time they start working to the time they retire. In other words, would it not be a logical investment to spend $30, 000 educating a child who will come and work and pay taxes and productively contribute to society? Any investor would see that this would be a good investment! If indeed the Zambian government really cared about the ” Youth;” they would create an intelligent public school system to help the poor who can’t afford school fees or send their children to prestigious institutions such as Simba, Rhodes Park or any of the many schools in Zambia that tailor their education to the higher society of Zambia. The fact is the poor are a larger part of the Zambia social composition than the rich and at the moment our education system serves the interests and needs of richer families than poorer ones.
Iam an advocate of education because I started my schooling at Lyuni Primary School in Masala, Ndola and the hardships of school fees on my family was obvious. However, with time I moved to more prestigious schools as my family’s wealth increased and went to Olympia Basic School and then Muzi Boarding School and then Frederick Douglass Academy in the United States. The point is that educational advancement in our country is astoundingly tailored to the richer families and consequently poorer ones loose the very mechanism that in the entire world is an equalizer of class and a proven method to reduce poverty: EDUCATION. If we are to invest in Zambia’s youth lets build government schools and create better pension plans for our teachers, allow our administrators to have benefits that will allow them not to resort to corruption and make our Ministry of Education accountable for the state of our education system. Investing in our youth at its highest level will only be true if we build a public school system that does not continue social divisions based on class, background, or sex! We have to educate the Zambian youth with the same level of investment that other countries put in the education of their younger generation.
G. K. Chesterson, the English writer, says that; ” Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” If Zambia is to pass the soul of its current society; then my children, or maybe even their children can see the dream of Zambia having “free’ public education a reality. I really do hope that my generation, a generation that is more exposed and has had the benefits of a democratic society can see the benefits of my argument and maybe, just maybe, in 10 years or 20 years or it might even be 5 years from now Zambia will be a country where young people regardless of economic background, tribe, or religion will be able to get an education and our government will be able to facilitate that progress.
Scrutinise leaders – CSWUZ
The Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia has called for voters to carefully scrutinize the manifestos of presidential aspirants as poll-day nears.
Union President Dave Chiyobe says Zambia deserves credible leaders who will empower the labor movement and develop the country.
Mr Chiyobe says there is no room to make mistakes as the election’s results will be critical to the lives of the majority in the country.
He was speaking to ZNBC News in an interview in Lusaka.
Mr Chiyobe says the manifestos and constitutions of various political parties give the voters a guide of what each political party will stand for once allowed to rule the country.
Minimum wage to be upped
Some political parties have promised to increase the minimum wage for workers in the country if voted into office.
The United Party for National Development –UPND- says its government will raise the minimum wage from the current K419 000 to 1, 400, 00.00 Kwacha.
The Zambians for Empowerment and Development -ZED- has promised to up the minimum wage to over a one million Kwacha.
Speaking on a ZNBC Television programme titled ‘The Manifesto’, UPND representative James Muyangana said the change is important to provide a decent minimum wage for its people.
And ZED representative Reverend Jericho Sikwila says there is need for workers in the country to be satisfied.
And National Restoration Party representative, Mbita Sumbwe says his party will improve conditions for both expatriates and Zambian workers.
The panel was discussing the topic ‘Labor and Social Securities’.
[ZNBC]
GBM’s bragging that he is the richest candidate irks Kasama voters
KASAMA Central Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Geoffrey Mwamba has disappointed some voters in the constituency, with his bragging that he is the richest candidate.
Mr Mwamba, also known as GBM, has angered some people by boasting that he will use the power of his money to win the seat.
Some voters said Mr Mwamba was on a discussion programme on Radio Mano where he claimed that the people of Kasama Central would vote for him because of the way he has financed the constituency.
Victor Mwaba, a vendor in Kasama, said while the PF is enjoying support from the “call boys”, Mr Mwamba’s remarks have angered many people.
The former Kasama Central MP went into a verbal tirade and threatened the author and the management of Zambia Daily Mail with dismissals if his party forms government.
Mr Mwamba told the reporter that the PF policy is not to talk to reporters from the public media.
Mr Mwamba warned that if the PF forms government, it will ensure that some journalists and the management of the Zambia Daily Mail are fired and blacklisted.
MMD Kasama central aspiring candidate Chilekwa Munkonge said Mr Mwamba has annoyed a lot of people by his incessant bragging about his money.
Mr Munkonge alleged that Mr Mwamba has also organised some youths to harass MMD members.
Mr Munkonge said the people of Kasama are not interested in the money Mr Mwamba has because he does not pay them for their upkeep.
“My brother GBM has been boasting about his money and this has irritated a lot of people here. On Saturday, he was on Radio Mano where he was ridiculing the people of Kasama for not being as rich as he is. My brother has worked hard to campaign against himself,” Mr Munkonge said.
He said President Banda has proved that Kasama would develop if voters pick an MMD parliamentarian, adding that Mr Mwamba promised the people of Kasama a lot of things but he has done nothing ever since he was elected MP.
Mr Munkonge said there is every hope that the people of Kasama will give the MMD a massive vote that will easily obliterate the vote of the people in Kasama urban.
Mr Munkonge also said he is concerned with the attitude of police officers whom he accused of taking no action against the PF cadres who have been pulling down MMD campaign posters.
Meanwhile, the United Party for National Development (UPND) has charged that PF president Michael Sata is ungrateful, vengeful and undemocratic and should never be given the privilege of leading Zambia.
UPND Malole Constituency candidate Godfrey Kangwa said Northern Province is no longer a stronghold of the PF because people in the region have realised that Mr Sata is a danger to democracy and political stability.
Mr Kangwa said the PF under Mr Sata would not lead the country in a satisfactory manner because the opposition party is allegedly corrupt.
Mr Kangwa who defected from the PF when Mr Sata refused to adopt him, said the PF leader will cause chaos in the country should he be elected President.
Mr Kangwa who is former Mungwi district council secretary said in an interview yesterday that he worked closely with the PF president and he knows that he is not a democratic leader.
He said Mr Sata ignored him during the adoption process and settled for a Mr Lyaluma from South Africa who has been adopted to contest the Malole seat.
He said the PF didn’t exist in Malole and it took his efforts and resources to market Mr Sata and the PF but the PF president decided to betray him by adopting someone who has never been a member of the party.
“Mr Sata is ungrateful and he does not like people with independent minds. I am the one who introduced Mr Sata and PF in Malole but because the party believes in corruption, they decided to give the constituency to somebody who was even out of the country at the time. Do you think such a party can fight corruption when they are practicing the vice?” Mr Kangwa asked.
Mr Kangwa said he put a lot of effort into building the structures of PF in Mungwi but Mr Sata is working to destroy what he (Mr Kangwa) built over the years.
He said a week before the adoption process commenced, he was campaigning with Mr Sata in Chipata, without knowing that Mr Sata had kept a list of people he wanted to adopt.
He said what is going to make the PF lose the elections in Northern Province is Mr Sata’a adoption of candidates who were rejected by the people at district and constituency level.
Mr Kangwa said he is confident of winning the Malole seat because the people are tired of unfulfilled promises.
He said the development recorded in Mungwi has been a result of his hard work, adding that he persuaded government to consider building health centers and schools.
He said Malole constituency is rich with minerals but the natural resources have not yet been tapped.
“We have gold, diamond, manganese, uranium and emeralds in Malole but no one is mining them. Malole is the only constituency with the widest watershed in Northern Province and is rich in timber but it is still far from benefiting from its resources,” Mr Kangwa said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
PF fishing for excuses to derail polls
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the Patriotic Front (PF) and its allies are looking for every excuse to disturb the September 20 general elections by questioning the printing of ballot papers in South Africa when such has been the trend in the past.
And President Banda has warned that he would not allow the PF to cause violence as the party is planning to do if he was re-elected.
Addressing a rally in Kapiri-Mposhi yesterday on his continued campaign trail, Mr Banda said schemes by those who wanted to delay the holding of the general elections next week would not work as Zambians were ready to vote. He said the printing of ballot papers was witnessed by representatives from all political parties who even commended the printing company, Universal Print Group for a good job.[pullquote]We have kept mealie meal prices stable and at a lower rate than ever while the price of fuel is now uniform,” President Banda said. He said the PF was only calling for change without well-defined party policies to match those of the ruling party.[/pullquote]
“Now those who were here are grumbling; we are going ahead with the elections because Zambians are ready to vote for their leaders. “At first they wanted the election date set and we went ahead to announce the date but now they want to try and find lame excuses,” President Banda, who was accompanied by United Liberal Party leader Sakwiba Sikota and other officials, said. He said his opponents, especially the PF, were scared of the successful campaign the ruling party had conducted.
The president said the PF had clearly indicated that its president Michael Sata was headed for defeat in this year’s elections. Mr Banda said the MMD had in the last three years managed to fulfill most of the promises it made during the 2008 elections.
He said during his tenure of office, he had managed to build schools, health infrastructure and that the agriculture sector had developed to unmatched standards. “We have kept peace together in the last three years; we have kept the inflation rate down; we promised fertiliser and other inputs which we have given to you.
“We have kept mealie meal prices stable and at a lower rate than ever while the price of fuel is now uniform,” President Banda said. He said the PF was only calling for change without well-defined party policies to match those of the ruling party.
“I believe in change that should bring about new schools, proper health infrastructure, good roads and a developed agriculture sector and this is the change the MMD is already delivering and Zambians are able to see it.
“As a result of our clear policies, more investment is coming into Zambia and so Zambians should not experiment by voting for Mr Sata and his party which has no clear policies. I have only been in office for three years and my works are showing,” he said.
On calls for violence when PF loses, Mr Banda said he would not let Zambia get to such levels because its citizens were firm believers of the tenets of democracy which provided for people to be allowed to elect their leaders peacefully.
“Threats of violence are coming from people who don’t believe in democracy. You can’t threaten people to vote for you but you have to ask for their votes. “We don’t want campaigns of threats, insults and of sharpening machetes,” he said.
He said only the MMD had a national character and that was why it had fielded parliamentary and local government candidates in all the 150 constituencies countrywide. Mr Banda said the MMD had outlined its works through the seven-point plan which stressed how it would better the living standards of Zambians.
The president introduced the MMD candidate for Kapiri-Mposhi Laurence Zimba, Jane Chileshe for Kabwe Central and Godfrey Pende for Bwacha. At the same rally, Mr Sikota said Mr Banda had fulfilled all his campaign promises and that he was more reliable than all the other candidates.
[Times of Zambia]
Church slams HH and Sata for shunning prayers
SOME Church leaders have expressed disappointment at Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata and other opposition party leaders who shunned Sunday’s prayer rally in Lusaka which was organised to pray for Zambia’s peace during the election period.
The Independent Churches of Zambia board chairperson David Masupa said it was unfortunate that Mr Sata snubbed the prayer meeting despite it not being organised by the Government.
“On such an occasion which fosters unity, the opposition political parties should make an effort to attend,” Reverend Masupa said.
The PF leader and United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema were conspicuously missing from the event organised by the Council of Churches in Zambia, Zambia Episcopal Conference and Evangelical Fellowship in Zambia and was characterised by messages of peace and unity.
Rev Masupa described the prayer service as historical and necessary as it marked peace for the September 20 elections. “It was a historical event especially the releasing of the doves which signalled peace,” he said.
Rev Masupa appealed to Zambians to make a last-minute assessment on whether the socio-economic development that the country was enjoying could continue under some political leaders who did not show interest in making peace with others.
Council of Churches in Zambia secretary general Suzanne Matale said Zambians should cherish the peace that the country was enjoying by conducting themselves above partisan politics.
Rev Matale said it was unfortunate that some political leaders failed to attend the prayer service although she reiterated that the three Church mother bodies that organised the session at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross achieved their objective.
She said the Church was pleased with the representation from different stakeholders, more so that that all the people in attendance agreed that Zambia would not engage in electoral violence.
“It was unfortunate that some opposition members could not attend the service or at least send a representative because it was a platform for seeking God’s intervention in the electoral violence that has been rearing its ugly head,” Rev Matale said.
Meanwhile, Calvary Church Pentecostal Assemblies of God (Zambia) in Livingstone yesterday conducted prayers for peace and re-committed Zambia to God as the country holds the tripartite elections next week.
Leading the prayer meeting, Copperbelt Province-based cleric Bernard Nwaka prayed for peace to prevail in the country, saying Zambia should move forward after the elections.
Dr Nwaka, who is Living Water Global Ministries International overseer in Kitwe, said this under his sermon titled ‘Let’s not sow seeds of hatred which would affect the future generations’.
“We don’t want bloodshed in this country. If we understand the teachings of the Bible, we shall be less careless in what we say. “Whoever takes over the country as president should take the spirit of reconciliation. We pray that the president to be elected shall only choose men and women of integrity who are qualified and chosen by God,” he said.
Southern Province Permanent Secretary Gladys Kristafor, Livingstone Town Clerk Vivian Chikoti, former Information minister Stan Kristafor, provincial defence and security chiefs as well as some Livingstone residents participated in the prayer meeting.
[Times of Zambia]
ECZ warns against vote buying
THE ELECTORAL Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has said it has received reports of vote buying and warned perpetrators of punishment by the law.
ECZ director of elections Priscilla Isaac said in Lusaka yesterday that the commission had been receiving anonymous messages in form of letters and text messages from members of the public in Lusaka and some districts indicating that there was rampant vote buying.
“There have been no specifics and that is why we are making a general statement. People are not being open so we cannot take the bull by its horn. Members of the public should also report such cases to the police and the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission),” she said.
Ms Isaac urged members of the public to guard their voters’ cards jealously, saying their vote was sacred.
She also said ballot papers for the September 20 tripartite elections would arrive today aboard a chartered plane scheduled to land at Lusaka International Airport between 11:00 hours and 12:00 hours.
She said all those nominated to witness the arrival and inspection of the ballot papers before they are dispatched to polling stations should be accredited with the ECZ.
Ms Isaac said the ECZ would only allow two representatives from stakeholder groups and political parties to avoid congestion as was the case in 2008.
She said the ballot papers would be kept at a Zamcargo warehouse at the Lusaka International Airport, which the ECZ was renting, and would start being dispatched to the various polling stations by road between Wednesday and Friday, after inspection by district electoral officers.
She said ECZ was installing closed circuit television (CCTV) in and outside the Zamcargo warehouse to ensure maximum security.
Ms Isaac appealed to Zambians to allow the safe passage of ballot papers to their respective polling stations to avoid undue delay of the electoral process.
“I appeal to all people to allow the safe passage of the ballot papers. Our trucks should not be disturbed and there should be no undue delay of the papers,” she said.
She maintained that the end of the campaign period was September 18 at 06:00 hours as had been agreed with stakeholders at a meeting in Livingstone last year, and urged all Zambians to observe the end of the campaign period or be in breach of the law.
Ms Isaac said more than 500 international monitors from about 20 organisations and countries, including the media, had already accredited, among them the Electoral Institute of South Africa, Southern African Development Community parliamentary forum, Botswana, Kenya, the Commonwealth and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
On alleged corruption involving Universal Print Group, Ms Isaac said any direct allegations of UPG and corruption had been forwarded to the ACC as it was the best wing of Government to investigate the printing company.
On public media failing to observe the electoral code of conduct on coverage, Ms Isaac defended the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail saying the two public media had tried to ensure equal coverage of all political parties and stakeholders in the elections under difficult circumstances.
She said Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation had also tried to offer coverage to all stakeholders and political parties.
She urged political parties and other stakeholders to make it easy for the public media to cover them by minimising hostility.
On the special vote, she said the ECZ would not be able to offer a special vote for the media and the police but was looking at developing procedures for 2016.
She however said ECZ officials and the police would be given certificates to vote where they would be deployed.
[Times of Zambia]
100 pushups , 100 days
This is a challenge that every body , male , female , young , old can do. It comprises of doing 100 push-ups every day for 100 consecutive days. At first glance it may seem like a daunting task , but it is in-fact quite easy.
What you have to do is break down the 100 push-ups into 5 sets of 20. Most people can do 20 at a go , if you cant , then you can do 10 sets of 10. For example
- When you wake up in the morning do 20
- Before lunch 20
- early evening 20
- before dinner 20
- before you sleep 20
By following this you will be doing 100 push-ups everyday.
BENEFITS
Push-ups work the entire body .
- your chest
- hands, forearms, biceps, triceps
- shoulders, traps, upper back, lower back
- abs
- glutes
It also gets your heart rate up which is good for you.
Other benefits are:
– you can perform them anywhere, anytime
– you don’t need any technical equipment
– it cost you nothing for gym membership or anything else
– Doing this regularly with keep you health and looking fit.
You can call push ups a core-strengthening exercise. They largely improve your balance by strengthening and shaping up most important muscle groups in your body – the core.
I believe push-ups are the most effective exercise for improving total body fitness. They include cardiovascular training, weight/body lifting and muscle stretching all in one exercise.
Enough talking. Now drop down and give me 20 !
BY KAPA187
Maize bumper harvest vs meal meal prices on the market.
By Martin Mwango
Over the last twenty years agricultural production in Zambia has been recording high figures of maize bumper harvest but the question I would like to pose to every Zambian is that, does our bumper harvest seen on the local market or it remains only in figures? Clearly, the agricultural industry is not one of the most economically powerful industries in Zambia.
Even this year Zambia has recorded maize bumper harvest over 2.8million tones. However, the past last twenty years, Zambia has been experiencing high prices of meal meal on the local market in periods like December, January, February up to April with prices rising up to K10,000 plus to the normal price. Breakfast 25kg K50 000 raised to (K62 000) while roller meal 25kg K29 000 rising up to (K38 000). Mostly this prices reduces only in May, June and July when there is excess of maize from the local farmers. This prices was observed in 2010 to 2011 seasons.
Bumper harvest means producing enough for future use but this is not the case in our nation Almost every year we have high shortage of maize on the market and prices of meal meal goes higher. If for sure we have been having bumper harvest, why do we face this challenge on the local market for a long period of time every year? Or is it that the figures we are given are not true but are used for political mileage by those who are in power? Is it because In Zambia we have more local beer breweries than nation millings, which can be logical to say that we have thousands tons of maize in breweries deportees than that of milling deportee?
Zambian government should know the need of the people on the local grounds. In reality Zambian market has never recorded the maize bumper production because the local people have never witnessed that. Neglecting the milling sector resulting to close of national millings almost countrywide, can be also the factor because the milers are on the free pricing market. There is need to rebuild the milling sector in Zambia. Development means that everyone should have an excess to a full meal in a day. We have high figures of maize bumper harvest but do we have high feeders in the nation?