The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) through its Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) has arrested former Presidential Press Aide, Amos Chanda for Theft of a court record and Destroying evidence contrary to the laws of Zambia.

According to a statement issued by DEC Public Relations Officer Hussein Khan, Mr Chanda aged 50 of house number 67 Elm Road, Woodlands in Lusaka, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown on dates unknown but between 12th May, 2020 and 1st October, 2022 at Lusaka in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia did steal the court record in which he was the third accused person with Walid El Nahas and Zindaba Soko in which matter the Director of Public Prosecutions entered a Nolle Prosequi on 12th May, 2020.

Mr Chanda later burnt the said court record which was the property of the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

He has been detained in lawful custody and will appear in court soon.

In another incident, the Commission through its Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit has also formally arrested and charged Racheal Mupanga a former Principal Emergency Responding Officer at the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) for Possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime and Money laundering contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

Brief facts of the matter are that Mupanga, a female aged 35 years of Chalala area in Lusaka, on dates unknown but between 20th July, 2021 and 30th September, 2021 at Lusaka in the Lusaka District of the Lusaka Province of the Republic of Zambia did possess property suspected of being proceeds of crime namely; a house in Chalala which she purchased at K550, 000 and a motor vehicle a Nissan Murano at K150, 000.

She paid cash for the said properties and they have since been seized.

Ms Mupanga has been released on bond and will appear in court soon.

President Hakainde Hichilema has re-assured students in institutions of higher learning that his government is committed to resolve their challenges.

President Hichilema says the challenges being faced by institutions of higher learning will be dismantled as a package until sanity is restored.

He made the assurance at the Copperbelt University (CBU) grounds in Kitwe where he met students from CBU and Mukuba University who had gone to welcome him at the institution where he held a series of meetings with different stakeholders.

The Head of State said his administration has already addressed the issue of meal allowances which had been the cry of students from the time the allowances were scrapped off by the previous regime.

He said the next item on the agenda is to tackle the matter of accommodation in colleges and universities.

President Hichilema, who thanked the student populace for the overwhelming votes in the August 12, 2021 general elections, added that the government wants to make education as a public good accessible to all.

He said the re-introduction of the free education policy from early childhood to grade 12 creates a very solid foundation that allows every child to stand firm and claim education as their basic right.

Earlier, Copperbelt University Students’ Union (COBUSU) interim president, Matakala Matakala, said the shortage of accommodation in institutions of higher learning needed urgent attention.

Mr. Matakala thanked President Hichilema for having made sure that meal allowances are re-introduced as promised when he was in the opposition.

And Mr. Matakala said CBU needs a facelift adding that the government should also address the issue of water and sanitation at the institution.

President Hichilema is in the Copperbelt Province for a two-day working visit.

Information and Media Permanent Secretary, Kennedy Kalunga, has today launched the Public Private Dialogue Forum (PPDF) communication strategy that will increase knowledge and awareness about the operations of various organisations.

During the event in Lusaka, Mr. Kalunga underscored the critical role that information dissemination plays in creating awareness among various institutions in the country.

He observed that the PPDF communication strategy will introduce a new practice in enhancing service delivery in various institutions.

Mr. Kalunga further said the communication strategy will change the traditional way which clients used to conduct business. He said there is, therefore, need to migrate from a physical to online application for efficient service delivery.

“A communication strategy is used for advocacy to partners and decision-makers to offer institutional support needed for an organisation to enhance policy implementation, thereby promoting business activities for Zambians,” he said.

Mr. Kalunga also explained that the PPDF is an important vehicle for economic development as it provides a structured, participatory and inclusive platform for public-private sector engagement on policy matters.

And PPDF Communication and Partnerships Director, Jacqueline Chishimba, said the communication strategy will cut across all sectors of the economy in boosting business and the job creation crusade which government has embarked on.

Ms. Chishimba added that the strategy’s main objective is to identify and address bottlenecks that impede economic growth and job creation in the country.

She further said the PPDF communication strategy also aims at packaging information and disseminating it to both public and private sectors regarding best business practices in the country.

“This communication strategy is aimed at incorporating every entrepreneur at every stage to understand the business environment and how best to change the narrative in coming up with business ventures,” she said.

The PPDF is at a build up stage where it is issuing questionnaires to stakeholders such as media personal and business people among others before its implementation.

The Zambia Army and Standard Chartered Bank have partnered to fight deforestation and to protect the environment through planting trees.

Zambia Army and the bank today planted 100 fruit trees near the Zambia Army Chapel in Lusaka’s Arakan Barracks.

Zambia Army Commander, Sitali Alibuzwi, said climate change has caused serious environmental degradation which has in turn impacted negatively on efforts toward sustainable economic development.

Lieutenant General Alibuzwi said efforts to improve afforestation should therefore be promoted among all Zambians.

He said Zambia Army desires that the tree planting initiative is extended to all its military cantonments so that the men and women in uniform are made aware of the need to preserve the environment.

And Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer, Sonny Zulu, observed that deforestation is one of the major climate change challenges which Zambia is facing today.

Mr. Zulu said tree planting should be an ongoing process which is aimed at replacing those that are being cut every day.

He has since called on all Zambians to play a role in securing the future of the planet for the generations to come.

He said the bank was happy to partner with the Zambia Army in the important and noble exercise of planting trees.

Mr. Zulu disclosed that Standard Chartered Bank has targeted to plant at least 3,500 trees in 2022 alone.

Meanwhile, Standard Chartered Associate Director for Brand and Marketing, Kwale Luputa, said the bank is encouraging its employees to plant at least one tree every year.

Mr. Luputa said the bank spent K15, 000 in the tree planting exercise adding that it is ongoing.

According to the Global Forest Watch, Zambia lost 163,000 hactares of tree cover in 2020, which is equivalent to 59.7 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Minister of Defence Ambrose Lufuma has urged the Zambia National Service (ZNS ) to continue embracing modern agricultural methods and technology.

Mr Lufuma said embracing modern agricultural methods will improve productivity and impact positively on the performance of the country’s economy.

He said this when he commissioned the agriculture earth moving equipment , and flagging off the wheat harvesting at the ZNS Airport farm in Chongwe district in Lusaka province.

The Minister said government is happy that ZNS’s purchase of two multi-purpose combine harvesters will help to enhance productivity of the nation through mechanisation of farm operations.

Mr Lufuma also noted that the waging war in Ukraine has awakened the wave among many African countries regarding the need to grow more food.

“So apart from pushing the attainment of food sovereignty, the government is working on incentivizing the farming community to position our country to be a net exporter of various agriculture produce,” Mr Lufuma said.

Mr Lufuma has since appealed to ZNS command to ensure that they speed up the Lusitu irrigation Scheme in Chirundu district and the Luswashi irrigation scheme in Mufulira under production.

He said the earth moving equipment will help ZNS to continue positioning itself to be reliable to the government in the construction of various earth works.

“It is especially heart-warming to realise that the service is adding a more taste brand of heavy-duty pieces of equipment to its aging fleet,” he said.

ZNS Commander Lieutenant General, Maliti Solochi said the modern pieces of agriculture machinery have been bought using internally generated resources at the cost of K6, 800.000.

Lieutenant General Solochi said the equipment will improve efficiency in the harvesting of the crop as there will be better grain yield owing to good agricultural practices.

“Other than harvesting wheat, the combine harvesters will also improve the service’s efficiency in the harvesting of soya beans and maize,” Lieutenant Solochi said.

He pointed out that the service will supplement government efforts to mobilize resources generated through the commercial projects.

The lieutenant General noted that the service will soon begin to reap benefits of the 11,224,000 spent on buying all pieces of equipment.

Minister of Community Development and Social Services Doreen Mwamba cites the need for concerted efforts to be put in place in order to foster a culture of zero tolerance to violence in all its forms.

Ms Mwamba said that the government is against any acts of violence against women, girls and children, and it therefore needs to come to an end.

Speaking in a speech read on her behalf by the Chief Child Development Officer, Lackson Chipampa, during the commemoration of the International Day of The Girl Child, the Minister further called for interrogation and dismantling of all negative social norms and cultural practices that infringe on the rights of girls.

“Globally,1 in 3 women have experienced some form of violence at least once in their lifetime, the picture in Zambia according to the 2018 health demographic survey, shows that at least 36 percent of women had reported experiencing violence,” she said

The Minister expressed contentment that this year’s commemoration under the theme “Our Time is Now-Our Rights, Our Future” is in line with the government’s aspirations as evidenced by the recent enactment of the Children’s Code Bill, which is significant and a huge milestone in advancing the right of girls and wellbeing of children in the country.

Ms Mwamba disclosed that Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, is currently working with support from partners, particularly UNICEF, to rollout the Children’s Code Bill which provides for roles, responsibilities and duties of most stakeholders such as parents, guardians, local communities, organizations, traditional leaders and the whole Zambian society.

And United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)Country Representative, Gift Malunga encouraged girls to prioritize education in order for them to have a bright future.

Ms Malunga highlighted the need for reproductive health education in order for girls to understand their responsibilities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Meanwhile, Director for Child Development, Bridget Moya, called on girls to be resilient and protect themselves from vices such as early marriages and teenage pregnancies.

Ms Moya stated that girls should ensure they are counted in issues of personal and national development.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has interrogated Davis Chama, former Minister of Defence, to help with investigations in connection with a matter in which money amounting to 3 million United States dollars was paid to the Patritic Front PF in 2016 by Glencore International AG, the mining company that was operating Mopani Copper Mine.

According to ACC Head-Corporate Communications Timothy Moono, the investigations border on the circumstances under which the said funds were paid by the named mining firm to a political party soon after which the firm exited Zambia under unfavourable terms to the Government of the Republic of Zambia.

Mr Moono said investigations into the matter are ongoing.